A Set small text size A Set the default text size A Set large text size With the first rugby league Nines World Cup only days away, anticipation has finally clicked into gear and will play out with exciting action on the field and celebration in the stands of Bankwest Stadium in Sydney’s west. It’s unsurprising that early ticket sales have been sluggish. We are at the end of a long NRL season. The event is being staged in Sydney and we know that residents of the Harbour City don’t like going out for much at all. In fact, you could give sideline seats made of fairy floss and surround the field with a moat of cold, free beer and many patrons would still prefer to sit at home and watch it on the box (or go but complain about the cost of tickets). All codes in Sydney consistently struggle with this problem. The Sydney Swans are the only exception as they are able to reproduce Melbourne sports culture in Sydney. Destination NSW have put real money towards making … [Read more...] about League dressed to the Nines and ready to dazzle
UEFA must send a message after Bulgarian racism storm
A Set small text size A Set the default text size A Set large text size It’s not often a team wins 6-0 and the result isn’t the main talking point coming out of the game. Unfortunately in Sofia on Monday night, a small section of Bulgarian fans subjected black English players to racist abuse and Nazi salutes. The burning question is whether the game should’ve been abandoned and what punishment should be handed down to Bulgaria. Raheem Sterling, Tyrone Mings and Marcus Rashford were all subjected to monkey taunts every time they touched the ball, with Mings caught on camera bringing it to the assistant’s attention. In fairness to the officials, they acted quickly and initiated the three-step protocol to deal with these situations. An announcement was made over the PA system and the game was stopped twice in the first half. A group of 40-50 men dressed in black were the instigators of the abuse and they left just before half time. (Photo by Catherine … [Read more...] about UEFA must send a message after Bulgarian racism storm
Ferrari need a change in philosophy to challenge again in 2020
A Set small text size A Set the default text size A Set large text size Ferrari – with its current structure, team bosses, strategists and drivers – will never be in the position to win a Formula One world championship without substantial change behind the scenes. The disaster that was the Japanese Grand Prix is evidence of their inability to progress as a team at the same rate their car has. With the 2019 season coming to an end, Ferrari have found themselves finally seeing the pace that was promised in pre-season testing. The Ferrari power unit has steadily become a force to be reckoned with, now demonstrating a clear margin over the Mercedes engines, and this progress has now put the Ferrari at the top of the pile in terms of pure pace. The run of form in the last few races that has seen them claim the last five consecutive pole positions shows how strong the car is over one lap. However, despite having the fastest car at several races this season and being … [Read more...] about Ferrari need a change in philosophy to challenge again in 2020
African-Australian A-League all stars
A Set small text size A Set the default text size A Set large text size The doom and gloom surrounding football at the moment is almost too much to take for a self-confessed huge fan of modern football and everything that is the Hyundai A-League, warts and all. We need more positivity around the round-ball game. Unfortunately this week, we’ve seen racism rear its ugly head yet again on the international stage with the Bulgaria vs England game stopped on several occasions due to racist comments and actions from the crowd, targeting England stars. This has no place in the game. There’s no better time to celebrate the ever-growing number of African-Australian players in the A-League who are either first-generation Australians or whose parents have claimed Australia as their own, usually after fleeing a war-torn country or one where there is political upheaval. While few and far between in the early years of the competition, there has been a steady growth of these … [Read more...] about African-Australian A-League all stars
World Rugby’s high tackle framework will lead to ducking
A Set small text size A Set the default text size A Set large text size World Rugby’s adoption of the new high tackle framework in the World Cup is being both applauded and criticised. Now that the quarter-final showdowns have been decided, the rugby world is gearing up for an exhilarating finish. However, spectators are concerned that the implementation of this framework could influence the outcome of the tournament. Therefore, the referees’ decisions regarding what constitutes a high tackle and what doesn’t will be of utmost importance. Of course, lazy and dangerous tackles must be punished to protect the players’ welfare, but as displayed throughout the World Cup, the laws are slowly being swallowed by grey areas. These grey areas are becoming larger due to fateful referring decisions made throughout the group stages of the tournament. In the Australia vs Wales match, Romain Poite deemed Australian ball-carrier Samu Kerevi responsible for the … [Read more...] about World Rugby’s high tackle framework will lead to ducking