Tennis
Injury denies Nadal/Djokovic thriller
2008 Australia Open Champion and perennial World No.3 Novak Djokovic finally broke the sophomore hoodoo off his back last Sunday by winning his second major at the 2011 Australian Open. In the process he scored emphatic wins over the great man Roger Federer in the semi-final, and Britain's favourite choker Andy Murray in the final, both in straight sets. His form was so ominous to suggest that he could have gone even to beating a full strength Rafael Nadal than he managed in losing last year's US Open final in 4 sets. Until his quarter-final Nadal looked quite unstoppable, but a torn muscle in his thigh which started to show up during a marathon second game left him helpless against consistent but hardly world-bearing countryman David Ferrer. The injury denied Rafa perhaps not a sure Rafa-Slam, completing a non-calendar year grand slam by adding the Australian Open titles to the French, Wimbledon and US which he won last year, but certainly denied us a titanic final between two masters of power.
Aussie Kim class of the field
Belgian superstar and long time Aussie fan favourite Kim Clijsters has finally won the Australian Open, her 4th grand slam title adding to the three US Open triumphs she achieved previously. Clijsters may have suffered lapses throughout the tournament and played a particularly below-par first set in the final, but that she still so emphatically and inevitably won a tournament where was far from her best highlights gulf in women's tennis. If both Williams sisters are fit and motivated, Clijsters is at her best, and the plethora of talented tour players but Grand Slam chokers like Wozniacki, Zvonareva and Jankovic play to their potential, women's tennis could be absolutely captivating. The added factor of someone like Li Na, sweeping all before her in reaching the Australian Open final, and stunning youngsters like Petra Kvitova, defy popular claims that women's tennis is in a rough patch. The problem is that the majority of these top ranked tour players remain underachievers, and the Williams sisters remain committed to their questionable program of minimal tennis, which noticeably has not helped decrease their propensity for injury. As it is there is Clijsters. Although she falters on clay and grass courts, its hard not to imagine Kim starting a hard court legacy in Melbourne and New York.
Football
Last chance heartbreak for the golden generation
Australia's ever beloved Socceroos are still licking the wounds from a devastating Asian Cup final, in which the Socceroos dominated every facet of play only to watch Japan steal Asian football's biggest prize 1-0 from a freak extra time strike by substitute Tadahari Lee. The loss potentially represents the final chance at international silverware for many of Australia's aging legends. The Socceroos campaign had gathered steam at the perfect pace, but one can't help but wonder if Japan's emotion charged semi-final penalty shootout win over South Korea primed them for the pressure moments more than Australia's rather leisurely 6-0 demolition of a foul Uzbekistan did. The Socceroos dominated the first half, but were unable to put away the many chances that presented themselves, helped by the sterling efforts of Japanese goal-keeper Eiji Kawashima.
As the pressure built in the second half there were lapses however, with the Socceroos lucky to escape from a few counter-attacking raids, and the enterprising play of the first half game way to a more predictable series of increasingly inaccurate crosses into the box. A brilliant save by Kawashima denied Harry Kewell one-on-one, but it was nevertheless a goal Harry should in any normal circumstance have put away. Lee's strike came in the 109th minute, shortly after the half way interval in extra-time, and came about inevitably from two tiny errors from the Socceroos left backs. Luke Wilkshire allowed Yuto Nagamoto to break clear and find space to cross to Lee who's fresh legs were able to wrong-foot a slightly off the ball David Carney, leaving Lee unmarked with the way clear for a spectacular finish.
Spectacular Roar seal historic achievement
The Hyundai A-League is about to enter its final fortnight, and the setup of the top 6 is nearly clear. After all the troubles and disruptions caused by the flood disaster, the Brisbane Roar have managed to stay on track, scoring tough wins 2-0 over the Wellington Phoenix and 2-1 over the Melbourne Heart. These results seal the club's first ever minor-premiership. The job coach Ange Postecoglou has done can not be underestimated. The unprecedented amount of player swaps he did before the new season raised question marks but have resulted in arguably the most dominant single season by an A-League team ever. But now they must complete the job, against more experienced finals teams.
The battle over the final two spots in the six is nearly settled now. The Heart needed victory over the Roar to stay in touch with crosstown rivals the Melbourne Victory who they drew with 2-2 in a thrilling local derby, and with the Wellington Phoenix who bookended their loss to Brisbane with impressive displays against the Perth Glory (2-0) and the Newcastle Jets 1-0. The Victory and Phoenix look somewhat safe for 5th and 6th now. The Heart will need to score an upset win over the in form Central Coast Mariners to retain any realistic hope, and the Jets would need a miracle. The Mariners on their part have pulled clear in the battle for 2nd with Adelaide United, after winning their grudge match 2-1, rather tempering United's
Full Ladder here.
Cricket
Weary poms feel Ashes hangover.
Australia's cricketers are saving some sort of face with some impressive one-day performances in the needlessly long seven-match series which is ongoing. Even more encouraging with the World Cup pending has been the quality of cricket and the drama, most games have remained competitive until late in the contest with two last over thrillers. For all the criticism of Australian cricket, a 4th successive World Cup may not be out of the question. Injuries have wreaked havoc with the squad as Michael Hussey, Nathan Hauritz, Xavier Doherty, Steve Smith and Shaun Tait have all come down with substantial injuries of varying severity. Hussey's hamstring tear in game 1 and Hauritz' shoulder dislocation while fielding in game 2 are the gravest concerns. No player (with the possible exception of the superhuman Watson, and the comeback hero Lee) have showed any particularly consistency either. Yet through all the setbacks and periods of bad play, Australia lead the series 5-1, and everyone has put their hand up at some stage.
Game 1 was all about Watson's heroic 161 as Australia overhauled a formidable 294. Game 2 saw Hussey's replacement Shaun Marsh expose our idiotic selection policy by scoring 110 after not being picked for the World Cup. Australia were 4 for 33, then 8 for 142, yet still won comfortably in the end. Game 3 saw Brett Lee at his brilliant best and some useful overs from Xavier Doherty on his return to the team, before David Hussey and Brad Haddin overcame an early batting collapse to chase down 215. England won Game 4 but the performance of Steve Smith silenced his doubters with bat and ball. Captain Michael Clarke was the notable man missing from the form sheet. Then in Game 5 he made a gutsy 54 to anchor Australia's innings, before a disciplined display from the whole bowling line-up sealed a convincing win, and then struck a wonderful 82 off 70 balls in Game 6, leading Australia to a remarkable chase of 334, Australia's biggest ever successful run chase.
Even conceivable bit players like David Hussey, Steve Smith and John Hastings have performed well at times. The only player with no real form is Cameron White, but he is a class player and will surely come good sometime during the World Cup.
Showing posts with label Football. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Football. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Local News Wrap - January 1-14 2011
Cricket
England complete Ashes rout
There was a bizarre feeling at the opening day of the 5th and final Ashes test in Sydney last week. I can attest to it as I was there personally. Although it would be harsh to claim it was an anticlimax, with a packed house piling into the SCG, there was definitely a feeling of perverse irony in all the hearty gusto with which the local fans cheered for the Aussies. As a test match it fast became a never ending tedious anti-climax, or a four day carnival of wonderment if you're English. England were not as devastatingly good as they'd been in Adelaide and Melbourne with bat or ball. Nor were Australia quite so bad as they had been at times during the series. Yet the game ended up every bit as distressingly lopsided, with England amassing their highest ever score in Australia, 644, on their way to a third innings win of the series.
Full scorecard.
Old rivals split short form pair
Although there remains a semblance of novelty and superfluousness to the Twenty20 game, it provided two particularly enjoyable contests this week. The spectre of Australia's Ashes horror meant that the traditional early January T20s were treated with amusingly over exuberant gusto instead of the usual lazy indifference. There have been higher quality games, but both went to the last over and for once it was an intriguing contest between bat and ball, not a nauseating six-a-thon.
England took a thrilling Game One when debutant Chris Woakes scored the necessary 158th run from the last ball of the match, off the bowling of poor old Shane Watson who smashed a wonderful 59 and took four wickets to boot, and still couldn't find himself on the winning team. Game two followed a similar formula, with more frustrating middle order performances limiting Australia to only 147. It would have been worse if not for the efforts of young Aaron Finch who hit an enterprising 53 not out off 33 balls. England looked comfortable with openers Ian Bell and Steve Davies at the crease but after a vital two-wicket over from Mitchell Johnson, the middle order stumbled. Watson once again was a standout with the ball and the pace trio of Lee, Tait and Johnson managed to withstand some late scares and hold on for a much needed 4 run win.
Game 1 scorecard.
Game 2 scorecard.
Football
Socceroos survive medical nightmare
The Asian Cup continues to throw up drama and surprises into its second week. Three time champions and general Asian superpower Saudi Arabia have already booked their tickets home with a shock 1-0 loss to Jordan, following up their 2-1 defeat to Syria in the first game. China also find themselves with a face full of egg after an unexpected 2-0 lesson at the hands of hosts Qatar. Australia's group seems on schedule to finish with the Socceroos and Koreans tied atop the table on seven points after they played out a scrappy but enthralling 1-1 draw. The Socceroos had the better of the first half chances after some good set piece play but found themselves 1-0 down after a defensive lapse in the centre of the park. Mile Jedinak equalised midway through the second half with his first international goal as the Socceroos continued to show impressive elements, but made far too many silly errors and couldn't match the sensational fast passing game of South Korea.
The biggest concern for the Socceroos is a trio of potentially tournament ending injuries to Jason Culina, Luke Wilkshire and David Carney. Culina's central midfield slot should not be hard to fill with Carl Valeri and Matt McKay showing good form, but the respective flank positions in the defensive line could be a bigger problem.
Roar paddle through flood waters
The devastating floods in South-East Queensland have had a profound impact on many in the sporting community. Australian and English cricketers and their respective boards have gone to particular efforts to provide financial support, and today saw a novelty fundraiser featuring the stars of the Tennis world in the lead up to the Australian Open. But it is the A-League who have, in unimportant sporting terms, been affected most of all. The runaway league leaders Brisbane Roar have trained on four different grounds in the past fortnight, and this week found their iconic home Suncorp Stadium under water. Sunday's game against the Wellington Phoenix has been postponed until January 26 but it appears that potentially the entire of the Suncorp's remaining allotment of fixtures may need to be shifted to other grounds around greater Brisbane, or even to Gold Coast United's Skilled Park.
It remains to be seen what effect the troubles of the past week will have on the Roar, who have the luxury of an upcoming bye. If Monday was any indication though the plight of their friends and families will only spur the Roar on. As the crisis in Brisbane began to play out, the team played a thrilling high quality 3-3 draw against an impressive Central Coast Mariners in Gosford. The top 4 remains safe with the Roar, Adelaide United, Mariners and Gold Coast still by far the pick of the competition. But the battle for the remaining two places in the finals remains particularly interesting. Melbourne Victory are looking likely to qualify but are doing their best to throw it all away, with an awful performance at home last weekend, destroyed 4-1 by Adelaide following on from a 2-0 loss to the 8th placed Wellington Pheonix, keeping them within striking distance. Sydney F.C have kept their slim hopes alive with a 2-1 win visiting an inconsistent and injury ravaged Newcastle Jets who nevertheless cling to 6th. Both the Jets and 7th placed Melbourne Heart scored rather inconsequential wins over a decidedly average North Queensland Fury to start the new year, but neither have yet shown enough to consistent form to suggest a finals place is in the bag.
Tennis
Hewitt pulls Kooyong surprise
Preparations are complete for the Australian Open which begins tomorrow at Melbourne Park. Aside from the odd inspiring cameo from names like Molik, Stosur and Dokic, local fans have had precious little to celebrate in the recent past. 2011's edition may not be different in the grand scheme, with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal looking unbeatable and Kim Clijsters' favouritism shortening every day. But the signs have been promising this week. Hewitt, the clear outsider in ranking terms, took a somewhat unexpected trophy at the disappointingly tiny and insubstantial but still high quality AAMI classic at Kooyong. Hewitt scored three impressive wins over top players. Russian top 10 stars Mikhail Youzhny and Nikolay Davydenko were both quality conquests, and Hewitt wrapped up the title with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Gael Monfils. Hewitt will need all the form he can muster, for a first round clash with the class of long time rival David Nalbandian, who has come off a strong performance in Auckland where he was runner-up to David Ferrer in the Heineken Cup.
Aussie women reverse roles
There is massive hype around Samantha Stosur going into the Australian Open. The world No.6 who reached her first grand slam final in Paris in 2010, is seeded No.5 for the tournament, the highest Australian women's seed since Wendy Turnbull in 1984. However it was not Stosur who flew the flag for the Aussie girls this week but young up and comer Jarmila Groth. Groth took out her second WTA title this week at the Hobart International, beating fellow young sensation Bethanie Mattek-Sands of the United States. It follows Groth's maiden title at the Guangzhou International open in China just four months ago. Stosur meanwhile went out in the second round of the Sydney International to former World No.1 Svetlana Kuznetsova. Despite the setback, Stosur's challenge still looks on track. Kuznetsova was particularly impressive and Stosur gives every indication of being a woman who is peaking at the exact right time.
England complete Ashes rout
There was a bizarre feeling at the opening day of the 5th and final Ashes test in Sydney last week. I can attest to it as I was there personally. Although it would be harsh to claim it was an anticlimax, with a packed house piling into the SCG, there was definitely a feeling of perverse irony in all the hearty gusto with which the local fans cheered for the Aussies. As a test match it fast became a never ending tedious anti-climax, or a four day carnival of wonderment if you're English. England were not as devastatingly good as they'd been in Adelaide and Melbourne with bat or ball. Nor were Australia quite so bad as they had been at times during the series. Yet the game ended up every bit as distressingly lopsided, with England amassing their highest ever score in Australia, 644, on their way to a third innings win of the series.
Full scorecard.
Old rivals split short form pair
Although there remains a semblance of novelty and superfluousness to the Twenty20 game, it provided two particularly enjoyable contests this week. The spectre of Australia's Ashes horror meant that the traditional early January T20s were treated with amusingly over exuberant gusto instead of the usual lazy indifference. There have been higher quality games, but both went to the last over and for once it was an intriguing contest between bat and ball, not a nauseating six-a-thon.
England took a thrilling Game One when debutant Chris Woakes scored the necessary 158th run from the last ball of the match, off the bowling of poor old Shane Watson who smashed a wonderful 59 and took four wickets to boot, and still couldn't find himself on the winning team. Game two followed a similar formula, with more frustrating middle order performances limiting Australia to only 147. It would have been worse if not for the efforts of young Aaron Finch who hit an enterprising 53 not out off 33 balls. England looked comfortable with openers Ian Bell and Steve Davies at the crease but after a vital two-wicket over from Mitchell Johnson, the middle order stumbled. Watson once again was a standout with the ball and the pace trio of Lee, Tait and Johnson managed to withstand some late scares and hold on for a much needed 4 run win.
Game 1 scorecard.
Game 2 scorecard.
Football
Socceroos survive medical nightmare
The Asian Cup continues to throw up drama and surprises into its second week. Three time champions and general Asian superpower Saudi Arabia have already booked their tickets home with a shock 1-0 loss to Jordan, following up their 2-1 defeat to Syria in the first game. China also find themselves with a face full of egg after an unexpected 2-0 lesson at the hands of hosts Qatar. Australia's group seems on schedule to finish with the Socceroos and Koreans tied atop the table on seven points after they played out a scrappy but enthralling 1-1 draw. The Socceroos had the better of the first half chances after some good set piece play but found themselves 1-0 down after a defensive lapse in the centre of the park. Mile Jedinak equalised midway through the second half with his first international goal as the Socceroos continued to show impressive elements, but made far too many silly errors and couldn't match the sensational fast passing game of South Korea.
The biggest concern for the Socceroos is a trio of potentially tournament ending injuries to Jason Culina, Luke Wilkshire and David Carney. Culina's central midfield slot should not be hard to fill with Carl Valeri and Matt McKay showing good form, but the respective flank positions in the defensive line could be a bigger problem.
Roar paddle through flood waters
The devastating floods in South-East Queensland have had a profound impact on many in the sporting community. Australian and English cricketers and their respective boards have gone to particular efforts to provide financial support, and today saw a novelty fundraiser featuring the stars of the Tennis world in the lead up to the Australian Open. But it is the A-League who have, in unimportant sporting terms, been affected most of all. The runaway league leaders Brisbane Roar have trained on four different grounds in the past fortnight, and this week found their iconic home Suncorp Stadium under water. Sunday's game against the Wellington Phoenix has been postponed until January 26 but it appears that potentially the entire of the Suncorp's remaining allotment of fixtures may need to be shifted to other grounds around greater Brisbane, or even to Gold Coast United's Skilled Park.
It remains to be seen what effect the troubles of the past week will have on the Roar, who have the luxury of an upcoming bye. If Monday was any indication though the plight of their friends and families will only spur the Roar on. As the crisis in Brisbane began to play out, the team played a thrilling high quality 3-3 draw against an impressive Central Coast Mariners in Gosford. The top 4 remains safe with the Roar, Adelaide United, Mariners and Gold Coast still by far the pick of the competition. But the battle for the remaining two places in the finals remains particularly interesting. Melbourne Victory are looking likely to qualify but are doing their best to throw it all away, with an awful performance at home last weekend, destroyed 4-1 by Adelaide following on from a 2-0 loss to the 8th placed Wellington Pheonix, keeping them within striking distance. Sydney F.C have kept their slim hopes alive with a 2-1 win visiting an inconsistent and injury ravaged Newcastle Jets who nevertheless cling to 6th. Both the Jets and 7th placed Melbourne Heart scored rather inconsequential wins over a decidedly average North Queensland Fury to start the new year, but neither have yet shown enough to consistent form to suggest a finals place is in the bag.
Tennis
Hewitt pulls Kooyong surprise
Preparations are complete for the Australian Open which begins tomorrow at Melbourne Park. Aside from the odd inspiring cameo from names like Molik, Stosur and Dokic, local fans have had precious little to celebrate in the recent past. 2011's edition may not be different in the grand scheme, with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal looking unbeatable and Kim Clijsters' favouritism shortening every day. But the signs have been promising this week. Hewitt, the clear outsider in ranking terms, took a somewhat unexpected trophy at the disappointingly tiny and insubstantial but still high quality AAMI classic at Kooyong. Hewitt scored three impressive wins over top players. Russian top 10 stars Mikhail Youzhny and Nikolay Davydenko were both quality conquests, and Hewitt wrapped up the title with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Gael Monfils. Hewitt will need all the form he can muster, for a first round clash with the class of long time rival David Nalbandian, who has come off a strong performance in Auckland where he was runner-up to David Ferrer in the Heineken Cup.
Aussie women reverse roles
There is massive hype around Samantha Stosur going into the Australian Open. The world No.6 who reached her first grand slam final in Paris in 2010, is seeded No.5 for the tournament, the highest Australian women's seed since Wendy Turnbull in 1984. However it was not Stosur who flew the flag for the Aussie girls this week but young up and comer Jarmila Groth. Groth took out her second WTA title this week at the Hobart International, beating fellow young sensation Bethanie Mattek-Sands of the United States. It follows Groth's maiden title at the Guangzhou International open in China just four months ago. Stosur meanwhile went out in the second round of the Sydney International to former World No.1 Svetlana Kuznetsova. Despite the setback, Stosur's challenge still looks on track. Kuznetsova was particularly impressive and Stosur gives every indication of being a woman who is peaking at the exact right time.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Favourites wobble at the Asian Cup.
The first round of games in this year's Asian Cup football tournament in Qatar have been completed and once again, we've been given a significant reminder of how compact the competition in Asia has become. Asian powerhouses like Australia, South Korea and Japan may not be achieving quite the progress many suggested was possible early in the decade, but while they've stuttered, the overall burgeoning strength of Asian football has allowed the rest of the pack to close up behind.
The tournament of four years ago was full of unexpected results and finished with a major upset in Iraq being crowned Asian champions, and there's every indication similar upsets could rule this time. Most games in the first week have gone to some sort of schedule, but the prevailing point to be made is that every game has in some way proven closer and more competitive than expected, even including Australia's 4-0 win over India to an extent.
But the major anomaly has been Group B, where the state of Arabian football was spectacularly highlighted by heroic performances from the underrated Jordan and supposed minnows Syria. The Jordanian defence held up throughout the first half against the might of Japan, before a goal from Abdel Fattah against the run of play right on half time. Trailing 1-0 into the second, Japan looked shell shocked, as if the sheer astonishment of such a scoreline had violently struck them across the face. They slowly took control of the game however and 2 minutes into injury time came Maya Yoshida's last gasp, and for all fans of the under-dog, desperately disappointing equaliser.But there was satisfaction for upset junkies just a few hours later when Syria shocked their regional rivals 2-1.
As for the Socceroos, they did what they had to do. India, perplexing qualifiers through a questionable playoff system, were spirited but comfortably outclassed. India's clear standout was goalkeeper Subrata Pal, who prevented a scoreline which could easily have been 7 or 8 to nothing. 4-0 on paper looked like a disappointing result, and the Socceroos certainly were very scratchy in their basic skill execution in the second half. But this kind of lethargy can often result from such gross mismatches. The important boxes were ticked. Three points. Tim Cahill showing he is in fine finishing form. Harry Kewell reminding of his still spectacular prowess with a powerful long range bullet for Australia's 2nd goal. Brett Emerton was also particularly impressive, although there are definite improvements needed, especially from Mile Jedinak and David Carney on the left.
In Group C's other game, South Korea were comfortable but unconvincing winners over Bahrain 2-1. Any worry about The Socceroos being in goal difference danger because of their theoretically small margin over India should not be a concern. Bahrain gave no sign that they will be any threat to Australia. Despite being ranked 7th of the 16 teams in the tournament, and twice coming within a final playoff of reaching the World Cup, Bahrain were clearly out of their depth against South Korea. They showed the clear step down in class from the big boys that the lower-ranked Syria and Jordan were supposed to show. Meanwhile South Korea also were not too intimidating. As ever they relied on their individual brilliance and skills as opposed to any sort of clinical dominance. Providing India can stay motivated through three big losses, the big question really, South Korea shouldn't win by too much more than four.
If such a situation arises where passage to the quarter finals depends on goal difference, then there is no real cause for expectation for glory anyway after such a disappointing group performance.
At any rate, all will become clear on Friday when South Korea and Australia face off in their second group matches. A combination of the surprise results four years ago, FIFA's questionable ranking system and the hosts Qatar, a weak team comparatively, taking one of the four top seed positions in each group for themselves, has allowed the unlikely instance of Asia's two strongest teams on paper ending up in the same group. A convincing win will be needed for the Socceroos if they are to entertain any notion of being genuine contenders for the final trophy.
The tournament of four years ago was full of unexpected results and finished with a major upset in Iraq being crowned Asian champions, and there's every indication similar upsets could rule this time. Most games in the first week have gone to some sort of schedule, but the prevailing point to be made is that every game has in some way proven closer and more competitive than expected, even including Australia's 4-0 win over India to an extent.
But the major anomaly has been Group B, where the state of Arabian football was spectacularly highlighted by heroic performances from the underrated Jordan and supposed minnows Syria. The Jordanian defence held up throughout the first half against the might of Japan, before a goal from Abdel Fattah against the run of play right on half time. Trailing 1-0 into the second, Japan looked shell shocked, as if the sheer astonishment of such a scoreline had violently struck them across the face. They slowly took control of the game however and 2 minutes into injury time came Maya Yoshida's last gasp, and for all fans of the under-dog, desperately disappointing equaliser.But there was satisfaction for upset junkies just a few hours later when Syria shocked their regional rivals 2-1.
As for the Socceroos, they did what they had to do. India, perplexing qualifiers through a questionable playoff system, were spirited but comfortably outclassed. India's clear standout was goalkeeper Subrata Pal, who prevented a scoreline which could easily have been 7 or 8 to nothing. 4-0 on paper looked like a disappointing result, and the Socceroos certainly were very scratchy in their basic skill execution in the second half. But this kind of lethargy can often result from such gross mismatches. The important boxes were ticked. Three points. Tim Cahill showing he is in fine finishing form. Harry Kewell reminding of his still spectacular prowess with a powerful long range bullet for Australia's 2nd goal. Brett Emerton was also particularly impressive, although there are definite improvements needed, especially from Mile Jedinak and David Carney on the left.
In Group C's other game, South Korea were comfortable but unconvincing winners over Bahrain 2-1. Any worry about The Socceroos being in goal difference danger because of their theoretically small margin over India should not be a concern. Bahrain gave no sign that they will be any threat to Australia. Despite being ranked 7th of the 16 teams in the tournament, and twice coming within a final playoff of reaching the World Cup, Bahrain were clearly out of their depth against South Korea. They showed the clear step down in class from the big boys that the lower-ranked Syria and Jordan were supposed to show. Meanwhile South Korea also were not too intimidating. As ever they relied on their individual brilliance and skills as opposed to any sort of clinical dominance. Providing India can stay motivated through three big losses, the big question really, South Korea shouldn't win by too much more than four.
If such a situation arises where passage to the quarter finals depends on goal difference, then there is no real cause for expectation for glory anyway after such a disappointing group performance.
At any rate, all will become clear on Friday when South Korea and Australia face off in their second group matches. A combination of the surprise results four years ago, FIFA's questionable ranking system and the hosts Qatar, a weak team comparatively, taking one of the four top seed positions in each group for themselves, has allowed the unlikely instance of Asia's two strongest teams on paper ending up in the same group. A convincing win will be needed for the Socceroos if they are to entertain any notion of being genuine contenders for the final trophy.
Results
Group A
Qatar 0-2 Uzbekistan
Kuwait 0-2 China
Group B
Japan 1-1 Jordan
Saudi Arabia 1-2 Syria
Group C
Australia 4-0 India
South Korea 2-1 Bahrain
Group D
North Korea 0-0 UAE
Iraq 1-2 Iran
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Local News Wrap - December 6-12 2010
Cricket: By far the most interesting, newsworthy and least painful (although not by much) set of breaking stories this week has involved off-field dramas of selection and injury, not the cataclysmic mess that was the cricket. The latest bizarre selection move on Australia's part is Western Australian off-spinner and general punny name cannon fodder Michael Beer being plucked from the deepest depths of obscurity for the 3rd test in Perth this week.
Rugby League: My beloved Parramatta Eels seem to be doing an unusual amount of publicity events recently, culminating in a Christmas visit to a local shopping centre. One doubts if more publicity is the best way to diffuse the speculation over Timana Tahu's future. But then it could be worse, they could have Timana's PR agents.
AFL: The amusing saga of all-round nice guy Gary Ablett and all-round vaguely suspicious character Mark Thompson continues unchecked. Recent revelations to fuel the fire were that former Geelong premiership coach Thompson was secretly in talks with Essendon well into the previous season, while simultaneously berating Ablett for considering his eventual defection to the Gold Coast Suns. Now it seems that Thompson also had the indignant hypocrisy to fall out with Ablett over his contemplation. Ablett revealed this week that the pair have barely spoken since April, angering club legend John "Sam" Newman.
"That is the most pathetic thing I have ever heard" Newman was quoted as saying. When Sam Newman is disgusted by something you know you have a problem.
Football: The A-League continues to take advantage of being the only substantial sporting league in the country over summer, with some compelling games this week. The Brisbane Roar have continued to show themselves as the real deal, scoring their first ever win in Sydney, 1-0 over Sydney FC. The result, a record-extending 16th straight game without defeat, leaves them an ominous seven points clear of Adelaide United, despite their comfortable 2-0 win over the North Queensland Fury. Gold Coast and Central Coast look solid in 3rd and 4th after a 2-0 win over the hapless travellers Wellington, and a 1-1 draw at Perth respectively. Meanwhile the Melbourne Victory pulled out one of their best performances of the year to win the local derby against the Heart 3-1.
Formula 1: Logic and reason has finally returned to the FIA's lawmakers, with the controversial team orders rule being repealed for 2011, an absurd 9 years after it came in. The rule was implemented in response to a pair of farcical staged finishes by Ferrari drivers Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello during their dominant 2002 season. Regardless of opinions on whether the fans deserve better, or should hack the fact that F1 is a steam sport fundamentally, what was always unanimous was dislike of the rule because of its arbitrariness. Teams have taken to merely using predefined codes or careful wording to disseminate the same message, resulting in a product equally as 'staged', but less honest. For 2011 team orders will return, distasteful maybe, but transparent definitely. Meanwhile Mark Webber has admitted to sustaining a broken shoulder in a mountain-bike accident before the championship-deciding last four races of 2010 (before which he led the title chase). I believe Webber if he claims that the injury did not play a role in denying him the championship, but can't help but think that after two major incidents in a row, Webber should not go near a bicycle of any form ever again.
V8 Supercars: James Courtney has wrapped up the 2010 V8 Supercar title as expected, but he tried his hardest to throw it away, with a 15th and a 14th place finish in the spectacular final weekend on the streets of Sydney Olympic Park. A violent rainstorm in Race 1 resulted in the astonishing happening of all three title contenders hitting the barriers at the same time in the same corner (Whincup and Winterbottom joining Courtney in the wall). Courtney alone of the three was able to salvage some points, scraping home 15th as Dale Wood took a hugely unexpected maiden win. Shane Van Gisbergen looked on track to make it two debut winners from two on Sunday but had the heartbreaking misfortune of running out of fuel on the final lap, handing victory to Holdsworth. Courtney recovered from a comically inexact pit stop to finish 14th and deny Jamie Whincup a hat-trick of titles.
Boxing: Wednesday December 8 saw a thoroughly arbitrary yet strangely interesting exhibition bout between two-time world champion Anthony Mundine and Foxtel reality show "The Contender" winner Garth Wood. Interesting is meant quite liberally however as the fight was of consistently atrocious quality. But it instantly took on a special meaning when Wood landed a flush blow to Mundine's chin in the 5th and left him on the canvas. Wood's KO win was one of the biggest upsets in Australian boxing history. Moreover it was a pleasant surprise and general inspirational source of hope to any decent person to see Mundine dealt the kind of come-uppance any passively interested Aussie boxing fan (any greater interest results in far too much exposure to Mundine's intolerable character) has been desperately waiting for.
Rugby League: My beloved Parramatta Eels seem to be doing an unusual amount of publicity events recently, culminating in a Christmas visit to a local shopping centre. One doubts if more publicity is the best way to diffuse the speculation over Timana Tahu's future. But then it could be worse, they could have Timana's PR agents.
AFL: The amusing saga of all-round nice guy Gary Ablett and all-round vaguely suspicious character Mark Thompson continues unchecked. Recent revelations to fuel the fire were that former Geelong premiership coach Thompson was secretly in talks with Essendon well into the previous season, while simultaneously berating Ablett for considering his eventual defection to the Gold Coast Suns. Now it seems that Thompson also had the indignant hypocrisy to fall out with Ablett over his contemplation. Ablett revealed this week that the pair have barely spoken since April, angering club legend John "Sam" Newman.
"That is the most pathetic thing I have ever heard" Newman was quoted as saying. When Sam Newman is disgusted by something you know you have a problem.
Football: The A-League continues to take advantage of being the only substantial sporting league in the country over summer, with some compelling games this week. The Brisbane Roar have continued to show themselves as the real deal, scoring their first ever win in Sydney, 1-0 over Sydney FC. The result, a record-extending 16th straight game without defeat, leaves them an ominous seven points clear of Adelaide United, despite their comfortable 2-0 win over the North Queensland Fury. Gold Coast and Central Coast look solid in 3rd and 4th after a 2-0 win over the hapless travellers Wellington, and a 1-1 draw at Perth respectively. Meanwhile the Melbourne Victory pulled out one of their best performances of the year to win the local derby against the Heart 3-1.
Formula 1: Logic and reason has finally returned to the FIA's lawmakers, with the controversial team orders rule being repealed for 2011, an absurd 9 years after it came in. The rule was implemented in response to a pair of farcical staged finishes by Ferrari drivers Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello during their dominant 2002 season. Regardless of opinions on whether the fans deserve better, or should hack the fact that F1 is a steam sport fundamentally, what was always unanimous was dislike of the rule because of its arbitrariness. Teams have taken to merely using predefined codes or careful wording to disseminate the same message, resulting in a product equally as 'staged', but less honest. For 2011 team orders will return, distasteful maybe, but transparent definitely. Meanwhile Mark Webber has admitted to sustaining a broken shoulder in a mountain-bike accident before the championship-deciding last four races of 2010 (before which he led the title chase). I believe Webber if he claims that the injury did not play a role in denying him the championship, but can't help but think that after two major incidents in a row, Webber should not go near a bicycle of any form ever again.
V8 Supercars: James Courtney has wrapped up the 2010 V8 Supercar title as expected, but he tried his hardest to throw it away, with a 15th and a 14th place finish in the spectacular final weekend on the streets of Sydney Olympic Park. A violent rainstorm in Race 1 resulted in the astonishing happening of all three title contenders hitting the barriers at the same time in the same corner (Whincup and Winterbottom joining Courtney in the wall). Courtney alone of the three was able to salvage some points, scraping home 15th as Dale Wood took a hugely unexpected maiden win. Shane Van Gisbergen looked on track to make it two debut winners from two on Sunday but had the heartbreaking misfortune of running out of fuel on the final lap, handing victory to Holdsworth. Courtney recovered from a comically inexact pit stop to finish 14th and deny Jamie Whincup a hat-trick of titles.
Boxing: Wednesday December 8 saw a thoroughly arbitrary yet strangely interesting exhibition bout between two-time world champion Anthony Mundine and Foxtel reality show "The Contender" winner Garth Wood. Interesting is meant quite liberally however as the fight was of consistently atrocious quality. But it instantly took on a special meaning when Wood landed a flush blow to Mundine's chin in the 5th and left him on the canvas. Wood's KO win was one of the biggest upsets in Australian boxing history. Moreover it was a pleasant surprise and general inspirational source of hope to any decent person to see Mundine dealt the kind of come-uppance any passively interested Aussie boxing fan (any greater interest results in far too much exposure to Mundine's intolerable character) has been desperately waiting for.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Qatar Hero
Qatar Emir, Sheikh Hamid bin Khalifa
al-Thani and his wife fake the reaction they
actually had an hour earlier.
It is not the job of the sports reporter to be an angry ranting ideologue. Therefore it is with great joy that I parade my current unemployed status. FIFA is an organisation which has rewritten the book on bad jokes. This includes the addition of chapters dedicated to "The Aristocrats" (those aware of the reference and of FIFA practices will agree, the absurdity and sordidness is comparable) and "The Seven Dirty Delegates."
However this week's events have taken the cake, most likely a giant expensive beautiful looking cake which happens to be made of foam.
And is boiling hot in the middle.
I should however stop these elaborately obscure analogies. That cake is nothing like Qatar anyway. The cake is giant, not exceedingly small and insubstantial.
Australia's bid, which as a set of insincere hypocritical former-bid supporters who now outrage about the exorbitant taxpayer expense keep reminding us, cost $45 million dollars. Such a mediocre blip of a financial offering could not be expected to sway FIFA from its pre-ordained Qatari path, strength of bid for such frivolous factors as tournament strength and fan support notwithstanding.
Our final push in Zurich on Wednesday would have made every other cliche in the world cry in shame at their sheer individualistic creative nuance. That supermodel everyone has heard of but forgets is Australian because she's never here anymore, our most annoying celebrity ambassador Hugh Jackman, the stereotyped-bogan-accent- reinforcing Julia Gillard and the once career-possessing force of Paul Hogan were the centrepieces. The final video presentation involved an animated kangaroo, (just like the ones that roam our streets right?) stealing the World Cup trophy.
By virtue of FIFA's inexplicably small executive committee being made up primarily of conservative middle-aged Europeans, naturally such a cliche, (not to mention the eyelid-batting presence of Miss MacPherson) was absolutely perfect. Whoever came up with the stroke of genius to remind everyone of the shallow stereotypes that make them presume Australia is an amazing tropical dreamland should be congratulated. I would like to think it was bid chairman and all-round very very rich man Frank Lowy. The work Lowy has done in somehow making Football such a force in this country, against the will of the majority of its citizens ostensibly, is heroic. Mr Lowy deserves all the applause he gets and thoroughly did not deserve the treatment dealt our way by the voting committee.
To summarise, the oil, money and little else-rich nation of Qatar, (perhaps more accurately to be referred to as a nation-state around one single city) was awarded the 2022 FIFA World Cup, in a move so absurd and mystifying as to be completely predictable on the part of FIFA. Australia, contrary to supposed assurances from at least 5 or 6 committee members that we would have their support, in fact received just a single vote and went out in the first round. Rumours abound that deals made between the bid teams of Qatar and those of Japan and South Korea to get rid of Australia early prevented the threat we may have caused in the later rounds.
The former kings of ill-begotten money grub, The United States, came in a disappointed and confused 2nd, with 8 votes to Qatar's 14 in the final round. One wonders how many people are aware of the irony of America losing this tournament to a nation which would barely register in the grand scheme of things were it not for the oil-backed riches the region now has largely thanks to American dirty work. Probably very few considering nobody cares about Football in the US.
Get away from politics you may exclaim, this is a sports blog and such matters are unimportant. Unfortunately that is not the case in this instance. Politics, particularly the politics of the pocket, are everything. Slightly earlier in the night (according to the FIFA pretense of a secret ballot at any rate), Russia were revealed as the winners of the 2018 tournament. Although unlike Qatar this is rooted in basic human logic, it is nevertheless also a case of the deepest pockets triumphing. The fact that England, the home of Football, can also go out in the first round with only 2 votes in their bid to host a World Cup for the first time in 52 years is also telling.
The crux of the issue which created the truly fishy smell was that the Arab television network Al-Jazeera had received word of Qatar being awarded the cup well more than an hour before the event. FIFA officials and Qatari bid members were seen embracing in hotel lobbies around this point. Furthermore, elite and generally accurate international bookmaking agency William Hill, showed a sudden spike in betting for both Russia and Qatar at precisely the same time.
This post is nearing its end and granted it may be completely without substance or a point but that is because ultimately it is difficult to make head or tail of anything and we will have to watch this space, probably for 12 years, to get the full story. Far be it for me to be a sore loser, I congratulate both the Russian and Qatari teams on their strong bids, political cleverness and deep pockets. Qatar is an exciting and vibrant place in the world right now. But it is not inappropriate to ask questions because something is definitely dodgy. You know political correctness and diplomacy has gone out the window when the (nation-ruining) king of pointless diplomacy, inoffensiveness and compromise, Barack Obama, was quoted as calling FIFA's decision plain 'wrong'. This marks the first time Obama has not minced his words since about October 2008. In the spirit of general outrage I am obliged to throw my hat into the ring. A nation of 1.6 million people, ranked 113 in the world, with a questionable security status and inhumanely sweltering summer heat does not seem a rational choice to host the Football World Cup. We cannot forget the sheer scope of the World Cup. It is by a country mile the world's biggest single-sport event. How can that billing be lived up to when teams and fans, rather than traveling and experiencing a vast country, can find all the stadiums (usually around 12 for a World Cup) squashed together within an hour of each other in the one and only Qatari city, Doha.
The big selling point in Qatar's bid, outside the inescapable factors of money and the Arab frontier they provide to pioneering obsessed FIFA, was a supposed set of revolutionary technologically advanced stadiums. These stadiums, none of which have been build, tested or proven to work at all yet, are air-conditioned demountables. The benefit of demountable stadiums apparently is a cheapness and ability to 'recycle' past and future stadium usage. Whether such a novelty is fitting of the grand stage of a World Cup remains to be seen. The reason for these stadiums is to appease the biggest glaring problem with the bid, the oppressive heat. In the summer months which the World Cup must take place over, Qatar can regularly reach well into the 40s in temperature. The state of the art stadiums and training facilities will provide a safe haven for players, confined inevitably to pitch, training or Five-star hotel. But what about the fan. Granted he/she can spend his/her two hours watching Football in comfort but what is he/she to do with every other hour of a potential four week stay. The World Cup is supposed to be a cultural extravaganza beyond just the Football. But how this will go for fans in ridiculous heat and operating within a culture which is vibrant and worthy of great respect, but particularly difficult to adjust to for Western visitors. How female Football fans will go comes to mind in particular.
Final Bid Results
Procedure: A majority of 12 votes must be obtained from the FIFA executive committee to win. If this is not achieved the bid with the lowest number of votes is eliminated and another vote takes place. This process continues until a majority is reached.
2018
Round 1: Russia 9, Spain/Portugal 7, Netherlands/Belgium 4, England 2
Round 2: Russia 13, Spain/Portugal 7, Netherlands/Belgium 2
2022
Round 1: Qatar 11, Korea 4, USA 3, Japan 3, Australia 1
Round 2: Qatar 10, Korea 5, USA 5, Japan 2
Round 3: Qatar 11, USA 6, Korea 5
Round 4: Qatar 14, USA 8
Monday, November 29, 2010
Weekend Headlines
Cricket: 1/517. That's all I'm going to say. Details here.
Rugby: How many times in Rugby history can a front rower be lauded the hero of a 40 point drubbing? At least one now thanks to Wallaby bench prop Ben Robinson. He came on with Australia locked in a 13-13 struggle with France in Paris, having just conceded a penalty try because of typically atrocious collapsible scrum work. Robinson proved the missing link and was able to keep the pack standing, then promptly scored the first try of the second half after diving across the line from a metre out. That took Australia to a 20-16 lead and with newfound confidence they went on to a rather surprising but thoroughly impressive record demolition, the final score 59-16.
Football: David Beckham showed his usual sense of generally being kind of average on a football field in Saturday's showcase against the Newcastle Jets. In all fairness however he was carrying at least one, perhaps several niggling injuries throughout the game and showed glimpses of his best, a best that remains comfortably beyond A-League class. However for the second visit from two the Galaxy strangely found themselves on the losing end against a team with an incomparably smaller and capped salary pool. The Jets coming from 1 goal down to win 2-1.
Tennis: At the end of one of the worst years of his illustrious career, former world No.1 Roger Federer has finally won only his 5th title of 2010. However this happened to be the most important-non grand slam tournament in the world, the ATP tour finals in London. What's more, Federer achieved the success, his 5th at the year end championships, with a mighty display over an equally in form world No.1 Rafael Nadal. The result reminds us that when both on their game, Federer remains comfortably the better hard court player and consequently should be favoured for January's Australian Open.
Cricket: In light of the flat beast the Gabba wicket became this week, Hobart has reminded everyone why it is so underrated as a test venue with a juicy pitch allowing South Australia to beat Tasmania by 43 runs in the Sheffield Shield despite only making 55 in their first dig. Can you imagine this at Adelaide?
Football: The A-League is beginning to have a distinctly 2 horse race feel about it, with Adelaide United's 2-1 win over the Gold Coast being backed up by a 5-1 thumping of the Central Coast Mariners dealt by the top of the table Brisbane Roar. The losing teams are 3rd and 4th on the ladder, now more than 7 points behind Adelaide on 34 points, while Brisbane dominate on a mammoth 40. Is it worth noting however that Adelaide are notorious grand final chokers and Brisbane are as yet unproven on the big stage. This is still any one's league.
Rugby League: Timana Tahu. What the hell? One has to wonder where his mind is at around this time. After a controversial year involving Andrew Johns' and then his own dunderheaded racial slurs, he had seemingly disappeared off the face of the earth. Tahu had yet to show to practice sessions for the Parramatta Eels and coach Steven Kearney admitted he couldn't guarantee his playing future. Yet it turns out he spent last weekend playing in a charity touch competition apparently without any visible signs of physical injury or emotional distress.
Rugby: How many times in Rugby history can a front rower be lauded the hero of a 40 point drubbing? At least one now thanks to Wallaby bench prop Ben Robinson. He came on with Australia locked in a 13-13 struggle with France in Paris, having just conceded a penalty try because of typically atrocious collapsible scrum work. Robinson proved the missing link and was able to keep the pack standing, then promptly scored the first try of the second half after diving across the line from a metre out. That took Australia to a 20-16 lead and with newfound confidence they went on to a rather surprising but thoroughly impressive record demolition, the final score 59-16.
Football: David Beckham showed his usual sense of generally being kind of average on a football field in Saturday's showcase against the Newcastle Jets. In all fairness however he was carrying at least one, perhaps several niggling injuries throughout the game and showed glimpses of his best, a best that remains comfortably beyond A-League class. However for the second visit from two the Galaxy strangely found themselves on the losing end against a team with an incomparably smaller and capped salary pool. The Jets coming from 1 goal down to win 2-1.
Tennis: At the end of one of the worst years of his illustrious career, former world No.1 Roger Federer has finally won only his 5th title of 2010. However this happened to be the most important-non grand slam tournament in the world, the ATP tour finals in London. What's more, Federer achieved the success, his 5th at the year end championships, with a mighty display over an equally in form world No.1 Rafael Nadal. The result reminds us that when both on their game, Federer remains comfortably the better hard court player and consequently should be favoured for January's Australian Open.
Cricket: In light of the flat beast the Gabba wicket became this week, Hobart has reminded everyone why it is so underrated as a test venue with a juicy pitch allowing South Australia to beat Tasmania by 43 runs in the Sheffield Shield despite only making 55 in their first dig. Can you imagine this at Adelaide?
Football: The A-League is beginning to have a distinctly 2 horse race feel about it, with Adelaide United's 2-1 win over the Gold Coast being backed up by a 5-1 thumping of the Central Coast Mariners dealt by the top of the table Brisbane Roar. The losing teams are 3rd and 4th on the ladder, now more than 7 points behind Adelaide on 34 points, while Brisbane dominate on a mammoth 40. Is it worth noting however that Adelaide are notorious grand final chokers and Brisbane are as yet unproven on the big stage. This is still any one's league.
Rugby League: Timana Tahu. What the hell? One has to wonder where his mind is at around this time. After a controversial year involving Andrew Johns' and then his own dunderheaded racial slurs, he had seemingly disappeared off the face of the earth. Tahu had yet to show to practice sessions for the Parramatta Eels and coach Steven Kearney admitted he couldn't guarantee his playing future. Yet it turns out he spent last weekend playing in a charity touch competition apparently without any visible signs of physical injury or emotional distress.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Weekly news wrap: November 21-27 2010
Cricket
Michael Hussey and Brad Haddin are Australia’s latest sporting heroes after an inspired triple century to put Australia into a commanding position of the first Ashes test at the Gabba. For more on the Ashes see my series preview and daily reports.
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
After fighting admirably for ten days to hold Test No.1s India to two solid draws, New Zealand’s cricketers succeeded in thoroughly ruining yet another series for their poor superstar captain Daniel Vettori. A distinctly typical middle order batting farce saw the Black Caps bowled out for 193 and 175, allowing India to amble comfortably to 8 declared for 566 in the interim.
A few thousand Pakistani expatriates, the families of the players and half a dozen local fans gathered in Abu Dhabi’s ridiculous looking cricket stadium last week to watch South Africa’s bowlers thoroughly fail to bowl out Pakistan in the 4th innings for a second consecutive test match. Credit this time must also go to their batsmen however, for their uninspiring one paced effort at a crucial time when aggressiveness was needed.
Chris Gayle once again showed evidence of his completely lack of maturity and responsibility, by immediately celebrating his removal as West Indian captain with a mighty triple century, of rather strong maturity and responsibility. Gayle’s 333 led an admirable Windies team as they had the running of the 1st Test against Sri Lanka at Galle. The substantially higher ranked home team were strangely lethargic and had to fight just to escape with a draw. This week’s 2nd test also finished in a draw, with rain ruining the match but leaving just enough time for Sri Lanka to regain the psychological edge over a less impressive Windies side before next week’s series decider.
Rugby League
The preposterous debacle of Greg Inglis shows no sign of ending any time soon. First South Sydney Rabbitohs owner and general super-spruiker had the intelligence and foresight to reveal the financial terms of Inglis’ arrangement to American late night talk show host and all-round non-Conan O’Brienish Jay Leno. Perhaps Crowe relied on the cluelessness of Australian TV and the inexplicable lack of American variety programming in this country to not disseminate such a howling admission. Unfortunately it seems that David Gallop and/or other league officials once again have shown themselves to possess magical powers beyond any mere mortal, or at least a basic understanding of Internet browsing, and came across the program.
The latest development has seen the Rabbitohs finally submit Inglis’ contract to NRL salary cap auditor Ian Schubert, who has given no indication of being a sure bet to pass the contract at all. To cap it off the Melbourne Storm and Brisbane Broncos have confirmed that should Inglis’ deal fall through, which remains a very real possibility, he will not be welcome back at either club.
Rugby Union
Despite kicking 8 from 9 in the win over Italy last week, Wallabies inside centre Berrick Barnes has been relieved of the goal-kicking duties for this week’s spring tour finale against France. Australian coach Robbie ‘New Zealand’ Deans has handed the duties back to the last gasp hero of our irrelevant Hong Kong Bledisloe win over the All Blacks, 12 year old James O’Connor. Mr ‘Kiwi’ Deans was quoted today as saying Australia’s success on the tour will be judged by this weekend’s result in Paris. I would say unless the Wallabies win 145-0 the tour has already well and truly been judged.
Football
This humble reporter (googling random news articles at 2am on a Saturday night is journalism now right) lives in the (very) humble Hunter Valley location of Toronto, NSW. Therefore the hype surrounding the unprecedented local visit of renowned underwear model and one time decent footballer David Beckham has reached fever pitch. Beckham’s LA Galaxy (or Donovan’s LA Galaxy as known by Landon Donovan) face the bizarrely not bankrupt Newcastle Jets at Energy Australia construction site tonight.
While the Newcastle Jets are busy making a publicity buck, Brisbane Roar and Adelaide United have a golden chance to pull even further away in their two-horse race at the top of the A-League ladder when United face the third placed Gold Coast while the Roar face fourth placed Central Coast Mariners.
The decision as to who will host the 2018 and 2022 world cups is now just a week away. Australia’s bid for the 2022 tournament suffered a blow when Oceania representative and sure fire Aussie vote Reynald Temarii was suspended by FIFA for alleged involvement in yet another now customary bribe-taking and vote-rigging scandal. Our bid still looks to be on good track however, with a detailed analysis of the potential voting patterns of FIFA member showing Australia as unlikely favourites to win the rights to the world’s greatest single sport showcase. A recently leaked FIFA report showed that many on the voting panel are inclined to vote against our principle rivals Qatar and the United States for reasons of extreme heat and unfriendly time zone respectively.
Motorsport
Australia’s much loved and internationally renowned V8 Supercar series has once again lived up to its selling point by providing a series of spectacular accidents over the weekend. Holden Racing Team drivers Garth Tander and Will Davison both had high speed shunts at an absurdly unsafe kink on the Sandown circuit. Paul Dumbrell was the feel good story of the weekend by finally taking his first race win after 11 years in the sport. Dick Johnson Racing’s James Courtney increased his championship lead over reigning champion Jamie Whincup
Young Australian superstar Daniel Ricciardo has ascended to the final step on the ladder below a Formula One race drive, with the Toro Rosso team (sister team to 2010 championship winners Red Bull) announcing Ricciardo will be their third driver in 2011. With the bordering on dangerous testing ban still in place for next season, Ricciardo’s test and reserve role in reality involves very little time in the car and he will remain in the Formula Renault 3.5 series full time. But Ricciardo will gain vital experience when he alternately replaces Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari in one of the two race cars for every Friday morning free practice session. Ricciardo recently dominated a young driver test in Abu Dhabi in the championship winning RB6.
Tennis
After an exciting and unpredictable year of men’s tennis, a disappointingly predictable semi line-up of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray has been set up in the ATP world tour finals. However the juicy matchups, Nadal vs Murray and Federer vs Djokovic promise a grand spectacle for the fans London’s mystifyingly named O2 arena.
Athlete of the week
The ageless and luckless Jacqui Cooper has announced her retirement from Aerial Skiing during the week. The 1999 World Champion was considered a great chance at our first Winter Olympics gold medal in Nagano in 1998 before crashing out in qualifying. Her most infamous heart-break came when she went to Salt Lake City in 2002 as outright favourite but had a violent crash landing in practice a week out from the games, pulverising her knee. A similar fate befell has in Turin 2006 when she entered the final as favourite but crashed twice. She was selected for an unprecedented fifth Olympic campaign in 2010, the first Australian women to attend five summer or winter games. Although past her best at age 37 and unable to challenge for medals, she finally put the Olympic demons to rest with a clean trouble free run to 5th. Cooper’s importance lays in her pre-eminent as Australia first true winter sports star (along with perhaps Stephen Bradbury). Her pioneering status paved the way for the future gold medal success of Aerialists Alisa Camplin and Lydia Lassila. We wish her luck in her retirement. Why I am referring to myself in the plural sense I don’t know.
Michael Hussey and Brad Haddin are Australia’s latest sporting heroes after an inspired triple century to put Australia into a commanding position of the first Ashes test at the Gabba. For more on the Ashes see my series preview and daily reports.
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
After fighting admirably for ten days to hold Test No.1s India to two solid draws, New Zealand’s cricketers succeeded in thoroughly ruining yet another series for their poor superstar captain Daniel Vettori. A distinctly typical middle order batting farce saw the Black Caps bowled out for 193 and 175, allowing India to amble comfortably to 8 declared for 566 in the interim.
A few thousand Pakistani expatriates, the families of the players and half a dozen local fans gathered in Abu Dhabi’s ridiculous looking cricket stadium last week to watch South Africa’s bowlers thoroughly fail to bowl out Pakistan in the 4th innings for a second consecutive test match. Credit this time must also go to their batsmen however, for their uninspiring one paced effort at a crucial time when aggressiveness was needed.
Chris Gayle once again showed evidence of his completely lack of maturity and responsibility, by immediately celebrating his removal as West Indian captain with a mighty triple century, of rather strong maturity and responsibility. Gayle’s 333 led an admirable Windies team as they had the running of the 1st Test against Sri Lanka at Galle. The substantially higher ranked home team were strangely lethargic and had to fight just to escape with a draw. This week’s 2nd test also finished in a draw, with rain ruining the match but leaving just enough time for Sri Lanka to regain the psychological edge over a less impressive Windies side before next week’s series decider.
Rugby League
The preposterous debacle of Greg Inglis shows no sign of ending any time soon. First South Sydney Rabbitohs owner and general super-spruiker had the intelligence and foresight to reveal the financial terms of Inglis’ arrangement to American late night talk show host and all-round non-Conan O’Brienish Jay Leno. Perhaps Crowe relied on the cluelessness of Australian TV and the inexplicable lack of American variety programming in this country to not disseminate such a howling admission. Unfortunately it seems that David Gallop and/or other league officials once again have shown themselves to possess magical powers beyond any mere mortal, or at least a basic understanding of Internet browsing, and came across the program.
The latest development has seen the Rabbitohs finally submit Inglis’ contract to NRL salary cap auditor Ian Schubert, who has given no indication of being a sure bet to pass the contract at all. To cap it off the Melbourne Storm and Brisbane Broncos have confirmed that should Inglis’ deal fall through, which remains a very real possibility, he will not be welcome back at either club.
Rugby Union
Despite kicking 8 from 9 in the win over Italy last week, Wallabies inside centre Berrick Barnes has been relieved of the goal-kicking duties for this week’s spring tour finale against France. Australian coach Robbie ‘New Zealand’ Deans has handed the duties back to the last gasp hero of our irrelevant Hong Kong Bledisloe win over the All Blacks, 12 year old James O’Connor. Mr ‘Kiwi’ Deans was quoted today as saying Australia’s success on the tour will be judged by this weekend’s result in Paris. I would say unless the Wallabies win 145-0 the tour has already well and truly been judged.
Football
This humble reporter (googling random news articles at 2am on a Saturday night is journalism now right) lives in the (very) humble Hunter Valley location of Toronto, NSW. Therefore the hype surrounding the unprecedented local visit of renowned underwear model and one time decent footballer David Beckham has reached fever pitch. Beckham’s LA Galaxy (or Donovan’s LA Galaxy as known by Landon Donovan) face the bizarrely not bankrupt Newcastle Jets at Energy Australia construction site tonight.
While the Newcastle Jets are busy making a publicity buck, Brisbane Roar and Adelaide United have a golden chance to pull even further away in their two-horse race at the top of the A-League ladder when United face the third placed Gold Coast while the Roar face fourth placed Central Coast Mariners.
The decision as to who will host the 2018 and 2022 world cups is now just a week away. Australia’s bid for the 2022 tournament suffered a blow when Oceania representative and sure fire Aussie vote Reynald Temarii was suspended by FIFA for alleged involvement in yet another now customary bribe-taking and vote-rigging scandal. Our bid still looks to be on good track however, with a detailed analysis of the potential voting patterns of FIFA member showing Australia as unlikely favourites to win the rights to the world’s greatest single sport showcase. A recently leaked FIFA report showed that many on the voting panel are inclined to vote against our principle rivals Qatar and the United States for reasons of extreme heat and unfriendly time zone respectively.
Motorsport
Australia’s much loved and internationally renowned V8 Supercar series has once again lived up to its selling point by providing a series of spectacular accidents over the weekend. Holden Racing Team drivers Garth Tander and Will Davison both had high speed shunts at an absurdly unsafe kink on the Sandown circuit. Paul Dumbrell was the feel good story of the weekend by finally taking his first race win after 11 years in the sport. Dick Johnson Racing’s James Courtney increased his championship lead over reigning champion Jamie Whincup
Young Australian superstar Daniel Ricciardo has ascended to the final step on the ladder below a Formula One race drive, with the Toro Rosso team (sister team to 2010 championship winners Red Bull) announcing Ricciardo will be their third driver in 2011. With the bordering on dangerous testing ban still in place for next season, Ricciardo’s test and reserve role in reality involves very little time in the car and he will remain in the Formula Renault 3.5 series full time. But Ricciardo will gain vital experience when he alternately replaces Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari in one of the two race cars for every Friday morning free practice session. Ricciardo recently dominated a young driver test in Abu Dhabi in the championship winning RB6.
Tennis
After an exciting and unpredictable year of men’s tennis, a disappointingly predictable semi line-up of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray has been set up in the ATP world tour finals. However the juicy matchups, Nadal vs Murray and Federer vs Djokovic promise a grand spectacle for the fans London’s mystifyingly named O2 arena.
Athlete of the week
The ageless and luckless Jacqui Cooper has announced her retirement from Aerial Skiing during the week. The 1999 World Champion was considered a great chance at our first Winter Olympics gold medal in Nagano in 1998 before crashing out in qualifying. Her most infamous heart-break came when she went to Salt Lake City in 2002 as outright favourite but had a violent crash landing in practice a week out from the games, pulverising her knee. A similar fate befell has in Turin 2006 when she entered the final as favourite but crashed twice. She was selected for an unprecedented fifth Olympic campaign in 2010, the first Australian women to attend five summer or winter games. Although past her best at age 37 and unable to challenge for medals, she finally put the Olympic demons to rest with a clean trouble free run to 5th. Cooper’s importance lays in her pre-eminent as Australia first true winter sports star (along with perhaps Stephen Bradbury). Her pioneering status paved the way for the future gold medal success of Aerialists Alisa Camplin and Lydia Lassila. We wish her luck in her retirement. Why I am referring to myself in the plural sense I don’t know.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)