Category Archives: Sports

Easter musing – ICC World Cup – over!, ASADA – over?……

April 6, 2015 sportzfan Leave a comment

Well the ICC World Cup is finally over and while it was good to see Australia win, it was not much of a game. The Man of the Match was an interesting decision. It was clear that the bowlers had won the Cup for Australia, however, was Faulkner the pick of the bowlers? I think not! Starc and Johnson had better figures and Starc’s first wicket set the tone for the Kiwi innings. In the end I couldn’t split them and I would have given the nod to Michael Clarke for his batting and his captaincy.

Another sporting saga that went for a good deal longer than the ICC World Cup was the Essendon supplements issue. It may not have reached a conclusion yet, but it has certainly got close to it depending on what ASADA and/or WADA decide to do. As a domestic sport I cannot see WADA having too much interest in pursuing the matter and ASADA will have to think long and hard if they want to drag this out any further. To my mind, as a Bomber supporter, it is the right result as the players were always the innocent parties and the club has been punished already. I hope it is the end of it, but there seems to be a body of opinion out there that still wants blood.

Perhaps the positive tests to the two Collingwood players will be enough to draw the attention away from Essendon where there were no positive tests. Reading between the lines of the comments from the Collingwood football club, the positive tests could be linked to the use of other substances. Time will tell no doubt.

Have a great Easter!

Sports

Saturday’s Randwick race meeting abandoned – re-scheduled for 6 April 2015

April 5, 2015 @packers4 Leave a comment

With all the rain that fell in Sydney on Friday and Saturday morning and the weather forecast predicting even more rain, the Randwick Derby-Doncaster meeting was abandoned and re-scheduled for Easter Monday 6 April 2015.

The good news is that the Gelding’s tips, posted on 3 April will not be wasted and be useful tomorrow.

Good luck and good, water logged punting!

The Gelding

Sports

Gelding’s tips for Randwick on 4 April 2015

April 3, 2015 @packers4 Leave a comment

The Gelding’s attention this week is on a rain affected track at Randwick. He has been in great form of recent time with 6 winners and a placing from 9 selections.

As always the bets are on an each way and all up basis.

Randwick

Race 2 Horse 2 – Kermadec
Race 6 Horse 1 – Pride of Dubai
Race 7 Horse 5 – Hauraki (for the ladies at the Tennis club)
Race 8 Horse 2 – Terravista (also for the ladies for the ladies at the Tennis club)
Race 9 Horse 10 – Hallowed Crown

Good luck and good punting!

The Gelding

Sports

Round one should be compulsory for all fans!

April 3, 2015 @packers4 Leave a comment

My mother believed any footy fan should always go to their team’s first game of the season, even if they missed all the others for the year. She reasoned that round one was the only time where hope and expectation collided.

As a long suffering Melbourne supporter, I have over the last ten or so years realised just how right my mother was. 2006 was the last occasion on which the Dees made the final eight (even beating St Kilda in an elimination final). As of 2007, after round one, all hope for Demon supporters is pretty much gone and expectations have been for a cold and long football season.

I don’t know how Melbourne will fare in 2015. I hope they improve and that Paul Roos has moulded a team that can be defensive as well as having attacking flair. Expectation is that the new signings will add some class and ability to the team.

Whatever may happen during the game, there is one thing certain and that is before the first bounce of the ball I will be filled with hope and expectation of good things to come. I am sure all sports fans have similar feelings on the opening day of the season.

It certainly is the one game of the season a fan shouldn’t miss!

Sports

3 thoughts on Thursday

April 2, 2015 @packers4 Leave a comment

With the Easter weekend looming, sport is definitely in the headlines!

Sitting in fourth spot on the A League table, Perth Heat are facing allegations that they have ‘significantly’ exceeded the salary cap due to the Club paying $150,000.00 into a bank account held by a family member for striker Andy Keogh. The payment was found after a forensic examination of the Heat’s accounts by Football Federation Australia. At present the Club is one point off the lead and if it loses points because of this that will be the end of thoughts of playing in the finals.

There is nothing to gain and everything to lose by not complying with the rules.

ASADA indicate there is a possibility it will appeal the decision by the AFL Anti-Doping Tribunal in the Essendon supplements scandal. They have twenty-one days to make that decision and until it is decided, one way or the other, the whole of the football world will continue to be fixated on the topic. Regrettably, it has shifted the spotlight off the AFL’s opening round.

If ASADA proceed with an appeal, I hope Ben McDevitt has more evidence than was produced to the Tribunal.

The incoming Chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board is looking at reducing the number of days in a Test match from five to four with play starting at 10.30am on each day and the bowling side being required to bowl 105 overs per day. The rationale is to save on costs. What is left unsaid is that today’s society doesn’t have the concentration span to grapple with a five day event. Reducing the time of play by only one day won’t cure that.

Another example of less is more this week (see also AFL players looking at a 17 game season). Where can I get a job where I get paid the same or more for less work?

Sports

Drugs in Sport……what a mess!

April 1, 2015 @packers4 Leave a comment

So Essendon players were injected with substances, but it appears no-one knows what was injected due to a ‘deplorable absence of records in the program relating to its administration’ (the AFL’s Anti-Doping Tribunal’s words not mine). Hardly a satisfactory conclusion to the matter but without the ability to compel witnesses to give evidence, there was always a high probability that this would be the outcome. Proof of the offence was ASADA’s Achilles’ heel.

Sportzfan Radio commentator, John O’Callaghan said after the announcement by ASADA at the outset of the supplement scandal, that no AFL player would be suspended. He was proved to be correct. He also called for drug offences in sport to be the subject of criminal proceedings so that investigations could be undertaken by the Police and proceedings be brought before the Courts. It appears in retrospect that his comments were prescient.

Timing is everything…….and I’ll bet that the AFL is also stunned at the exquisite timing of the ASADA announcement that two Collingwood FC player’s ‘A’ samples have tested positive to the drug Clenbuterol on the day before the AFL anti-doping Tribunal’s was to announce its verdict regarding the case involving Essendon FC players.

Clenbuterol is a ‘beta-2 agonist’ that can be used alone and in conjunction with other substances to promote growth of skeletal muscle and to reduce body fat. It is not approved for human use and is a banned class of drug under the World Anti-Doping Code. Athletes commonly use the drug to define muscle. Its best known user is Spanish cyclist, Alberto Contador, who was stripped of his 2010 Tour de France title after testing positive to the drug.

With the ‘B’ samples yet to be tested, it is too early to pass judgment, however, the announcement by ASADA has certainly focussed even more attention on the drug cheats issue at a time when the AFL would like the subject to fall out of the headlines, especially with the opening game of the season less than 48 hours away.

Sports

Gelding’s red hot tips for Rosehill on 28 March 2015

March 27, 2015 @packers4 Leave a comment

The Gelding’s attention is on Rosehill tomorrow as the Melbourne metropolitan meeting is at Moonee Valley tonight with a major provincial meeting at Mornington tomorrow.

The Gelding is in top form as he tipped three winners and a third for the Professor at the first meeting at the new Pakenham racecourse yesterday.

As always the bets are on an each way and all up basis.

Rosehill

Race 4 Horse 1 – Catkins (for the ladies at the Tennis club)
Race 5 Horse 1 – Decision Time (also for the ladies at the Tennis club)
Race 6 Horse 2 – Set Square
Race 7 Horse 8 – Hartnell
Race 8 Horse 3 – Hauraki

Good luck and good punting!

The Gelding

Sports

Friday musing – ICC World Cup, Sheffield Shield, EPL, Golden Slipper….

March 27, 2015 @packers4 Leave a comment

Well after six long drawn out weeks we are down to the last two teams in the ICC World Cup and it involves the two co-hosts. The only host team to win on their home turf was India in the previous World Cup. Sri Lanka won as a co-host in 1996, but the final was played in Pakistan. I think Australia should start favourite entering their 7th final, whereas New Zealand are playing their first game outside New Zealand in this tournament, in their first final.

Australia are also playing on the MCG and the Kiwis have not played there for quite some time, so the visitors will be out of their comfort zone. If it is a close game, I think New Zealand could come out on top as they have found a way to win the close ones, but if one side wins comfortably that is more likely to be Australia. I will be at the game on Sunday, so I would like to see a close game with Australia winning!

Turning to domestic cricket it was great to see the Vics get up in the Sheffield Shield during the week, but you have to question the tactics adopted by Western Australia. The WA team had to win the game, however, not only did they not declare towards the end of the fourth day and have thirty minutes at Victoria, they also continued to bat and knock up a further forty to fifty runs on the last day. They had the upper hand and didn’t push their advantage. They had to bowl Victoria out to win the Shield, but did not give themselves every chance to do so. All in all the Bushrangers were a worthy winner.

Looking at the EPL, with Manchester United beating Liverpool during the week, the top four is almost set with eight games remaining. In the next round Arsenal play Liverpool at home and should Liverpool lose that would put them almost out of contention despite their very good form since the new year. Go the Gunners!

On the international stage, I didn’t see the game, but it was great to see Australia draw 2-2 with Germany in the friendly the other night. Maybe they are starting to turn the corner and be in a position to replicate their 2006 results at the next World Cup. Fingers crossed.

Finally, I watched the Golden Slipper last week and without any luck in the running and an average ride from the jockey, Vancouver proved that he was the best 2yo in Australia being able to draw away from the field in the final 50-100m. It was not an easy run and if I was one of the connections I would not be in a hurry to risk him in the Sires Produce Stakes next week. He is a magnificent looking animal and would have breeders licking their lips, so I would be putting him away until the spring.

Have a great weekend!

Sports

AFL shorter season will never happen

March 27, 2015 @packers4 Leave a comment

Several AFL captains have called for a shorter seventeen game competition on the basis of ‘less is more’.

That reduction will never happen for a number of reasons.

The supremos at the AFL, led by Gillon McLachlan would ever willingly agree to reducing the amount of time the sporting community is focussed on Aussie Rules, especially with the soccer and NRL juggernauts willing to step into any vacant space.

In addition, less playing time would hardly be the position to take into the coming broadcast negotiations. I don’t see the media barons agreeing with the team captains that less is more, unless it is for a significantly reduced fee. Let’s face it, with so many AFL clubs struggling financially and reliant on AFL assistance to keep running, the AFL needs as much money from its broadcast rights as possible. The cost of the broadcast rights is currently predicated on eighteen teams playing nine games each weekend over a 23 round regular season and a four week final series.

The final nail in the coffin of this discussion is the AFLPA’s recent call for increased payments for players. I didn’t detect anything in the words of the AFL captains that indicated any intent for their salaries to be reduced on the basis that less is more. If the broadcast rights reduce, the players wages would also need to be tightened.

Only one question remains to be answered….did the AFL captains really think this concept through? I think not!

Sports

Socceroos prove Asian Cup was no fluke

March 26, 2015 @packers4 Leave a comment

A scoreline to make all Australians sit up and take notice – Germany 2 Australia 2. The same German team that defeated Brazil 7-1 in a 2014 World Cup semi final.

Sure it was a friendly, but, in 2013 the Socceroos played ‘friendlies’ against Brazil and France and suffered 6-0 defeats in both games – that was enough to get then coach, Pim Verbeek his marching orders. Wind forward eighteen months under the tutelage of Ange Postecoglou and we now see a different more attacking and exciting football team.

The result was even better considering the Socceroos main
attacking weapon, Tim Cahill, missed the game due to injury. In times gone by, Australia would have struggled to put together attacking moves without Cahill in the team. Now, not only are there attacking moves, but we have also put two past the German keeper and led for a period of the game.

A lot to like about where this Socceroos team is going. The other football codes in Australia should be sitting up and taking notice given the much improved fortunes of the national team.