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A close loss is these days just another opportunity to sledge the referees and the 23 – 22 loss by the Brumbies to the Highlanders Saturday past supplied coach Dan McKellar an ideal opportunity.
Brumbies lick Murray Douglas was sent to the sin bin in the 80th minute and the Highlanders took advantage of the man advantage to score the winning try after the siren.
Ouch. Game over, but play on with an unfortunate ending for the Reds, who were seeking their first win of the Super Rugby season.
It would have been a fine feather for McKellar’s cap, it would, to beat a team from the New Zealand Conference, even though the Highlanders have not shown much in the early stages.
McKellar was quick to point out that the referees are not adhering strictly to the red card precedent established during World Cup in 2019, where a record-setting eight red cards were dealt.
Sio Tomkinson could easily have been removed from the game for his dangerous tackle on Brumbies fullback Tom Banks.
Banks was able to continue playing. No harm, no foul we used to say on the basketball court. No blood, no foul is more apt for football.
McKellar was not vague in his view of the incident.
“I thought it was a red card,” McKellar said.
At the same time, McKellar exercised caution by not claiming that the lack of a red card to Tomkinson was the cause of the loss.
Tomkinson has been referred to the SANZARR judiciary and Super Rugby is separate for revenue, so he might expect a fine first and a ban second.
Highlanders coach Aaron Mauger agreed that Tomkinson escaping red was unexpected.
“It’s a tough one, isn’t it,” Mauger said. “If you’re reffing to the letter it’s contact with the head, but I don’t think there was any malice there and there’s nowhere for him to go. It’s one of those ones that happens in a split second, so I don’t think there was any chance of pulling out.”
Banks’ head certainly feels the same, regardless of Tomkinson’s intent.
The difference in the game is that while Tomkinson was off for his 10 minutes of penance, the Highlanders were successful in killing off the penalty, while when Douglas was sent off in the 80th minute, the Highlanders capitalised with the winning score.
Nic Berry was the official in this instance and it was Berry who dealt red to Ireland’s Bundee Aki at World Cup during a tournament that left officials vowing to protect players, players’ heads in particular.
We cannot be expected to begin calling him by his proper name, even if the temptation to say Sonny William Williams is strong.
We ran across SBW recently as part of a report concerning a Super League match between Williams’ Toronto Wolfpack and the French representative of the Super League, Catalans Dragons.
By now, most will know that this game will find SBW clashing with Israel Folau. They only way it could hold more interest for us is if SBW were to abandon his wife and four kids and claim to become of member of the groups that have marinated Folau in vitriol over the past months.
By the way, congrats to SBW on the birth of his fourth child. Good on him for going home for the birth. It would appear clear that Williams might only qualify for one category of the groups Folau condemned, although, as a convert to Islam, it would seem easy to rule him out of all three groups.
Thus, the game will simply be a contest between two former southern hemisphere residents, residents by reason of birth, that is.
The game has the sort of marquee value that Super League can use for marketing capital and even though the game is scheduled for June 27, talk is already underway of moving the game to a larger venue.
According to The Press Association report, Super League is contemplating moving the game from the 13,000 seat Stade Gilbert Brutus to either the Stade Mayol in Toulon or the Stade Velodrome in Marseille, which has a capacity of above 67,000.
Combine SBW’s star power with Folau’s controversy and you have the makings of a blockbuster.
The two sides will meet in early April and while many may love Paris in the springtime, it is summer when Paris sizzles. We know that Paris, Toulon and Catalans are distinct places, but we often take liberties of many kinds and geography is one area where there are few to offer dispute.
Williams enjoys our favour because of his cross-code antics. His exploits extend well beyond any ability to count the difference between 13 and 15-man football, as SBW also did a bit of professional boxing at one juncture.
Williams has not been the catalyst Toronto Wolfpack might have envisioned, as the club have lost both games to this point, but there is no mistaking that he is a huge draw and will be in Canada when the Wolfpack eventually holds a match in Toronto.
Catalans Dragons have been known to move venues when the situation warranted. They took a game to Spain last May and sold nearly 32,000 admissions for a game with Wigan Warriors. The crowd was a Super League record, although Camp Nou is roughly the same size as MCG, so in such cavernous confines, the place might have felt deserted.
Australia have three T20Is and three ODI limited overs cricket matches in South Africa, beginning in just a few days.
The T20s and one of the ODIs will fill out February, although it did require adding an extra day to the month to include the first ODI.
Four of the matches will be played as day – night fixtures, including the opener at The Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg.
It will be interesting to see what sort of greeting South Africa fans will provide the Baggy Green, but it is bound to be raucous and uncomplimentary, although the true gauntlet will be run when Australia visits Cape Town for the third T20, marking the first return to Newlands, or as some prefer, the scene of the crime.
The Proteas have been preparing diligently, but there has been some moving and shaking going on with their list.
Faf du Plessis stepped down from the captaincy of the T20 squad, handing the reins to Quinton de Kock. Du Plessis is part of the squad, though, he simply will not be helming.
The Proteas will also return Kagiso Rabada, who was spelled during limited-overs matches with England.
AB de Villiers was not selected, but South Africa coach Mark Boucher has given indications that de Villiers will be in the mix for selection to the South Africa T20 squad for this year’s World Cup.
South Africa has kept the core of the group that lost to the Poms 1 – 2, where the bowling was not up to standard. Boucher mentioned that the bowlers needed to develop their skills, with an emphasis on delivering yorkers.
Specifically, Boucher would like to see Dale Steyn, Lungi Ngidi and Andile Phehlukwayo employ the tactic against Australia’s openers, although it is doubtful Boucher would be opposed to yorkers being delivered to the middle order or the tail end.
South Africa may have lost the series to England, but Boucher and independent selector Linda Zondi like the effort they saw enough to avoid wholesale change.
“The T20 series may not have been won but it was really pleasing to see our batting unit play so well,” Zondi said.
Zondi also indicated that South Africa has yet to determine the World Cup squad for T20, so any Proteas who get a game agasint the touring Australians will be looking to make a strong case.
The South Africa opening pair that produced stands of 92, 48 and 84 agasint England may not reprise the role, as Temba Bavuma has a hamstring issue that could keep him off for a while.
South Africa have not given the mantle as the permanent T20 captain, but he seems to be doing okay as the opening batter and wicket-keeper to the extent that it would seem only a matter of time until he is declared.
His multi-role service impressed Australia T20 captain Aaron Finch, but we are accustomed to pre-match compliments. Finch was effusive in his praise for de Kock, but he still has some gap to fill before he can match Virat Kohli in that category.
Latrell Mitchell was afraid that Sydney Roosters would lose their hunger after two consecutive NRL premierships.
It almost sounds as though he was the one choosing to leave the Chooks, but we mainly think it was the club who was the instigator in the parting of the ways.
Well, after Mitchell instigated by going to the club and indicating that he wanted to explore the market for his services beyond the last year of his contract with Sydney.
A case of He Said They Said.
Now, if Mitchell had been with another club, perhaps New Zealand, Gold Coast, or one of that lot, he might have had some bargaining leverage.
In Sydney, he was viewed simply as a malcontent and if the Roosters do not win the three-peat in the Telstra 2020 NRL Premiership competition, it will not be because Mitchell is no longer on their list, although we will be happy to report if Mitchell claims his absence was the difference.
Thus, we are eagerly awaiting the round three derby the two big Sydney clubs, the Chooks and the Bunnies, will play at ANZ Stadium at the end of March.
We love shunned player revenge performances nearly as much as we enjoy our own personal revenge, even if many instances where we have succeeded have not satisfied the craving.
We do not think Sydney will be complacent in 2020.
Yes, they will wear targets for every game, as nothing so motivates a club as an opportunity to beat the premiers.
Mitchell adamantly insisted he has no hard feelings toward his old club but there was never any doubt that he wanted the No. 1 to himself, something that was probably at least a year or longer off with Sydney.
Our view is that Sydney sent Mitchell packing, but Mitchell paints a different tune.
“The whole point of why I wanted to move from a club was to go and challenge myself,” he said. “Otherwise I was just going to get complacent with what I was doing, and centre wasn’t cutting it for me.”
So, maybe Mitchell was not concerned that the club would be complacent in 2020, but that he himself would be. He spoke of his play with the Roosters as a “routine.”
Mitchell may prove to be one of the all-time greats, but playing second fiddle to a bona fide all-time great in fullback James Tedesco, Mitchell’s apprenticeship was not over by any stretch, barring an injury to Teddy.
Mitchell, speaking of tunes, was very positive toward his new coach, Wayne Bennett.
“He’s fun, it’s a good vibe. It’s like park footy,” he laughed while speaking to the journos for remarks picked up by the AAP.
“It’s just the way that he goes about his business – you just want to play for him,” Mitchell said.
Now that we know the subtle complexity of Mitchell’s plans to avoid complaceny at all costs, even if it meant turning down $1 million per year with Wests, we are ready for March 12, when Parramatta and Canterbury start the new season at Bankwest Stadium.
Souths open agasint Cronulla and it would be reasonable to predict a tight game, as from 1998, the head-to-head for the two clubs shows Sharks winners of 18 to 14 wins for Souths.
Talk about your mixed blessings.
St. George Dragons showed nicely at Nines, but in so doing, they had three players injured who will now be racing to be fit for Round 1 of the Telstra 2020 NRL Premiership competition.
Fullback Matt Dufty fractured a cheekbone, skipper Cameron McInnes strained his MCL and prop Korbin Sims suffered a setback by aggravating a fractured arm that was not quite 100 percent healed.
The Dragons play their first fixture of 2020 with Wests Tigers as the closing fixture of the first round, on Sunday 15 March, so Dufty, McInnes and Sims will all have an extra day to recover.
Sims’ injury may be the worst of the lot. He missed most of 2019 with the broken forearm. Dufty will need some surgery for his fractured cheekbone. He was sent to hospital, but left to watch his teammates play finals matches.
The Dragons lost the Nines Final to North Queensland by the score of 23 – 14 and while we may be guilty of selective memory, St. George had more than one fixture in regular season NRL play in 2019 where 14 points would have been a windfall.
As for the Cows, they finished 10th last season in the NRL, so the Nines title over the club from the 14th rung only shows the true nature of Nines.
Still, it seemed well attended by the local population of Perth.
Western Australia’s capital city seems hungry for the validation of an NRL club, much as Tasmania would like nothing better than a full-time AFL franchise.
The star to emerge from Nines might very well be that of 18-year-old Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow. He scored four tries in the course of four games and displayed footwork described by keen commentators as freakish and speed described as blistering.
Tabuai-Fidow will not be eligible to play senior football until July, and it remains to be seen how soon the Cows will debut him, but playing agasint established players, even if some of those players could be accused of playing conservative and preservative football, gave some indication of Tabuai-Fidow’s potential.
“It’s good to see that he’s able to do that at that level. We’ve seen him do it at schoolboy level and every other level that he’s played at so far,” Cowboys coach Paul Green said after winning the club’s second Nines title.
Stellar play in Nines is no guarantee of the same in 13-man football, but everyone has to start someplace.
We ourselves were quite capable in the two-man game we used to play agasint our brother when we were mere lads.
The Pies beating the Blues would not normally be noteworthy, but this was the new Collingwood side of the AFLW that won for the second time in the past weekend’s AFLW 2020 Premiership competition fixture.
It was the Magpies first win over Carlton, a 39 – 24 result, something Collingwood had been unable to manage since the two clubs came in in 2017.
On the men’s side of the league, Collingwood has won the last three. The Blues won by 23 points in Round 7 of the Toyota 2017 AFL Premiership competition.
We have our fun at Carlton’s expense, given their ineptitude in recent years, but in the interest of balance, the two clubs have over 250 times, with the outcomes being uncannily balanced.
The two clubs have met six time in Grand Finals, with Carlton winning five of those meetings. The last time was 1981.
The AFLW is a different animal though, but it was a first for the Magpies’ women to beat the Blues.
Unlike the 2019 debut season of conference play in the AFLW, the balance of power seems to have shifted to Conference B.
Only Brisbane Lions are unbeaten through two round of 2020 AFLW play, while Fremantle Cockers, magpies and Melbourne Demons are thus far perfect for the season.
Agasint the Blues, Collingwood received an inspired performance from Sarah D’Arcy, while Carlton suffered injuries to co-captains Katie Loynes and Kerryn Harrington. Both completed the game, but both were obviously sub-standard.
It was injury added to insult, with the insult being that Carlton can no longer claim perfection over Collingwood.
The Blues could not be faulted for lack of effort. They outdid the Pies by a heavy margin in tackles, 66 – 44 and clearances, 23 – 18, but they had serious accuracy issues in front of goal.
Collingwood held a hefty edge in disposals, 246 – 188 and contested possessions, 116 – 101.
In the low-scoring affairs we have come to expect in the AFLW, Collingwood kicked the first three goals and took a 20-point lead early in the second quarter.
A 20-point lead against a club that could manage only 24 points for the entire game is somewhat analogous to last season’s AFL Grand Final that saw Richmond Tigers practically erase the city of Sydney from the map.
The Carlton women never surrendered, much to their credit.
They showed some determination in the third quarter, but what could have been three goals were simply three behinds.
The good news in terms of the AFLW is that over 14 matches, the 14 clubs have drawn above 100,000 spectators an average of over 7,800 per match, although that average figure received a huge boost from the above 35,000 crowd that turned out to watch the derby between West Coast Eagles and Fremantle Dockers at Optus Stadium.
That big crowd was not rewarded with a competitive game, however, as the Eagles have yet to find any traction, losing the game 60 – 15.
Whip rules have been one of Thoroughbred Racing’s most farcical regulations and we have steadfastly maintained that since they were enacted in 2015, the only way to achieve anything resembling compliance would be to overturn race results.
That has not happened.
There are some gallopers that respond negatively to the whip. Jockeys know which horses those are, so there is no rule needed.
Various racing jurisdictions over the past four-plus years have at times issued suspensions to jockeys, but for all their love of horses and their expertise at getting the best possible performance from those horses over races, have viewed fines and suspensions as merely a new cost of doing business.
A nominal fine and a short vacation, in other words, make it a simple decision when there is a million dollar purse on the line.
It was therefore something of a surprise to learn that James McDonald drew a suspension from Saturday’s Group 3 C s Hayes Stake at Flemington for hitting his mount Catalyst seven times, two above the allotted five prior to the 100-metre mark of the race, and then an additional 14 times, perfectly legal, in the last 100 metres.
Flemington stewards had briefed the jockeys ahead of the meeting, which included the Group 1 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes.
Later, Racing Victoria chief steward Robert Cram told racing news outlets that an email was sent to the Victorian Jockeys Association earlier in February.
“It’s something we decided to do, to put them on notice, so that we can stop breaches in black type races,” said Cram. “It’s during our carnival times that we’ll be tougher.”
We suspect that if horses could be consulted, they would not differentiate between being flogged 21 times in a Group level race and receiving the same number of strikes at a picnic meeting.
McDonald drew a six-meeting suspension, the relative equivalent of a slap on the wrist, as no actual wrist slapping took place.
And here we were thinking that McDonald, and other top hoops, such as Hugh Bowman, Tommy Berry, et al were given more latitude, especially when they have bookings for big upcoming spring races.
McDonald pled guilty to the charge, which gained him some leniency, as did his good record. The factor that leapt at us was the idea that McDonald would have drawn a stiffer penalty if it had been a race above Group 3.
McDonald will be back from his suspension, which does not begin next Saturday, in time to ride at Canterbury week Friday coming. He has a week away to handle some chores and get some rest. He received a $1500 fine, which was coincidentally, his percentage of Catalyst’s prize money from the race.
We will not know for certain until barriers and fields for Caulfield’s big meeting next weekend are announced, but we feel reasonably confident that McDonald has possibly three Group 1 bookings, the Blue diamond Stakes, the Futurity Stakes and the Oakleigh Plate, along with three Group 2s, the Autumn Classic the Angus Armanasco Stakes and the St. George Stakes.
McDonald might also have bookings for the Group 3 Zeditave Stakes and the Mannerism Stakes, but then again, he might be working at Rosehill in the Group 2 Hobartville Stakes or the Group 2 Silver Slipper Stakes.
It is a safe punt to say that he will cover his $1500 fine with margin to spare.
We often maintain the key to success in life is to manage expectations, which in our case means to keep expectations low and thus avoid any pressure to complete tasks, accomplish goals, or have meaningful relationships.
You always feel like a winner, happy as well, when you coast along, rather than striving and constantly raising the bar.
A similar approach has helped small defender Alana Porter savour her rise in the footy ranks to where she now finds herself, at just barely beyond the age of 19, playing for the Collingwood Magpies in the AFLW.
The league is still in its infancy, relatively speaking, although women have been playing Aussie Rules footy for a good while, so athletic skill will often suffice for footy experience and Porter seems to provide a case in point.
Porter seems to have some leaping ability. She was a state junior champion in the long jump and the triple jump. There is no fooling anyone when it comes to athletics. Either you can run fast or you cannot. You cannot use guile and experience to jump further than someone else does.
Porter spoke about how Athletics has assisted her on the AFLW website.
“It’s given me an edge over other girls and made me a bit different. I was always training my 40m sprint because my run-ups were very important for (jumps). It helped me beat my opponents to the ball,” she said.
Porter does seem to be taking it all in stride, unaffected by the rise that has seen her go from representing the Oakleigh Chargers in the NAB League under-18 competition, to Collingwood’s VFLW club, where she claims to have smuggled her way in. Her side won the VFLW premiership, leading to a draft call from the AFLW Pies, and finally a strong debut in the first round.
All of this in the span of about six months might make some overconfident or worse, but this young athlete has done okay without her head gaining weight.
“My first game was amazing. It was a whole different kind of special for me because I never expected to make it to such a high level,” she told womens.afl. “I just feel so privileged to be a part of the team, so to debut in a win was just next level.”
Porter seemingly is making a smooth transition from her junior days as a midfielder to defender.
The icing on Porter’s cake is that she is a lifelong Collingwood supporter, so she has her cake and gets to eat it too.
She did not even take that cake with the expectation that it come complete with 19 candles.
There is an odd gap in the list of winners for Saturday’s Group 2 Apollo Stakes (1400 metres, w.f.a.) at Randwick Racecourse Saturday next.
After winning in 2016 and 2017, Winx did not win in 2018, proving that not even the Sydney Super Mare could win a race in which she did not run.
She returned to the Apollo Stakes in 2019 to run the fastest time the race has ever seen.
She could probably win again on Saturday, even if she is expecting her first foal come November 2020.
Focusing on this year’s race, last year’s second-place finisher, Happy Clapper is back for another try. He jumped an astounding second favourite in last year’s race. Astounding in the sense that he left the barrier for $11 to Winx’s $1.10.
Happy Clapper is $5, third favourite for this year’s race, which currently offers punters 10 gallopers from which to pick.
He is well drawn from the fourth barrier and has star hoop Tommy Berry for his rider, so this could be his year.
Alizee is a $2.90 favourite, with the second line belonging to Dreamforce for $3.50.
In some ways, this looks like the superior race by comparison to Flemington’s Group 1 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes. Sydney racing seems to produce its fair share of boilovers, so even Angel Of Truth cannot be ruled out from $71.
Happy Clapper will be fresh, fresh in the sense of fresh for a nine-year-old, and he is coming off a win last time out at Randwick, although it is possible to wonder if being back in trip might not give him adequate time to unwind fully.
The other Group 2 on the day at Randwick is the Light Fingers Stakes for 3YO fillies at set weights.
That race immediately precedes the Apollo and the bookies have Libertini as the $2.70 favourite (Ladbrokes), followed by Kiamichi at $4.80, Flit at $5.50, Lyre at $7.50 and Sangria at $8.50.
Somewhat surprisingly, Chris Waller could not find a horse from his stable to participate in the Light Fingers Stakes.
The Group 3 Robrick Lodge Triscay Stakes follows the Apollo. The field is currently 14, but the aspect that leaped out for us is that the favourites Reelem In Ruby and Pohutukawa, both $6.50 offer some healthy dividends. Significantly, eliminate Spiritual Pursuit ($51) and there is nothing longer than $26 in the race.
The Group 3 Cellarbrations Southern Cross Stakes initiates the Group level racing as the fifth race of the 10-race meeting.
The field is just eight, led by Special Reward at $3.10. Eliminate two, Reiby’s Regent and Press Box (both $101), however, and there are six priced at or below $10, so this is anyone of those six’s race.
With NRL Nines in Perth this weekend, it would be easy to suspect that Western Australia would like to join professional rugby league at the top level.
Some of the purists, the traditionalists, the group that loathes change of any sort, think that the NRL belongs to New South Wales. With the possible exception of Queensland, that is.
Yet, the second-most successful team in the NRL is Melbourne Storm, where it would be semi-logical to think that only the AFL can attract attention in Victoria.
That same argument is used to justify keeping the NRL away from Western Australia, but the simple fact is that the NRL needs expansion to survive, much the same way forests depend on fire for renewal.
We say purists, traditionalists and change loathers, but we can actually put a name to the man who expresses the opinion that Perth is too far, that Perth is an Aussie Rules state, that it would be too expensive to base a club all the way across the continent.
Peter V’landys the recently appointed commissioner for the ARL.
Last year, V’landys was quoted, “Perth does not have a huge league audience.”
The NRL could easily give up one of the NSW based teams and keep the NRL at 16 clubs.
We nominate Wests Tigers. After all, they already incorporate the word west in their name.
Perth staged State of Origin II at Optus Stadium last year and a large facility achieved almost sell-out attendance.
The demise of the Western Force supplies two factors.
One, there is a dormant, pent-up demand for rugby in Western Australia, provided that demand can be meet with an adequate, quality supply.
Two, while it could be argued that if rugby in Western Australia was meant to be, Western Force would have succeeded, that argument could be countered with one that suggests that not even Super Rugby’s mother loves it.
Perth seems to be pushing for an NRL club.
We are not certain what that implies, but Australian professional leagues seem to have demonstrated over the course of time that they can manage quite well with an odd or unbalanced number to teams.
V’landys suggested that a club in Perth would for the NRL be a case of “…wasting million in rusted-on AFL States.”
It is not fair to draw comparisons between Perth and Melbourne, but the Storm have done okay and has slowly integrated more players from Victoria, although it would be fair to ask if states other than NSW and Queensland can support rugby league, why has Victoria failed to add another NRL club since 1997, the year the Storm was founded.
Some have pointed out the five-hour flight times to cross the continent as an impediment, but it is roughly the same as the travel-time to New Zealand.
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