Tag Archives: vfl

The Professor’s red hot tips for Caulfield races on 22 February 2020 and the Weekend Parlay

February 22, 2020 @packers4 Leave a comment

The Professor has done his research for Blue Diamond Stakes day at Caulfield and hopes to be on a few winners by the end of the day. The track is rated a Good 4 with the rail out 3 metres for the entire circuit.

Remember to back the tips each way!

Caulfield

Race 7 Horse 2 – Hanseatic (for the ladies at the Tennis club)
Race 8 Horse 3 – Bivouac (also for the ladies at the Tennis club)

Weekend Parlay

Race 8 Horse 3 – Bivouac into Liverpool to beat West Ham United (Premier League) into Indiana Pacers to beat the New York Knicks (NBA).

You can hear the Professor discuss today’s race results with the Judge, the Saint and Coutta tomorrow on Sportzfan Radio from midday on 88.3 Southern FM, the Sounds of the Bayside. Sportzfan Radio will be broadcasting tomorrow from Sandringham Football Club’s Family Day to be held at Wilson Removals Trevor Barker Beach Oval – come down and see us in action!!

Good luck and good punting!!

The Professor

Sports

Weekend musing – Sportsmen and alcohol, drawn AFL Grand Finals

April 23, 2016 @packers4 Leave a comment

I was thinking about Grant Hackett this week and how he now joins a burgeoning list of sportsmen who should refrain from drinking. I understand the incident itself may have been blown out of proportion and has been sensationalised as seems to happen these days to sell papers. Hackett is in good company with the likes of Brendan Fevola, Robert Allenby, David Warner, Mitchell Pearce and any number of rugby league and union players. Most of these people are reasonable types who just don’t seem to be able to handle their grog. There is no doubt they should find other ways to relax!

I must say I think the move to drop the AFL Grand Final replay in the event of a draw was the correct decision. It may have been OK in the old VFL days when teams were all situated in Victoria but now with the national competition, imagine if Brisbane were playing Fremantle in the Grand Final and they had to come back the following week. It would be just too difficult. In addition, it would be unfair if a Melbourne based team were playing an interstate team.

What I do not agree with is the pundits who suggest the same should apply to a draw in the regular season games. A draw is an unusual outcome and I agree it does leave everyone a bit flat, but it is a legitimate result and history does not need to be changed just because some want a winner and a loser at the end of each game. Soccer is the most popular football game in the world and a draw is a common occurrence. Imagine if the same ‘sensibility’ applied to that game?

Have a great weekend!

Sports

Friday musing is back talking Mick Malthouse, Jock McHale, soccer….

May 1, 2015 @packers4 Leave a comment

Well this weekend we have one of the longest running records in VFL/AFL football broken. Mick Malthouse becomes the coaching games record holder and he breaks a record that has stood for 66 years.

There are a few points that are worth making when contrasting the careers of both men. The McHale record included five seasons as a playing coach which at the time was not uncommon. This bolstered his record, but it should also be considered that he also coached in an era when the seasons extended to only 18 games (plus finals).

Without trying to denigrate Malthouse’s achievement, three premierships and a winning percentage of 57% pales a bit compared
to the McHale record of eight premierships and a winning percentage of 66%. To get to the record on the back of one premiership every ten years is a remarkable performance and I cannot see this record being broken in my lifetime.

It is also remarkable when you consider that two North Ballarat boys have broken two of the longest standing records in VFL/AFL history with Malthouse taking the coaching record and Tony Lockett taking the goal kicking record from Collingwood’s Gordon Coventry.

While I am on the AFL, I watched the Anzac Day game and again the Essendon side has fallen into the trap of trying to play dry weather football in the wet. Everyone knows that when you get the ball you kick it as long as you can and get to the next contest. I blame the coaches.

I know there is little chance of any further representative games being added to the very busy international soccer calendar, but I was thinking the other day that it would be great to see a team representing the EPL playing a team representing the Spanish Primera Liga or the Bundesliga or Serie A. There is always a bit of chest thumping as to who has the best league so why not have a competition where they play each other. Imagine the Spanish team with Messi & Ronaldo in the same team. Who wouldn’t pay money to go and see that?

Have a great weekend!

News, Sports

Friday musing – cricket, golf, Jordan Spieth…..

December 5, 2014 sportzfan Leave a comment

Last weeks Musing was devoted to Phil Hughes and I must say the despite not knowing the guy, it continued to affect me through the week. Now that we have had the funeral we can move on.

In my opinion the big thing from last weekend was the performance of the 21yo American, Jordan Spieth in the Australian Open. Currently ranked at number 158 in the world, he shot a 63, which was poignant in itself, to win the open easily was an amazing performance. The course was probably at its most difficult when he played and I understand the best score from earlier in the day was 67. So he shot a score to win the tournament that no one else got close to during the day. And he is only 21! This is the guy that almost became the youngest US Masters winner, so he is no slouch and he could be the next world wide super star in golf now that Tiger Woods cannot seem to re-capture his former brilliance.

I know I have made this observation before, but Peter Donegan was one of the commentators doing the golf telecast and he is one of the best all round sports commentators in Australia. He does the golf, he does the horse racing, he does the VFL football, the Olympics, is there any sport he cannot do? I struggle to think of any one better. Tim Lane and Bruce McAvaney have a higher profile, but PD is the ultimate support act.

Have a great weekend!

News, Sports

Friday musing – AFL, Robert Flower, Essendon FC & more…..

October 3, 2014 sportzfan Leave a comment

Well my first comment has to be about the shock regarding the passing of Robert Flower. He is one of my most admired players from other clubs and I always felt he was stiff to miss out on a Brownlow. He had all the attributes to win the codes greatest individual honour, however, playing for a side that was nearly always in the bottom half of the ladder probably worked against him. I think he came third twice which was probably a significant achievement in itself. The Melbourne Football Club has suffered more than its fair share of tragedies have the last couple of years and for another icon of the club to pass away too early is just not fair. Vale Robert Flower.

Secondly the Essendon situation has taken a further turn this week. I did not hold out high hopes for the Federal Court application on the basis that the club had self reported and had submitted to the process, but was encouraged in the running by some reported poor performances by witnesses for ASADA and the AFL. Justice Middleton was not so persuaded and I can understand the club now wanting to move to the next stage and not appeal. Why James Hird now wants to take this on does really not make much sense to me and if he persists I would not blame the club for terminating his contract. I have really swung around to the need for Bomber Thompson to stay at the club with or without Hird. James is the clubs greatest living player and carries a lot of sentiment for everyone associated with the club, but you do not put the individual before the club. Despite it not being right, I am getting to the stage where I think the players should take the ASADA deal just to bring it to a conclusion.

Thirdly, how boring was the Grand Final! When you are a non-aligned supporter you want to see a good game and I kept watching thinking that the momentum would swing to the Swans at some stage and it never did. I thought Jordan Lewis would have been a worthy Norm Smith Medalist, but you could have raffled it between him, Mitchell and Hodge. It was interesting that Sydney’s best two players were Franklin and Kennedy and they used to play for Hawthorn! The Box Hill Hawks also played off in the VFL Grand Final, so it says something about their depth and now they look like getting James Frawley. I know they lost Franklin which freed up a lot of their salary gap, but how can they keep getting good players from other clubs and paying them accordingly?

Hopefully the NRL Grand Final between the South Sydney Rabbitohs and the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs is a better spectacle this weekend.

Have a great weekend!

Podcast

Sportzfan Radio show #264.2

September 25, 2012 @packers4 Leave a comment

16 September 2012 264.2 – The Professor and the Gelding talk Davis Cup tennis and the tie between Australia and Germany with the winner to get back into the World Group. They then talk soccer with Mark Fiorenti. He discusses the Socceroos loss to Jordan in the World Cup qualifying tie. He also looks at the Champions League and Premier League. Paul Dalligan comes on to talk rugby league and the NRL finals. Paul tries to keep the lid on after the Rabbitohs big win and into their first preliminary final for some time. His Rabbitohs taking on the Professor’s Bulldogs and he sees a Rabbitohs win! He’s hoping to be at Homebush at the Grand Final in two weeks time. There is a discussion between the Professor and the Gelding on the SFL division one preliminary final between St Pauls and Chelsea Heights. They are critical of the VFL playing their Grand Final on a Sunday at Etihad Stadium.

Podcast

Sportzfan Radio #190.1

February 20, 2011 @packers4 Leave a comment

20 February 2011 190.1 – Sportzfan Stan makes his presence felt calling for the coach of the Wollongong Hawks Gordie McLeod to be sacked for losing 10 games of eleven. Phil Cleary comes on the show to talk about the VFL & Coburg. The club would have difficulties if the alignment with Richmond ceases at the end of this season. He says with some AFL teams fielding reserves teams it will make things hard for the non AFL clubs. He says it has been a disgraceful history starting with the abolition of the VFA. He says the VFA teams were bullied into changing the name and sold a lie about their future. He says that the majority of the non AFL clubs would not be able to survive by themselves and a long term strategy should be developed to align each club with the community in their area. Phil says he would be eminently well qualified to be on a Board running VFL football but he wouldn’t be asked because he wouldn’t bow to what the AFL wanted (we agree with Phil!). The Gelding comes on to talk racing and talks about the retirement of SportzfanRadio’s own Typhoon Tracy. He says the trainer Peter Moody didn’t call him to discuss what should be done with the horse. The Gelding picked two winners and three fourths, one of the winners being Black Caviar. The discussion then moves to the production meeting held at the Great Western Hotel (our sponsors). We get a tweet for the Gelding asking if he is ‘light on for balls’. Mark Fiorenti comes on to talk soccer and says he also has trouble with twitter but he is going to try and get on it before the end of the year.