An Act of War

I’m the Rugby League tragic who admitted a few weeks ago via this very blog to enjoying an AFL game. I thought I’d be the big guy and show some respect to what is arguably Australia’s biggest winter sport, even though its followers continue to thumb their noses up at our game.

That blog posting is now a distant memory. The AFL’s signing of Karmichael Hunt is nothing short of an act of war.

Andrew Demetriou and his cronies weren’t satisfied that they had it over us in sponsorship dollars. It wasn’t enough that they had higher ratings and in more parts of the country. They weren’t merely satisfied being able to gloat about their crowd numbers in a city where the weekend brings few other options of outdoor things to do.

They had to get their filthy mitts on our players. A Rugby League player signing with the AFL is unprecedented. A high profile player doing so raises the stakes.

Guy McKenna, coach of the Gold Coast AFL franchise that has secured Hunt’s signature has spoken of how he is looking forward to working with him and what he will add to their side. But let’s be honest here. It’s not about that, is it?

It’s about signing a Rugby League international. Whether Karmichael Hunt adjusts to AFL and plays well is not what has the AFL excited. It’s that they were able to get him. All of a sudden their greedy little hands will be trying to grab the likes of Greg Inglis, Israel Folau and Jamal Idris. Not to strengthen their game but to try and weaken ours.

I wonder, does Karmichael Hunt realise he is merely a pawn in the AFL’s game? I’m not sure whether to resent him for signing on or feel sorry for him for being so naive.

The whole rotten affair is not surprising considering Demetriou’s tactics of trying to snare up our administrators at the urinals of ANZ Stadium. The man’s arrogance has no boundaries. Next he’ll be trying to dress up Clive Churchill’s grave with AFL paraphernalia.

Well, Rugby League hasn’t survived for 101 years by being weak and just taking it. If the AFL wants a war, then let’s bloody well give them one.

Gaw out.

The Tuesday Rant

"Don''t you mean Monday Rant?" I hear you say. Well, to allow for the Lords test to conclude so that I can rant about it I've left the weekend's wrap up for today.

Cricket

We start with cricket and the once proud baggy green, whose stocks are now falling exponentially. After failing to wrap up the first test in Cardiff, Ponting's men have now become the first Australian team to lose a test match at Lords in 75 years.

75 years.

Some are choosing to cling to the excuse of the questionable umpiring decisions which marred the early stages of our second innings. The fact is however, and Ricky Ponting has himself admitted that we were completely outplayed in every aspect of the game. The Australian team need to take a long, hard look at themselves and do some serious soul searching if we are to be any chance of retaining the Ashes.

Where did it all go wrong? While Mitchell Johnson had a handy second innings with the bat, his bowling in this test was woeful. If fit, Stuart Clark and Brett Lee must be brought into the team for game three. Another issue is Brad Haddin's wicketkeeping. He is no doubt a fine batsman but letting through 31 byes is not the standard of an international wicketkeeper.

Individual performances aside, the seeds of this loss were really sown in the final session of the Cardiff test. To be in such a commanding position and yet not be able to put England out of their misery on that occasion left the Aussies flat. By contrast, the Poms' Houdini-like escape had them floating high on cloud nine with a new belief and self confidence that they had Australia's number.

And did they ever at Lords.

Rugby League

It was another explosive, action packed and controversial weekend for Australia's greatest winter sport. The Bulldogs and Titans fought an interesting battle up at Suncorp, the Broncos horror run continued, while Penrith, Manly, the Warriors and Tigers all enjoyed wins. In the Monday night game, the Eels endured a Melbourne Storm comeback to chalk up an upset win at Parramatta Stadium.

The two talking points of the round were Brad Watts' "king hit" on Robbie Farah in the Tigers-Cowboys game and the Roosters decision to sign current Knights mentor Brian Smith for 2010 and beyond.

Since you all know how much I hate the Roosters, it should be no surprise that that is the issue I wish to discuss. The way the club has treated its "favourite son" Brad Fittler is nothing short of disgusting. However it should be no surprise considering that this is the Roosters.

It is clear that rookie coach Fittler was out of his depth. I said as such in my mid season summary. However there is a right and a wrong way to treat people. The board began negotiating with Brian Smith six weeks ago. Fittler knew nothing until this weekend. He has every right to be filthy about the way it has been handled and I applaud his declaration that he will end all official ties with the club after this season.

As for the players, finding all this out the night before their important match against the Warriors was less than ideal. They must all be wondering - if this can happen to Bondi Junction's favourite son, what could the club do to me?

Rugby Union

In the meantime over at Eden Park, the Wallabies remained unable to overcome the All Blacks at the spiritual home of New Zealand rugby for the 24th year. A promising start wasn't enough for the Australians, who made a meal out of a certain try in the 18th minute and then gave away several second half penalties for the Kiwis Stephen Donald to boot his side to victory.

With three games left to go this year it's not over for the Australians with chances in Sydney, Wellington and Tokyo to make amends, however coach Robbie Deans has some serious work to do.

That just about wraps up the Tuesday Rant - not the best weekend for Australian sport but at least the mighty Bulldogs are still going strong.

Gaw out.

Welcome Back, State of Origin, We've Missed You...

Last night's brutal State of Origin encounter left me grinning from ear to ear. And it wasn't just because the Blues won - yes that was part of it, but more so, it was because it was the first game in a very long time that felt like State of Origin.

My brother and I were discussing recently about how we missed the heyday of Origin. About how back then there was truly something special in the air around Origin time, how we looked forward for weeks to the series and about our excitement on game night. We agreed that while it was still an important part of the Rugby League calendar, it just wasn't the same anymore. It didn't have the same emotion. It was a contest but it wasn't a war.

Last night was a war.

The NSW coaching staff's tactic of having past greats address the team in camp paid off brilliantly. The Blues unit last night were unified and single in vision. Their mission: destroy Queensland. They were fuelled in part by pride and also by hatred for the maroon jumper. If last night's game was meant to be a dead rubber, somebody forgot to tell the Blues.

Special mention must go to Blues lock Anthony Watmough, whose inspiring performance ranked up there with the best of anything from the 80s or early 90s. Winger Jarryd Hayne, the standout player for NSW throughout the series, again proved why he will be an automatic selection for years to come.

Recalled half Brett Kimmorley put his Origins demons to rest, leading the field around the park brilliantly and never giving up in defence, including his brilliant 68th minute tackle on Queensland flyer Greg Inglis. Ben Creagh too was in fine form, while hooker Mick Ennis made a fine debut. Even Kurt Gidley, who I have famously been scathingly critical of, performed well with a fantastic tackle on Darius Boyd that summed up the physical nature of contest.

Queensland also provided some highlights. Justin Hodges' no-try in the 32nd minute almost deserved awarding for the effort alone. No doubt the footage will be used in Origin promos for years to come. Greg Inglis was everywhere - he is arguably the best player in the game right now and is freakishly still getting better.

The night however belonged to the Blues. If they can carry last night's form into next year's series then it truly will be game on. It's just a shame that we have so long to wait to find out.

Lastly, the game's management and the media are obviously frowning at the incidents which occurred in the final few minutes of the game. However, I put forth the view that it needed to happen. State of Origin is a war. In a regular NRL game, you need to be the better side in order to win. In Origin, it's about more than that. You have to dig deep. You have to throw yourself 110 percent into the encounter. You have to hate your opposition. You need to feel that emotion. And if that emotion spills into a blue, so be it. I'm glad that Steve Price is okay, but every player who took to that field last night did so in full knowledge that they were going into war. Every player was prepared for and accepting of the consequences. And as a veteran of over 25 appearances, Price knows that better than anyone.

There's an old cliched saying, "Rugby League was the true winner today". And as corny as it sounds, after a fantastic encounter that had it all - emotion, physical battles and enthralling Rugby League - NSW wasn't the only victor.

State of Origin football, too, was the winner last night.

The Monday Rant

Welcome to a new concept for Gaw's Rant - The Monday Rant! As well as my regular updates throughout the week on specific issues, I now intend to wrap up the weekend in sport every Monday. And what a weekend it has been!

Rugby League

Firstly to Rugby League, where on form a Canterbury-St George Grand Final is firming up as a real possibility. It would be the first time these two teams have met in a decider since 1985, and the first all-Sydney Grand Final since the mighty Bulldogs overcame the Roosters in 2004.

St George have stamped their authority on season 2009 with a comprehensive victory over premiers Manly, their standout player again being Jamie Soward. Across the Tasman meanwhile, the Bulldogs overcame the Warriors in Auckland with a significantly understrengh side to claim victory and prove they have the depth to go on with it in 2009.

In the meantime, Bulldogs fullback Luke Patten is on standby to fill in for Kurt Gidley in Wednesday's State of Origin should Gidley be unable to overcome a rib cartilage injury. And let's hope for the sake of NSW that Gidley doesn't play. I've said it before and will again that Gidley is useless. Conversely, Patten is the best fullback never to be picked for Origin. He deserves his chance, and there's no other man I'd rather have under the high ball than the General.

Cricket

Talk about an anti-climax. After dominating the first test for the first four and a half days, Australia was unable to put the final nail in England's coffin overnight. All our batting heroics have now meant nothing. The Aussie bowlers had over a day to put the Poms out of their misery, and were unable to do it.

The ability of our batsmen to score runs has never been a question, but I have serious doubts about the potency of our attack in the post-McGrath and Warne era. The Hilfenhauses, Siddles and Hauritzes of this world are capable, maybe even very good at times - however while watching the middle session last night I couldn't help but think that Pigeon and Warney would have torn through the England middle and tail with little fuss.

Motor Racing

After eight frustrating years, congratulations must go to Australia's Mark Webber for his long-awaited victory at the German Grand Prix overnight. Not since 1981 has an Aussie claimed top spot at an F1 podium, and Webber's run of bad luck and failure had most thinking we would be waiting a while still. It just goes to show that perserverance is everything. And while I'm not a motor sport enthusiast - all the same it's great to see an Australian at the top. Let's hope this victory is the first of many!

Health Warning: Selector-itis

Word has come from the World Health Organisation of a devastating new ailment: Selector-itis. According to a press release, the main symptoms include incompetence, stupidity and a lack of logical thought process.

The good news is that the general public are not being threatened by the disease. It only affects representative sporting selectors, but unfortunately, among them it appears rife. The disease if unchecked can be deadly - to the chances of our representative teams winning.

It has already claimed the life and dignity of the NSW Blues State of Origin team. And unfortunately, based on the fact that Kurt Gidley and Trent Barrett (and Jamie Lyon if he had not been injured) are still in the team for game three, it looks like selector-itis has more damage still to do.

Hopes that selector-itis had been contained were dashed last night when top Australian paceman Stuart Clark was left to carry the drinks in game one of the Ashes. Our best fast bowler being relegated to 12th man is clearly evidence that selector-itis has now infiltrated our national cricket selectors.

Luckily help in the fight came last night from an unlikely source, England's Kevin Pietersen whose brain explosion may just have slowed the effects of selector-itis, but with England at 7-336 after the first day of play, it is still not yet known what the longer term effect of the disease on our Ashes campaign will be.

More information will be made available about this epidemic as it comes to hand. Stay tuned.

The Greatest Contest of All

There's sport, and then there's sport.

Two and a half years after winning back the Ashes in a five-nil clean sweep, The Aussie cricket team is on the eve on their defence... and this series promises to be a cracker.

For the Aussies, much of the old guard is gone. Only four players remain from the side that last toured England in 2005. Greats such as Matthew Hayden, Justin Langer, Adam Gilchrist, Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath are gone. In their place are a host of fresh faces, some of whom have already excelled at test level, and others with the promise to. Talk about being thrown into the deep end.

Brett Lee's unfortunate injury leaves Australia with a bowling attack who have never played a test on English soil. Much speculation is being made about these men; some have questioned if they are up to the challenge, while others have written them off already. I have no doubts about the ability of players like Mitchell Johnson and Stuart Clark to make an impact. Johnson in particular was fabulous last summer, while Clark has proven time and time again that he truly is a class bowler in the McGrath mould.

With the bat we have a fresh opening combination in Simon Katich and Phil Hughes. Katich is experienced and dependable, while Hughes is an exciting young player with limitless potential. He could very well be the anchor of Australia's test opening combination for the next ten years.

It's great to see Brad Haddin becoming confortable in the wicketkeeping role. Adam Gilchrist is a hard act to follow, however Haddin seems to finally relishing the role with the realisation that all that is expected is for him to play his own natural game. But much will depend on the form of skipper Ricky Ponting. We all know what he is capable of with the bat, however we also know that for him, runs have been elusive of late. Let's hope he can rediscover the spark that has made him one of the greatest batsmen of all time. I have my bets on the fact that he will.

As for our opposition, the English side are enjoying a high level of confidence. Fresh from victory against the West Indies and with stars such as Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff in their lineup, the Poms are talking themselves up ahead of the first test. In my view it's a fairly even matchup. England are fairly confident but they're also underestimating what our young team are capable of.

One thing is for sure however, this series is going to be one of the closest we've seen. Bring it on!

A Great Game of Footy!

The footy game had it all.

The setup was epic - the two form teams finally facing off against one another. The game itself didn't disappoint. Huge hits. Monumental clashes. A war in the true sense of the word. The men in their trenches doing everything they could do to secure victory for their side.

An inspired comeback that almost came to fruition. And at the last, a battle scarred player literally putting his body on the line, throwing himself into the line of fire and coming off second best to try and save his team. It had it all.

The game I speak of was not a Rugby League game, my first winter sporting love.

It was the code of football I have often ridiculed and dismissed. It was the code I have often labelled as "girly", "stupid" and (no offence intended) "gay". I have called it "Aerial Ping Pong" and likened the play to pigeons squabbling over bread at the park. I am talking about Australian Rules Football.

Wow. I have admitted that I enjoyed an AFL game.

Now I will never relinquish my love of Rugby League, and still will watch it over the Melbourne code any day. But I do have new found respect for AFL. Yesterday's clash between St Kilda and Geelong was an exhilirating ride. It was everything sport should be - dramatic, unpredictable, hard fought and hard won.

Watching Harry Taylor throw himself at the ball to try and deny Michael Gardiner at the death echoed the heroics of some of League's biggest hits. Geelong's ill-fated comeback after being down early made me reminisce about the 1998 League prelimary final. The scrambling to claw points bit by bit, whether by grace or trying to win ugly, also struck a chord.

Has the AFL converted a new fan? I won't go that far. I am Sydney-bred and my love of League is more than just a winter pastime, it's part of who I am. For me the greatest rugby league games are still the most epic battles of all.

But I will think twice before "dissing" AFL so candidly next time, and may just flick my TV set over to Channel Ten on 26 September.

Stop the Madness!

In a big week of news across both rugby codes, Cronulla's Brett Seymour has been shown the door for another alcohol fuelled misdemenour while across in rah-rah land, Lote Tuquiri has endured a similar fate.

Seymour was ejected from Cronulla nightspot 2230 Bar & Lounge on Sunday night after drunkenly punching a mirror, after a March indiscretion at the same location which had left him on his last chance.

The Australian Rugby Union are remaining tight-lipped on the specifics of Tuquiri's case, with chairman John O' Neill refusing to delve into the specifics of his final indiscretion.

What I find interesting is that Seymour is now in the rugby league wilderness, without a club and possibly a future - while NRL clubs are licking their lips at the prospect of Tuquiri now returning to the code. If both players have seeminlgy commited sackable offences from their respective contracts, why is one being shunned while the other is courted?

Don't get me wrong, Tuquiri returning to league ranks would be a huge boost for the game on the field. However it's time to stop the madness. League has enough players whose extracurricular activities are damaging the game. We don't need another.

Perhaps the answer is whichever club ends up siging Tuquiri (that's if he doesn't choose to play rugby overseas instead) should write a "no chances" clause into his contract. That way he would know that one indiscretion is all it will take for a possible league return to be over.

As for Brett Seymour, unfortuantely he appears to be out of chances.