Australia v Pakistan - Boxing Day Test Match

What an enthralling test match.

Australia were ultimately successful (see the attached link for the full scoreboard http://www.cricinfo.com/ausvpak09/engine/match/406199.html), however, a number of talking points arose and will undoubtedly be examined between now and the 2nd Test (commencing in Sydney on 3 January 2010).

Firstly, does Australia need a communications coach? Australia seems to have a coach for numerous other areas (see fielding and bowling) but apparently the art of conversation between the wickets has been left behind like a overweight sprint cyclist heading up the mountains in the Tour De France. If this is not addressed, will someone at least speak to Katich and Watson and tell them that communication is vital between the wickets. At the very least, it is something that is ingrained in young cricketers psyche at the U10 level but somehow these two openers slipped through the system. This was illustrated, to their own detriment when, in the first innings, both batsmen were on the verge of their centuries, and they ended up at the same end after Katich had played a shot to gully. Eventually (after the 3rd umpire had reviewed who had placed their foot down over the crease first), Watson was given his marching orders and his disappointment was there for all 60,000 Melbournians to see as he trudged off the ground head hanging down and feet dragged.

Importantly, a telling and damning statistic is that Katich has been involved in 9 test run-outs with his partner being run out on 8 occasions. Similarly, on the 4th day’s play of this test, Watson left his partner Johnson high and dry (thankfully after Johnson had become just the 5th player in test history to take 50 wickets and score more than 500 runs in a calendar year) and as such he cannot be excused from communication classes.

Secondly, Australia’s batsmen failing to reach three figures has been as amusing as watching the number of women come forward and say they are Tiger Woods’ ‘true love’. Prior to Watson reaching 100 (although he tried his best to again stay in double figures – more on that shortly), there were 17 scores of 50 or more but none resulting in triple figures. In keeping with the theme of hiring more coaches for different aspects of the team, does the team need to hire a full time sports psychologist? And if they already have one, surely he or she needs to have his or her performance reviewed after this run of scores above 50 without any significant scores following.

Thirdly, Pakistan’s fielding was at times laughable and at other times hilarious. On numerous occasions, Pakistan appeared to have 11 players on the ground who were either blind, had one arm tied behind their back or treated the ball like a bar of soap in a jail and none of the players wanted to bend over to pick it up. The most notable incident was when Watson was on 99 and spooned a dolly of a catch to gully where Abdur Rauf was clearly unaware of Watson's previous form in the 90's and proceeded to drop the ball like it was a pair of used underpants. Pakistan will most definitely need to spend some time on the training park sharpening up their fielding as the long held motto of 'catches win matches' may well have proved true had Pakistan held the numerous chances which came their way.

Fourthly, spare a thought for Australia’s state spinners. When there were whispers of Hauritz not being fit to take the field, Steve Smith’s name was thrust forward as being his likely replacement. Pakistan’s captain Mohammed Yousef poignantly said what most Australian’s were thinking when he said ‘Steve who?’ in an interview prior to the test match. It is strange that Australia’s selectors have elected to push Smith’s case at the expense of numerous other spinners with test experience, albeit short and not always fruitful (Krezja – 2 Tests for 13 wickets, McGain - 1 Tests for 0 wickets, Casson - 1 Tests for 3 wickets, White 4 Tests for 5 wickets). Whilst Hauritz performed well in the 2nd Pakistani innings, should he not perform well or be injured in the immediate future, the selectors should at least consider some of the tried and discarded players before rushing to blood a young and unproven spinner such as Smith

Finally, Pakistan lasted almost 5 days and pushed Australia at certain points of the match and proved that they will not be a push over this summer (subject to their fielding improving). In particular, if they are able to recall Danish Kaneria for the 2nd and 3rd Tests they will have a quality spin bowler to counter balance their impressive pace attack. The 2nd Test Match should be an interesting one, especially on a traditionally spinner friendly pitch so stay tuned to see what happens as I will be at each day of the test with camera in hand.

Wallaby Spring Tour Interview with Luke Burgess

Just before the Wallabies travelled to Tokyo to take on the All Blacks in Bledisloe 4, I spoke to Wallaby Halfback Luke Burgess about the Spring Tour and the impending challenges he and the team faced.

Below is the candid interview that I had with him just prior to his departure (may take a few moments to load).

All Blacks Bledisloe whitewash

Both teams commenced their spring tours with Bledisloe 4 in Tokyo. However, the result shows that the All Blacks have gained from a 6 week break from playing together, whereas the same problems that have plagued the Wallabies throughout the Tri-Nations have not been improved during their break.

The opening stanzas were a little scrappy but the game was quickly brought to life by a wonderful break from Will Genia. He scooted 50 meters before linking up with James O’Connor. Whilst O’Connor did not score it showed that the Wallabies were willing to throw the ball around.

That willingness however did not convert into momentum as the All Blacks hit back in imperious form with a masterful try in the corner. Sivivatu was the man to cross the paint but importantly it showed that the All Black players have a skill level that on the whole is slightly higher then the Wallabies players. The ball went through numerous hands like it was a hot potato, and the All Blacks don’t need to look where they are passing as they are always in support.

The Wallabies looked to hit back straight away with some bustling running, but they fell short with Thorne executing a brilliant strip to regain control of the ball. And with that the game fell into a bit of a rut with the ball acting like a slippery soap that neither team could catch.

The Wallabies appeared to catch that soap with some quick passing and wide running, albeit when they did succeed in doing that they were left isolated.

Just before halftime the game took an unexpected turn…Sivivatu tackled Adam Ashley-Cooper high in the air and even though he was quick to apologise he was sent from the ground for a 10 minute breather.

With that the Wallabies made the most of the numerical advantage. Will Genia’s pass found Pocock on the bounce. Pocock burst through the ALL Black line. The Wallabies retained the ball from the ensuing ruck and went wide to Heynes who despite being smashed by 3 covering All Black’s was adjudged to have grounded the ball.

This was the Wallabies first try against the All Blacks since the 1^st Bledisloe cup match in Auckland earlier this year.

The momentum appeared to swing briefly in the Wallabies favour. From the restart the Wallabies managed to regather the ball and Genia chipped over the All Black ruck. Heynes chased onto it and but for the diving efforts of Nonu (who illegally pushed the ball over the dead ball line rugby league style) would have scored the Wallabies second try.

From the ensuing scrum, Palu ran forward like a rhino and it was only a miracle tackle from Cowan that stopped him from scoring and held up the ball over the paint. Again another scrum to the Wallabies, but the All Blacks quickly regathered and kicked for touch.

With the momentum heavily in favour of the Wallabies, the All Blacks fortunately held on until half time without conceding any further points.

Wallabies 16-13 All Blacks

The second half started with many Wallabies realising that whilst they have lead 5 out of the past 6 Bledisloe cup matches, they have failed to bring home the bacon in each of those games. And it did not start well for the Wallabies with Heynes knocking on from the restart.

This would prove to be indicative of the Wallabies second half performance as again they lost their way against some solid and crunching All Black defence and pressure.

The All Blacks piled on point after point evincing memories of the comments made by Robbie Deans after the last loss (i.e. that the Wallabies ‘rolled over’ at the end).

On many occasions, Wallabies were left isolated in the tackle and the All Blacks turned over the ball faster than Paris Hilton changes boyfriends.

The All Blacks second try all but sealed the match. It was again a try made out of nothing. Sivivatu broke through the line and was dragged down by some covering Wallaby defenders. The All Blacks managed to get quick ball and Cory Jane made a break from nothing, got his hands free and put Conrad Smith over for a try. Smiths journey to the line (all 5 meters of it) was littered with Wallaby players, but apparently there was a sniper in the stand as all the defenders appeared to fall down without laying a hand on Smith.

From there on, whilst the Wallabies tried to mount some counter attacks, they simply had no answer to the All Black defence and commitment. Even bringing on George Smith for his 106^th cap did not alter the changing winds of the second half. G.Smith did have some impact but his fellow players did not follow his energetic lead.

Sadly, the mistakes kept flowing and the Wallabies appeared to have rested on their first half laurels. Of particular annoyance for the Wallaby staff will have been the silly penalties and ball retention that the Wallabies struggled to control in the second half.

Finally, the All Blacks could have won by a bigger margin had they not butchered a try over the line. Having said that, from about the 70 minute mark their win was never in doubt.

Again this loss will highlight a number of things for the Wallabies, but most importantly the need to get the basics right. There were so many passes that did not hit the mark or that were knocked on that should that continue in Europe, any notion of a Grand Slam will be amended to ‘a challenging and developing tour’ party line.

On the other hand, the All Blacks look very good to have a successful spring tour and they are perhaps starting to build some momentum for the 2011 World Cup.

In short, another frustrating loss by the Wallabies 32-19 and yet more bragging rights to the All Blacks.

Storm clinch 2009 NRL title - Vini Vidi Vici

On Sunday evening the Melbourne Storm sent the western suburbs of Sydney into a spiral of depression. Meanwhile the majority of Melbourne jumped on a sporting bandwagon that has no signs of abating.

Melbournians, on the whole, know about as much about rugby league as Chicago knows about Olympic bid techniques, but they appreciate quality when they see it. They will claim the Storm victory as their own and hail it as a certainty, whilst at the same time wondering what a maths fraction has to do with Brett Finch.

In contrast, Parramatta knows rugby league like Einstein knew physics. Parramatta had surfed a wave of optimism for the past 3 months where they believed anything was possible. And why not? They had beaten the Dragons (Minor Premiers), Titans (3rd Place) and the Bulldogs (2nd place) to get to the big show, not to mention everyone else just to make the finals. Many Eels fans thought that this was the end of their long premiership drought (stretching back to 1986) and a return to their glory days of the 1980's.

How wrong they were. Anyone who saw the opening seconds of the match would have realised that the hit on Fui Fui Moi Moi was evidence that the Storm were not going to roll over and play dead. Yes Moi Moi hit back (see the hit on Brett White) over and over again, but without fellow enforcers, excluding Hindmarsh (who made a staggering 62 tackles) he was for the most part strangely uninspiring.

There was no doubt that the Eels were the underdogs and the way they played showed this. They threw the ball around like it was a pair of dirty jocks and created numerous breaks up the unusually soft Storm ruck. But for all their flamboyance and skill the Eels could simply not break through the last line of impenetrable Storm defence. It didn't help the Eels' cause, in fact some might argue that it created the bridge to far, when Inglis and Slater decided to leave their own marks on the game with two amazing tries.

To their credit, when all seemed lost, the Eels came back from the dead. It was that man again, Moi Moi, who led from the front (this time with some weary but courageous followers) and had the Eels back and within a whiff of victory after his rampaging run and try in the corner deep in the second half.

The Storm quickly put an end to the Eel revival with Inglis' drop goal (one of the ugliest drop goals you'll ever see, but nevertheless successful) and with only a few minutes left the premiership was again heading south.

Despite Melbourne's general lack of understanding about the game, the Storm's victory will go some way to illustrating that they have one of the best teams of all time in their own back yard. Rugby League is far from being a religion in the way that AFL is but this team is special. No ordinary team makes 4 grand finals in a row. And with such a high rate of player turn over Bellamy has shown that he has that inspirational coaching quality of make good players a hell of a lot better when under his tutelage. It obviously doesn't hurt having a core group of players such as Smith, Slater, Inglis, Cronk and Hoffman to further your success, but prior to this season who had ever heard of Dane Nielsen, Aidan Tolman, and Ryan Tandy. Only 2010 will tell whether Bellamy can do it all over again, but with that core back again for another tilt, don't rule it out.

A small aside, this was Daniel Anderson's third grand final loss in a row as he had lost the last two English Super League Finals with Leeds. As they always say, things come in threes, so what are the chances of a turnaround next year? He will find it particularly difficult with the salary cap putting a huge squeeze on his playing resources, but he turned around the club from being near bottom dwellers to grand finalists so nothing is beyond the realms of possibility. Having said that bookies are already putting the Storm back near the top of the favourites for the 2010 premiership, so there is no doubt 2010 will be eagerly awaited by sports fans all over the world. Only 156 days to go.....

Sports Wrap (Other Sports)

Cricket:

Australia is on course for a one day clean sweep in its 7 match series against England after winning game 5. England set Australia 300 from their 50 overs. It was one of England's highest scores against Australia in the one day arena, but with Ponting in imperious form (126 off 109 balls) and Clarke maintaining his consistent summer form (52 runs) Australia's one day train was hard to stop.

Australia's cause was helped by by some very poor English fielding, and some solid hitting from Ponting. The 6th one day match will begin tomorrow night at Trent Bridge.

Tennis:

In case you missed it, Roger Federer missed the chance of winning his 6th straight US Open title when he was defeated by young Argentinean Juan Martin Del Potro in five sets.

The match was unusual in that it was a rare occasion to see Federer lose his temper when swearing at the chair umpire. At another stage throughout the match both players did not know what decision the chair umpire had made and stood looking at each other with their arms up in bewilderment.

It clearly shows that when Federer is rattled, and that is a very rare occasion, the opposition has a chance. Del Potro took his chance and hopefully he can continue his good form into the Australian Open in January 2010.

In the women's final, you would have had to have been out of media range to have missed the coverage relating to Serena Williams' profanity ridden abuse at a lines-woman after she had been foot faulted in the final against Kim Clijsters. The result of that abuse was that Clijsters won the final and completed a remarkable come back after leaving the WTA Tour to have her first child 18 months ago.

Sports Wrap (Football)

Europe:

Last weekend saw the resumption of European leagues and the commencement of the Champions League after the most recent round of world cup qualifiers.

In the English Premier League, the usual suspects (the top four) had interesting weekends. Manchester United defeated Tottenham 3-1 after falling behind to an early Jermaine Defoe bicycle kick. Chelsea also came from behind in defeating Stoke 2-1 but only sealed the win thanks to a Florent Malouda stoppage time strike. Liverpool walloped Burnley 4-0 and had the Reds shot more accurately the score would have been much greater. Liverpool had 27 shots in the match. Arsenal had an eventful trip to the Manchester City which resulted in a 4-2 loss. The talking point however was Adebayor stamping on former team-mate Van Persie's face and after scoring running the length of the field to celebrate in front of the travelling Arsenal fans. Adebayor has been charged with violent conduct for his stamping incident but nothing has eventuated about his celebration....yet.

In La Liga in Spain, Valencia had a high scoring win over Valladolid (4-2) with David Villa scoring 2 and David Silva also scoring one. Athletico Madrid drew 1-1 with Racing Santander, whereas the other Madrid team boasting the newly formed galacticos defeated 3-0 with superboot Ronaldo adding the third in injury time. Barcelona also won its second game of the season with Ibrahimovic and Messi scoring goals against Espanyol to keep Barcelona undefeated so far.

In Serie A, Juventus were away to Lazio in Rome, but that didn't deter them as they won 2-0 with Trezeguet sealing the win with an injury time strike. Inter Milan had to wait until 19 minutes from time before scoring and seeing off Parma. Roma travelled to Siena and won 2-1 and AC Milan drew 0-0 with Livorno.

The Champions League kicked off last night with no real surprises in the results columns. Manchester United, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and AC Milan won their matches against their respective opponents. The second lot of matches will kick off tomorrow morning Australian Eastern Standard time.

Soccer (Local):

Perth drew with Gold Coast 2-2 with Shane Smeltz scoring another goal (he has 9 so far this season from 6 games). Melbourne still have not won at home this season drawing with Wellington 1-1. Sydney were upset by a Robbie Fowler screamer, Brisbane flogged the woeful Newcastle, and Adelaide defeated Central Coast 1-0.

Sports Wrap (Union).....yawn.

Rugby Union:

The Springboks proved again that boring rugby wins matches. In a match that was high scoring (32-29), you might be excused to think that there was some running rugby (and tries) involved. Sadly this was not the case as of the combined total of 61 points, only 20 points were from tries (2 tries each). What this game also showed was the Springbok's drive to success no matter how unattractive they play, and how far the All Blacks have got to go to be serious contenders for the world cup in their own back yard in 2011.

The game itself was a little more entertaining than an episode of a nature documentary, but only just. Whilst Francois Steyne proved that he can slot penalty goals from almost anywhere on the pitch (he kicked one from 60 meters out), and Morne Steyne also added his own share of kicked goals, the game was just that, another kick-a-thon. It is no surprise that rugby fans are turning away from the game they used to love in favour of other 'running' sports. Having said that, the game was entertaining in the last 10 minutes when it appeared that the All Blacks might stage a remarkable comeback to pinch the game, and keep the chance of taking Tri Nations trophy from under the Springbok's nose, alive. That did not eventuate and the All Blacks were left ruing a number of bad decisions, poor handling and another unconvincing line out performance.

If you missed the game, you didn't miss much, but here are the highlights....

The All Blacks now await the arrival of the Wallabies in Wellington where both teams will play, or not as the case may be, for the wooden spoon. Lets hope that they throw off the shackles and throw the ball around like a hot potato.

Sports Wrap (NRL).....what a weekend!!

NRL: Well well well, didn't the first week of the finals throw up a few curve balls, not to mention a few mad monday celebrations going a little off the rails (stand up South Sydney)!

Dragons v Eels: The Dragons showed that a drubbing dished out to the Eels the previous week counts for little when the pressure of the finals kicks in. In true recent Dragon style, the red-v army on the field produced a performance that was reminiscent of skippy in the headlights. The headlights in this match were the feet and skills of Jaryd Hayne and he showed that he not only is an amazing player but also an inspirational player. He and his teammates last week were more like George Bush in a spelling bee, whereas this week under his tutelage they were able to spell and pronounce "Batrachomyomachia". Such was the turn around that betting agencies now have the Eels as being at $6 to win the premiership! Not bad for team that was at roughly $150 before they went on their winning streak.

The Eels now have a semi final against the travel shy Titans, whereas the Dragons have to face the Broncos in Brisbane. Not a bad result for the Eels, whereas Dragons fans have already started mad monday in preparation for the worst.

Bulldogs v Knights: The Bulldogs proved that without Kimmorley they can still put on a show and win well. The Knights, whilst plucky, determined and persistent, were no real match for the Bulldogs. The Knights took the lead first but, that was the end of any real momentum that they had in the match. It didn't help that their gamble on hooker Isaac De Gois paid less than 16 minutes. Not a great return in anyone's book.

The Bulldogs now have a week off to prepare for the winner of Eels and Titans and with Kimmorley a chance to return the Bulldogs may again firm as grand final favourites.

Titans v Broncos: The Broncos proved that the Titans are beatable at home. The Broncos got out to a commanding 20 point lead early on in the game as the Titans were anything but defensive. Whilst the Titans came back into the match only to be beaten 40-32, the talk after the match was all about, you guessed it, the refereeing. Titans coach John Cartwright had very few choice words to say about the men in the middle, but sadly for him the only thing to come from that may be a fine, the fact that his team lost, and now they have to travel to Sydney to play a team that finished 5 places below them in the regular season. Not really any consolation is it considering they like travelling as much as a punch in the groin.

Storm v Sea Eagles: Ah revenge tastes so sweet. The Storm avenged last years grand final drubbing by putting the boys from Manly onto their mad monday very early into the finals series.

It took Manly 70 minutes to register a point and by that stage, the Storm were 34 points in the good. Manly managed another try and conversion a few minutes later but that was the end of a comeback as Slater put down his fourth and final try for the game in the 77th minute. All in all, the Storm ran out 40-12 victors and will now enjoy the week off waiting to see who they face from the Broncos Dragons match.

Sports Wrap (AFL)......what a weekend!!!!

If you have been in a coma or watching seasons 1-7 of the Golden Girls in one go you may have missed the mammoth weekend of sport. Here is a quick wrap of the weekends events starting with AFL.

AFL: The weekend produced one of the games of the season when the Crows and the Pies fought toe to toe until the final nail biting moments of the final quarter.

Many Crows supporters (and most non-Pies fans) may still be wondering how John Anthony was awarded a free kick in the dying seconds of the final quarter. Ben Rutten, the Crows defender, was adjudged to have been more than holding Anthony's hand and Anthony was given a shot at goal from about 40m out from which he converted and handed the Pies a chance to progress to the Grand Final should they defeat the Cats this weekend.

It was an extraordinary match, where the Crows stormed out to a substantial 29 point lead at quarter time, which was only reduced by 3 points at half time. The Crows appeared to be in cruise control. The third quarter, however, was a massive turnaround with the Pies scoring 6 goals 2 points to the Crows 2 points. The final quarter saw both sets of fans reach nirvana when their team gained the lead only to then plummet to depression when the lead changed hands. This emotional roller coaster continued right until the final seconds with the Pies prevailing. Just in case you missed the match have a look at the highlights...

The second semi final saw the Lions belted by the Dogs in a very one-sided match. Having said that, The Lions only trailed the Dogs by 24 points with 5 minutes to go in the third term, but the Dogs kicked on and old heads prevailed. The Lions are in transition and it was a fantastic effort to get to the finals in Michael Voss's first season in charge, let alone make the second week of the finals.

The Dogs ran out eventual winners by 51 points and now travel on to meet the Saints this weekend, whereas the Lions will regroup over summer and should be a force come next year.

On Saturday I found God.....

A football match is about the last place you would expect to find anything religious, let alone the big man himself, but it was the improbable match between Sydney FC v North Queensland where not only did I found God, I was actually touched by him aswell (well he signed my shirt)!

I am of course talking about the Liverpool FC legend Robbie "God" Fowler. I have to admit that I am a Reds tragic and to say that I was excited at the chance of meeting God would be a massive understatement. All of my ravings to my unRed-initiated friends made me sound like a bible basher from the midwest of the US.

The hype about the game was justified on his arrival in Sydney. Fowler is one of the greatest ever Reds players of all time (recently finishing 4th in a poll of the top 100 players) and his class has shown on and off the field already since signing with the Fury ealier this year.

The game on Saturday was very much a Fowler tribute match. Sydney FC had laid out the red carpet, put on a red double decker bus and a Beatles tribute band before the game, and there were rumblings of Liverpool's anthem "You'll never walk alone" as God walked out onto the pitch.

As for the match itself, yes God has put on a bit of weight and he is not as fast as he used to be, and the start of the Fury's season clearly shows that he has no miracles in his bag of tricks, but he still has a number of things:

1. Footballing class and pedigree;

2. Skills (as the fan sitting next to me said, "he makes the rest of the players look like Sunday league footballers with massive hangovers.....oh no wait, they are still drunk next to him");

3. Crowd pulling appeal and massive amounts of Australian based Liverpool fans; and

4. Goals Goals Goals.

The A-League, and particularly the Fury, has done very well to get hold of Fowler as the crowd figures and the excitement generated by the game simply showed. The crowd was more than double Sydney's previous other 'big game' and even tried and true rugby league, union or AFL supporters were talking about his arrival in the big city. Not since Dwight Yorke was playing for Sydney in the inaugural A-league season has the excitement been so high about a game of football.

It truly was a spectacle and it is great to have the holy man down under. Long may he stay here. And in case you needed a reminder of his class, look at the goal he scored on Saturday that sunk the Sydney sky blues.....http://

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/archivedirs/news/2006/oct/8/N153706061008-0859.htm

http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,26068467-5000940,00.html

NRL Finals Preview

Dragons (1) v Eels (8):

The most obvious question is will Wendell's head fit into the stadium? The Dell is getting more media coverage than Paris Hilton at an adult film festival and it will be interesting to see if he can handle the pressure as the Dragons look to get rid of the choker tag.

Under Nathan Brown, the Dragons arguably had some of the best players the NRL has seen in the past decade but just couldn't put it together when it mattered. Maybe he was taking his coaching tips from Greg Norman, but with Wayne Bennett in control if they cant win the competition the psychological damage may be irreparable and the Dragons faithful may be waiting some time before future finals chances come a'knockin.

Now back to the actual game, the Eels will be struggling to turn around from last weeks dismal shellacking against the Dragons. Of course they will get some inspiration from Jarryd Hayne having won the Dally M medal earlier in the week and undoubtedly his actual form during the game. Similarly, they didn't win 7 in a row by being a dud team, but can they actually turn it around?! No really, can they?!

The Dragons on the other hand have it all to lose. They are the heavy favourites after a dominant season (albeit a few minor hiccups towards the end end of the season). They also have history in their corner as well with only one 8th placed team beating the minor premiers under the NRL McIntyre finals system (Warriors beat the Storm in 2008).

Tip: Dragons by 8

Bulldogs (2) v Knights (7):

Kevin Moore might have dropped the coach of the year trophy at the Dally M awards earlier in the week, but he is unlikely to be caught on the hop against the Knights this weekend.

He was a well deserved recipient of the award having almost done the impossible of turning the Bulldogs from wooden spooners into minor premiers in one season. It was only a special Benji Marshall and a relaxed West Tigers who prevented the dream turn around.

The Bulldogs will again struggle this weekend without Brett Kimmorley, but they had better learn to live without him fast as, barring divine intervention, he will not be back for the entirety of the finals. The Bulldogs will play tight and solid (as evidenced by their 5 award recipients at the Dally M awards), but whether they have that little bit of creativity will depend on the halves and whether they can shut down Mullen.

The Knights have snuck under the raider into the finals with most attention being on their opponents and the Dragons but with steady heads in Gidley, MacDougall, and Mullen, not to mention the bookends of those three with their creativity. It will be very interesting to see the result and despite the the praise heaped on the Bulldogs above, there is a whiff of a boilover...

Tip: Knights by 2

Titans (3) v Broncos (6):

Did someone say derby? Did someone say sibling rivalry? Did someone say epic clash that most of Queensland will be besotted with?

It is the first time the Titans have been in the finals and they have proved that the are worthy title contenders.....if only the final was played on the Gold Coast. The Titans are supremely dominant at home but represent a wet dead fish away from home. Having said that, they have played good football home and away over the past 5 weeks (except for a minor blip last weekend).

The Broncos are storming into the finals like Casta Semnya on the final straight of the women's 800m world championship final. They have played some very attractive but also sensible league and teams that underestimate them will do so at their peril. The Broncos also have a fantastic mix of youth and experience (players with a combined total of 300 plus finals games) and should they be in a position to win the game against the Titans, the old heads should prevail and see the Broncos survive the first round.

Tip: Broncos by 7

Storm (4) v Sea Eagles (5):

In what is fast turning into a rivalry to match some of the greats (see Bulldogs v Eels, Manchester United v Liverpool, Collingwood v Essenden, England v Australia) these two teams play a grand final rematch in round one of the finals!

After 6 rounds of this season, hardly anyone gave the Sea Eagles any chance of making the finals let alone almost getting a home final. Similarly, most punters and pundits would have placed the Storm in their top two teams come season's end.

Watmough has been a revelation this season and has stepped up in the absence of Brett Stewart. Orford has also been fantastic as he has not been able to rely on Stewart getting onto the end of of his passes and kicks not to mention directing the team around like a cattle dog.

The Storm, on the other hand have had an indifferent season and looks like its been one of transition. They have not been helped by the late off season dramas with Inglis and the large number rep players during the middle of the season, but with Inglis back and firing on all cylinders, the Storm look like peaking at the right time. Finch was a great pick up during the season and he has done well with Cronk and the Storm at home will be tough to beat. These two teams will undoubtedly put on a spectacle, so tune in for fireworks.

Tip: Storm by 10

Wallabies break the duck

The Wallabies finally brought home the bacon....well perhaps not the whole pig but at least a leg...by defeating the Springboks 21 -6 in Brisbane.

Brisbane has been a happy home stomping ground for the Wallabies when playing the Springboks as they have not been beaten there since 1971. However, going into the game, many people would have expected the Wallabies' stomping to have extended at best to grapes in France when they popped over to see Lote for a short sojourn.

The Springboks went back to their English-like kick reliant game and the Wallabies caught a bug that made their legs pump and run forward instead of kick, fumble and run around in circles. The player that caught the worst of the bug was Benn Robinson who appeared to be everywhere doing almost anything, whilst Will Genia proved to be a man on the verge of swine flu with his form. Genia was revelation on his debut. He had one try disallowed himself and also had one assist to Turner disallowed as well. His quick clean passing from the base, not to mention his previously unheralded running game, helped the Wallabies to a very positive approach.

With Genia's passing game spot on, Giteau all of a sudden had time and space to play with the ball and had the wallabies going forward. Having said that, the Wallabies forwards played unlike they have done for the past four Tri Nation games...really good. It must have been the injection of youth and pace (see Pocock and Chisholm) as the coach hasn't changed and nor have his methods.

It was a long overdue entertaining rugby match littered with the occasional poor play and errors that have recently plagued the Wallabies but all in all a temporary return to the days of running rugby. Hopefully it is the turning point the Wallabies need for the rest of the Tri Nations and the the upcoming Spring tour. Similarly, the result also keeps the Tri Nations alive and gives the All Blacks a shot of stealing the trophy from under the Springbok's nose.

Hewitt continues loosing streak against Federer

Lleyton Hewitt lost for the 14th straight occasion against Roger Federer at the US Open.

Some of you reading may say surprise surprise, but the Australian proved to be his usual battling self by taking the first set off the Swiss father of two and proving again that the Federer does not like to be rushed or dictated around the court. Other opponents should take note, but sadly many never do and simply get blown away when they step onto the court.

Hewitt's 'C'mon's after the first set were not as regular as he eventually went down 6-4, 3-6, 5-7, 4-6 but he did show that he still has the game to take it to the best the ATP has got to offer.

In contrast, Sharapova showed that she is still showing more interest in what she wears on the court rather than how she performs. She looked great but her tennis was not, and US teen Melanie Oudin took full advantage winning 7-5 in the third set. Having said that, credit must go to her for being able to play any sport wearing as much jewelry and make up as she does.

In other US Open news, Sharapova's former flame and local favourite Andy Roddick was also on the end of a shock result and was knocked out by an unseeded compatriot, John Isner, 7-5 in the fifth set.

Apart from those upsets the usual suspects are still in the running and the second week should bring us some dream matches. Plenty to look forward to.

Socceroos struggle In Asia.....

Whilst Australia cruised through the qualifying rounds for the world cup, they found it very difficult against a very well drilled South Korean last night.

Admittedly, Australia was missing Kewell, Neill and Cahill, but for a team ranked 14th in the world, and 35 positions above the Koreans, they should have done better. Worringly, it again showed the lack of depth and that without some of the big guns in the team, the other members of the socceroos failed to step up and take the lead required to push through against the Koreans.

The Koreans are very strong at present, having not lost in 25 matches, but similarly Australia had not lost in over a year, so the scoreline and the socceroo's play play highlighted that there is still some serious work to be done before the before heading to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Australia was sloppy and inconsistent last night and the Koreans took full advantage of that. The second Korean goal was painful to watch as the ball bobbled over the goal line after having been deflected and touched by numerous Australian defenders. Benny Hill would have been proud of the goal and all you needed was his trademark music to make it seem like it was a staged event.

Game performances: McDonald again struggled to break his international duck, Grella proved that he possesses as much finesse as John Howard bowling a cricket ball, Carle showed flashes of skill but footwork probably more suited to Dancing with the Stars, Schwarzer is like a fine wine, but sadly the defence in front of him was more like a cheap goone bag.

The game itself brought back the ghosts of the 2007 Asian Cup campaign and reaffirmed that Australia will be much more confident and representative of their high world ranking against European opposition in South Africa next year.

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AFL finals predictions

Oooooooh its September. The boys from Flight of the Concords sang it best....."its business time". Whilst the kiwi singing duo were clearly talking about the horizontal action, the only thing horizontal about AFL in September will be retirees and players from teams not in the finals lying on the couch watching what could've been and in some cases (Hawthorn....ahem) should've been.

Crows v Bombers - Elimination final 1

Friday night will see the Bombers fly west to Adelaide and take on a pack of Crows who are peaking at the right time. The Crows have won their last 3 games, whilst the bombers have been anything but consistent with every possible result in their past five games (LDWLW). As such, it will be very hard for the Bombers to beat the Crows anywhere, let alone at home. The winner of this final will play the loser of Saints v Pies on Sunday. The loser....its goodnight nurse.

Prediction: Crows by 45

Lions v Blues - Elimination final 2

Saturday night, the Blues travel north to Brisbane to face the Lions in a climate similar to the Blues sponsor - Malaysia. The Blues have not been in the the finals for some time (which may have been playing on their minds last weekend when they were spanked by 72 points by the Crows), whilst the Lions are a good mix of youthful exuberance (and class - see rising star Daniel Rich) and experience. Again the home ground advantage will certainly help the Lions and it will be hard for the Blues to turn around from last weekends defeat. The winner will play the loser of Cats v Dogs, whilst the loser takes off to a tropical island for the end of season footy trip.

Prediction: Lions by 13

Saints v Pies - Qualifying final 1

Sunday will bring viewers both live and at home a cracking end to the first weekend of the finals. The Saints have been unconvincing in recent weeks but surely 19 wins in a row must count for something more than a second chance in the finals?! The Pies on the other hand are in great form and even more so at the G where they have won 7 from 8 games there this season. The Saints will struggle against the inform Pies, unless they can rediscover some form. The winner progresses to the semi final and a week off, whilst the loser will play the winner of Crows v Bombers.

Prediction: Pies by 5

Cats v Dogs - Qualifying final 2

By far and away the most anticipated final of the weekend. It will not only separate the animal lovers, but also hopefully put on a show to remember. Either team could win this it is that tight. Whilst the Dogs are the more consistent of the two in the past month of football, rule out the Cats at your peril. The winner progresses to the semi final and a week off whilst the loser takes on the winner from the Lions v Blues.

Prediction: Dogs by 1