Observations from the Boxing Day Test

Boxing Day saw a world record attendance at the MCG

The Ashes series saw the teams head to Melbourne for the traditional Boxing Day test. After being behind by 51 runs of the first innings, Australia won by eight wickets with more than a day to spare. England missed an opportunity to salvage some pride in the series and would be very disappointed with the result. It has been a woeful Australian summer for the English and they have more soul searching to do before the Sydney Test.

Anyway, here are some observations from the Test:

• Nathan Lyon captures 100 Test wickets - Since the great leg spinner Shane Warne retired, there have been no fewer than 12 spinners tried in the Australian Team. Lyon is not Shane Warne and bowls “offies” rather than leg spin; however he has now taken 100 Test wickets which is a remarkable achievement in itself. In England’s second innings Lyon took five wickets including wicket No. 100 (Stuart Broad caught at slip) and you would expect that he now feels that he is finally (and firmly) established within the Australian team. Lyon is the first off-spinner to take 100 test wickets since Bruce Yardley who snared 126 wickets between 1978 and 1983.
• Poor shot selection from England – The England batting line up continues to find ways of dismissal through poor shot selection. Ben Stokes, Tim Bresnan and Kevin Pietersen all played poor shots which caused their dismissal in the second innings. Pietersen has probably raised the ire of his team by stating that he does not trust the English tail to stick around once Bresnan is dismissed so he starts playing more aggressively. This probably leads to......
• England being mentally fragile – In addition to winning the Ashes back and leading 4-0 in the current series the Australians have forced Jonathan Trott to return home through a stress related illness and brought about the premature retirement of Greame Swann. It has exposed the short comings in Matt Prior’s game and he was dropped from the Melbourne Test. Alistair Cook is under real pressure as captain as well. The impact of Mitchell Johnson’s pace on the batsmen has resulted in them not wanting to spend time out in the middle. 
• For me, this Ashes series shows a stark cultural difference between the two teams, if not the two countries as a whole. There is no doubt that the Australians would have been subject to a large amount of torment and abuse in England during the English summer. On the field England have world class sledgers in Prior and Anderson and the sledging by the fans would have been intense. The Australians under their own turmoil continued to fight on the field and although England won the series 3-0 it could possibly have been a 3-2 result. 
• Part of the Australian psyche is that there is a point in time when “enough is enough” and they become very determined (and even aggressive) to rectify an adverse situation. That point in time occurred in the England summer and very few people outside of Australian cricket realised it. England were not prepared for this onslaught and when confronted they backed into their shells (with the exception of Bell and Broad) rather than fight. It is a classic example of the hunter becoming the hunted.

• Graeme Swann’s retirement – in the lead up to the Boxing Day test Graeme Swann retired from Test Cricket with immediate effect. This was premature and probably highlights the above point regarding the mental fragility of the England team. Yes, it is possible that this was always going to be Swann’s last test series. However, if that was the case why not play out the entire series. Especially given that these tests are in Melbourne and Sydney. The atmosphere in these tests is incredible and worth the life experience alone. To pull up stumps in the middle of the series was soft and Swann retires with the knowledge that his last over went for 22 runs. Furthermore, the Sydney pitch tends to suit the spinners, which makes his decision even more bewildering.
• Who said that Test Cricket is dead? – Test Cricket may be suffering a slow death in many countries, but try explaining that to an Australian. The traditional Boxing Day test in Melbourne attracted 271,865 over four days with a world record 91,092 on Boxing Day. Unfortunately the play was slow at times during the afternoon session on Boxing Day. However there was a fantastic atmosphere and it was worth the attendance money just for the experience.

England still have more soul searching to undertake before the Sydney Test, it is difficult to imagine that they will win given their best spinner Swann has now retired. While a whitewash 5-0 series result would be good for Australia, the work still has to be done to achieve it. This will be an interesting match to watch and a great way to bring in 2014.

Observations from the Perth Ashes Test

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The Ashes have been won and now equilibrium is restored…hoorah. The Australian cricket team has been able to do what many people thought was not possible at this point in time and bring the Ashes Urn back to Australia. (well…metaphorically speaking anyway)

But just imagine if the English had been able to successfully defend the Ashes, it would have been a national disaster of epic proportions and there may have been a need to sacrifice the first born child of every family to the God of Cricket in the hope of obtaining a turnaround of fortunes.

Well, we can all rest now that danger and “mass sacrifice” has been averted with the series win. Another way of saying it could be “On the 15^th day Australia reclaimed the Ashes”.

So with equilibrium restored, what were the takeaways from the Perth Test?

• The Australian fielding continues to shine – there have very few mistakes made by the Australians in the field this summer and the difference between them and the England team is striking. Some of the catches that are being taken are simply amazing. Mitchell Johnson catch to dismiss Kevin Pietersen in England’s first innings was first class as was Ryan Harris’s catch to dismiss Kevin Pietersen in the second innings.
• England look shattered – it would not be completely wrong to think that the English batsmen are beaten before they take their guard at the crease. Australia’s bowling attack has implemented their bowling plans for the English to perfection and the lower order looks very timid against the short pitched bowling being offered. This has then transferred to the field where many catching chances have been dropped and when they have had the ascendancy against Australia, they have not been able to take their chances.
• A tale of two wicketkeepers – there is a stark difference in the performance of the two wicketkeepers during the summer. As mentioned in previous posts Brad Haddin is very much in form and has not missed a beat behind the stumps. Haddin has scored 325 runs at 65 in the series with one century and three fifties, this effort has been crucial in allowing Australia to post large scores. On the counter side, Matt Prior has had a torrid time with the bat scoring 107 runs at an average of 17.83 over the six innings. Prior’s keeping had remained solid up until the Perth Test but it started to drop off during the second innings where a couple of missed chances were costly for England.
• Welcome to the Grand Canyon….. (Oops) the Perth Pitch – the very hot weather and the clay composition both combined to produce a pitch that was very hot and the cracking was very plain to see by the third day. Shane Warne almost lost his mobile phone in one of them and there were regular shots of people shoving their hands in them. If the ball hit a crack well you have no hope of knowing what it would do. Nathan Lyon bowled a wide after hitting a crack as it almost turned at right angles towards leg slip. Chris Rogers was lucky that he was wearing a chest guard as he would have probably broken a rib or two from another ball that surprisingly kicked up

• Australia’s improved attitude – this can be basically put down to the change in coaching staff over the last six months. The appointment of Darren Lehmann has brought about a more relaxed atmosphere in the Australian camp and the results are starting to show on the field. After a sluggish start under Lehmann, where it could be said that Lehmann was gathering information on what needed improving, the Australians are a settled team with the same line up being used in the three tests so far (and again in Melbourne). Lehmann has adopted an attitude of hard work but allows his players to reap the rewards off the field. The team environment is far healthier than it was under Mickey Arthur and it was just the injection that the Australian team needed.

Now that the Ashes have been decided it will interesting to see if England make wholesale changes to the team for the Melbourne and Sydney Tests. Stuart Broad is in doubt after receiving a yorker on his right foot from Mitchell Johnson in Perth and England are intending to send some of its star players back to England before the One-Day Series starts. These players may be sent home early as the schedule for England is fairly busy over the next 12 months.

Observations from the Adelaide Ashes Test

Ben Stokes and Mitchell Johnson square off in the Adelaide Test

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If you asked most pundits what the result would be for the Adelaide Ashes test, the answer would have been a draw with plenty of runs scored. The drop in pitch was expected to be hard with very little wear over the five days. In fact when Michael Clarke won the coin toss he had no hesitation in choosing to bat.

After five days, not only was there a result in the Adelaide Test but it was a resounding win to the Australians who now have a 2-0 lead. The unlikeliest of series results may eventuate next week after the Perth test...... if the Australians win

What were the observations from the Adelaide Test ?

• Adelaide Oval has lost some of its charm. This may make me sound anti-development and anti-progress, but this is not the case. The redevelopment at Adelaide Oval is needed and should be very good for Adelaide. The issue is that when you watched the game from the Cathedral End on television you could be excused for thinking it was the MCG and not the Adelaide Oval. The only difference being the size of the sightscreen. Thankfully when viewing north from the River End, the hill and the old scoreboard were still visible.
• Catches win matches and the Australians caught well. The fielding of the Australians has improved dramatically over the last 12 months and it may finally be bringing results. It is no coincidence that the rehiring of Mike Young as fielding coach has been the major factor in the fielding improvement of the Australians. On the reverse side the English put three catches down on the first day which potentially cost them the game.
• These two teams don’t like one another. Unfortunately the niggling, sledging and aggression that both teams are showing towards each another does not look like abating anytime soon. This could get very ugly if it continues and that is not good for the game. The umpires had to step in a couple of times to separate players after the situation got heated. Currently the official line from both teams is that it is part of the game, but it is not far away from becoming really hostile and uncontrollable. The match referee and the ICC will need to keep a close eye on these proceedings to ensure that it remains under control.
• Haddin continues to impress with the bat by scoring a century at Adelaide Oval. When the game was in the balance on Day 1 both Michael Clarke and Brad Haddin produced a record breaking partnership of 200 for the six wicket at Adelaide Oval. This partnership took the score from 5/257 to 6/457 and provided the foundation for Australia’s win. Haddin’s 118 in support of Clarke’s 148 showed that Haddin is currently on top of his game.
• The other factor in the win was Mitchell Johnson’s bowling figures of 7/40 in the first innings. The spell was simply awesome with two chances of hat-tricks produced from some very fast and intimidating bowling. This spell gave Australia a 398 run lead on the first innings with over 2 days to play on a perfect batting pitch. The game was well and truly lost at that point.

With a short turn around until the Perth Test, England will need to regroup quickly or risk the Ashes falling into Australian hands. There will be at least one change to the England team as only one spinner will need to play in Perth. Surprisingly, it could be Panesar ahead of Swann as Australia has picked several right handers to counter Swann. The other option for England is to drop both spinners and bring in two seamers, although this may play into Australia’s hands.

Observations from the Brisbane Ashes Test

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The Australians played very well in Brisbane through some quality batting by the tail in the first innings and the top order in the second. But this was followed up with some great bowling in both of England’s innings that had speed and caused several difficulties for the English players.

The Australians achieved most of my requirements to win the test as per my last paragraph on November 12. Although I am possibly being a little harsh in that they scored 400 in the second innings and not the first. But the Australians have shown that they will be very competitive in this Ashes series and that Test Cricket is still the best form of cricket.

Anyway here are some observations from the first Ashes Test in Brisbane:

• David Warner can score runs at Test Level. However he still needs to learn consistency and to keep his thoughts to himself, especially when it comes to critiquing players from opposition sides. Warner’s assessment of Trott’s dismissals during the test was overstated and it was unnecessary. Warner may be better off refraining from these types of comments until he can consistently score runs at Test level and remove all doubt over his ability.
• England is susceptible to the short ball. Several English players were dismissed with deliveries that were pitched short. This tactic needs to be used in tandem with good length bowling to ensure that England do not expect the short stuff too often. At this point I would have preferred the next test to be played in Perth where it would be possible to really get into the English player’s psyche with the “chin music”, however Adelaide’s much more benign pitch will probably be a relief for England.
• Brad Haddin is a really good cricketer (who was always going to be compared to Gilchrist through being the next wicketkeeper in line). There was a time that I was critical of Haddin’s ability, however Haddin has made me eat my words, which means he is performing well for Australia and I cannot complain. Haddin’s record in Test cricket (2661 runs at 35.01 per innings) is fairly good when you compare it to all wicketkeepers. The issue is that Gilchrist was just a great batsman who could (and would) dominate all bowling attacks. Unfortunately Haddin is nearing the end of his career at 36 and a replacement will need to be found from Paine, Wade or Nevill in the near future.
• Mitchell Johnson is the epitome of a confidence player. Johnson contributed 64 in Australia’s first innings and backed it up with 4/61 and 5/42 in both of England’s innings with good spells of short bowling. The Adelaide test becomes a crunch game for Johnson as he needs to show that he can play consistently good cricket. In fact the whole series will make or break Johnson in my opinion.
• Shane Watson should not have played in this test and his contributions for the match back this up. Watson contributions were 22 and 6 in his two innings and 0/0 off two overs with a catch in England’s first innings. This is clearly not good enough from a senior player who was originally in doubt with a hamstring strain. As noted in my earlier post, if a player is not 100% fit he should make himself unavailable for the team’s benefit and not be selfish in taking another player’s opportunity unless he can perform.
• Stuart Broad is a warrior, the opening crescendo fired at Broad by the Brisbane crowd was totally expected. While some cricketers may have been affected by it, Broad appeared to absorb it well and answer in the best way possible through his on-field performance. Broad’s 6/81 in the Australian First Innings showed that the man has a large amount of self-belief. There will be some admiration for Broad's actions but whether they offset his previous actions remains to be seen.

Over the next six weeks it is reasonable to expect this Ashes series will be very competitive and absorbing. The final result may not be known until the final test in Sydney.

Can Australia win the First Ashes Test in Brisbane

David Warner will need to prove his temperament at Test Level

image: www.independent.co.uk

The Test Series that stops a nation (or two) starts in ten days from now. Although it is difficult to see Australia being really competitive throughout the series and they will need to win in Brisbane if they are going to be any chance of capturing the Ashes Urn.

The Australian team for the first Ashes Test in Brisbane was announced today and although there was one new addition to the team in George Bailey, it appears that once again the National Selectors are relying on the same people to win matches.

There are two individuals in particular that are under scrutiny: David Warner and (my mate) Shane Watson. Warner has supposedly been forgiven for his off field demeanours in England and been reselected. However I question his temperament for the long periods of batting required at test level. Too often Warner will play a loose shot and lose his wicket especially when the bowling is tight. Don’t misunderstand me here, as a one day player I think he is ideal as he can accelerate the scoring when required and he has been pivotal for Australia in winning many One Day games. But Test cricket is a different beast and I’m not sure that Warner has the nous required to succeed at test level for the moment.

Once again, I find myself writing about Shane Watson and his selfishness. Watson is under an injury cloud for the Brisbane test with a hamstring strain. The word is that he will not be able to bowl and will play as a batsman only. The Ashes are a pivotal contest and I am unsure why a person would make themselves available when they are potentially not going to be able to perform at 100%. Furthermore there is potential to make the injury worse through the course of the game. Watson will need to run between wickets during his innings which may aggravate the injury. Would it not be better for Shane Watson to make himself unavailable for the test and ensure the injury heals properly, so that he can contribute more effectively later in the series?

Of the remaining players in the team, I am not convinced that Mitchell Johnson is mentally ready for an Ashes campaign as he does tend to crumble under pressure. However I am pleased that George Bailey has been given a chance, his ODI form is great at the moment and if he can produce the goods at Brisbane then it will justify the selection.

In my opinion, the Australian team should be Chris Rogers and Phil Hughes as the openers with Usman Khawaja at three. Michael Clarke slots in at four with Steve Smith and George Bailey making up the top six. Brad Haddin is the keeper at seven, then come the fast bowlers in James Faulkner, Peter Siddle, Ryan Harris at eight, nine and ten respectively. Nathan Lyon is retained as first choice spinner and bats at eleven.

In saying this I think that Khawaja should be given the entire series to establish the number three spot, but on the condition that if he fails he never plays for Australia again. Bailey should be given until the third test to determine if he is suitable for test cricket. With respect to the bowling, a fully fit bowling squad would see Mitchell Johnson being well down the pecking order and I find it really difficult to fit Johnson into my best Australian eleven.

Will we win in Brisbane.... well I’m not overly confident of success and it will rely on the “Top Six” making most of the 400 that Australia needs in the first innings and our bowlers containing England to scores under 300 in both innings. Essentially, the Australian public will find out in ten days time just how competitive the Australian cricket team will be this summer.

SANFL Teams Comprising of Players that have Played VFL/AFL



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Have you ever wondered about what the best team for your favourite SANFL club that comprised of players that had played VFL/AFL would look like? Well I have considered this notion over the years and I thought it may be interesting to expand this concept to every team in the SANFL.

 

Some SANFL clubs have more players to choose from than others and there are some surprise selections in teams. As with these exercises there will always be debate around what players to include and what players are excluded. The intention is to release teams in the 2013 reverse ladder order so this translates to Glenelg being released first, South Adelaide second and so on until the Premiership winners Norwood.

 

In order to achieve this I need to include some parameters. To qualify for the team, the player had to begin playing their career in South Australia. So for the purposes of this exercise: Andrew MacLeod does not qualify for the Port Adelaide Magpies team because he played for the Darwin Buffaloes.

 

Another qualification is that players drafted by the South Australian AFL teams from another state before starting their senior careers in the AFL do not qualify for the SANFL team they are drafted into. For example Patrick Dangerfield does not qualify for West Adelaide on this basis. However Darren Jarman qualifies for North Adelaide after Adelaide recruited him from Hawthorn because Hawthorn recruited him from North Adelaide.

 

A player can qualify for two teams, for example Andrew Jarman appears in both North Adelaide and Norwood teams as he won a Magarey Medal and a Premiership at both clubs. (This particular selection was met with some derision from a “Westies” friend, but had Andrew Jarman not won a Premiership and a Magarey Medal at Norwood then his inclusion in the Norwood side would not have occurred).

 

In fact, it highlights the wonderful aspect of the exercise, to encourage discussion about the SANFL about what might have been had history and circumstances been different.

 

Another aspect to this exercise is that there are instances during Australia’s history where the nation was at war. A common occurrence was for people to enlist in Adelaide and then travel to Melbourne prior to being shipped overseas. Quite often a SANFL footballer played for a Victorian Club while they were in Melbourne. For the purposes of the exercise these people were considered for their respective teams as it is no different to Graham Cornes only playing 5 games for North Melbourne.

 

Also, I have considered Woodville and West Torrens as the Eagles not as their separate clubs that existed before 1991. This was because I wanted to look at the clubs from the SANFL competition as it currently stands and not one from the past. It also avoids the debate around history that often occurred with the Port Adelaide Club between the Magpies and the Power, quite often used by their fans to win arguments.

 

So without further ado, let’s begin with the Glenelg Football Club.

 

The forward six are quite capable of kicking a decent score and comprises of three “talls” and three crumbing forwards. Starting with the Full Forward line, Tony Hall (103 games for Glenelg, 97 Hawthorn, 11 Adelaide) starts in the forward pocket. At Full Forward is Graham Cornes (312 Glenelg, 5 Nth Melb, 47 Sth Adel) who also coaches the team. Stephen Copping lines-up in the other forward pocket (246 Glenelg, 42 Essendon). The Half-Forward line comprises of Craig McRae (41 Glenelg, 195 Brisbane) on one half-forward flank. At Centre Half Forward the obvious choice is Stephen “Sticks” Kernahan (136 Glenelg, 251 Carlton) and would be my choice for Captain. On the other half forward flank is Matthew Liptak (51 Glenelg, 116 Adelaide)

 

The midfield contains vast experience and would be very competitive. Kane Cornes (36 Glenelg, 268 games Port Power) is my choice for centre with David Marshall (353 Glenelg, 26 Adelaide) and Tony Symonds (225 Glenelg, 3 Hawthorn) are on the wings. Brad Ottens (15 Glenelg, 129 Richmond, 116 Geelong) is a ruckman who can go forward, with Chris McDermott (277 Glenelg, 117 Adelaide, 10 North Adelaide) and Tony McGuiness (113 Glenelg, 109 Footscray, 113 Adelaide) as ruck rover and rover respectively.

 

The back six for Glenelg is solid and some teams would have some trouble kicking a score against it. At Centre Half Back is Chad Cornes (43 Glenelg, 239 Port Power, 16 GWS) with Andrew Mackie (198 Geelong) and Bryce Gibbs (29 Glenelg, 155 Carlton) on the flanks. Rod Jameson slots in at Full Back (163 Glenelg, 153 Adelaide) with Andrew McKay (40 Glenelg, 244 Carlton) in one back pocket and Paul Weston (196 Glenelg, 60 Essendon, 49 Torrens, 23 Norwood) in the other.

On the interchange bench are: Allan Bartlett (201 Glenelg, 11 Adelaide), Kym Hodgeman (244 Glenelg, 91 North Melbourne), Michael Murphy (134 Glenelg, 3 North Melbourne, 16 Adelaide, 10 Brisbane) and David Grenvold (101 Glenelg, 112 Essendon). 

All in all, there is some flexibility in this team and there is a good mix of champion players such as Stephen Kernahan and Graham Cornes with some quality performers such as the two “Macs” McGuiness and McDermott and Andrew Mackie. A notable exclusion is Richard Douglas who started his career at the Calder Cannons.

Should Shane Watson be dropped from the Test side?

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The turmoil in Australian cricket has probably intensified since I wrote my last piece about Shane Watson during the Indian Tour. There have been Twitter arguments, coach sackings, bar punch-ups against the opposition and it has meant that the performance in the field has suffered as a result. Yes, the Australians fought well at Trent Bridge but there were signs in that test that new coach Darren Lehmann has much work to do in turning the Australian XI into a very competitive unit at a minimum. However, Lehmann's ultimate aim is to develop the Australians into the best cricket team in the world.

How did it go so wrong? The mistakes of the 1980’s were large enough for the Australian Cricket Board (now rebranded as Cricket Australia) to develop a training academy so that the best available talent could be found and trained to be the world’s best. This process resulted in the development of a team that was remarkable in what it achieved. It appears that this model is now out-dated.

With all the off-field happenings it is no wonder that the Australian team has struggled and there has been little on-field stability since the retirements of Ponting and Hussey as the selectors seek consistency from the batting order. The one shining light in the batting has been Clarke’s form over the last 18 months. The bowlers have done their part not only with the ball but with the bat as well.

There appears to be a fractured relationship between Clarke and Watson, to the extent that Watson has lost the vice-captaincy to Brad Haddin who himself was recalled after Matthew Wade lost form.

Watson appears disinterested on the field and has been selfish through his use of the referral system. Michael Vaughan was almost scathing in his assessment of Watson’s technique during the second test, this sentiment was backed up by David Lloyd and again by former Australian Captain and cricketing great Allan Border. In my opinion, Watson has at times lacked the mental fortitude to perform at the highest level. He often throws his wickets away and has scored several 90’s before getting out going for the glory shot to pass the century.

In March, I questioned Watson’s commitment to the Australian Team and I still question whether he remains committed to the team. Watson still comes across as selfish and his first reaction to his 2nd Innings dismissal in the Lords test was to review the decision even though looked very unlikely to be overturned. The best option may be to drop Watson for the remainder of the Ashes series in England to allow him time and space to figure out where his priorities lie. This would allow Phil Hughes to open and Warner to bat at six with Smith at four or Warner could slot straight back into the opening spot with no other change to the batting order.

Despite all the assurances that there is no disharmony within the Australian team, actions are speaking much louder than words at the moment. This situation needs to be rectified quickly or it is quite possible that Australia will lose the current Ashes series in a 5-0 whitewash and the prospects for the Australian summer will look just as bleak.

Should the Adelaide Crows be allowed to field a reserves team in the SANFL?

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Every true SANFL supporter needs to have a position on the proposal for the Adelaide Crows and Port Power to field reserves teams in the SANFL from 2014. The proposal also involves the SANFL handing over control on the AFL licences to these clubs.

Admittedly I have not heard the entirety of the arguments proposed, however I have been able to form an opinion over the last few weeks/months. Many factors were considered and for a period of time I was in favour of the proposal. However this position changed in recent times due to several concerns/questions that remain unsolved or the answer is insufficient.

In terms of the inclusion of a Crows reserves team in the SANFL, I could see the value in this proposal as it would remove the bye at league level. It would also allow the coaching staff at Adelaide to have full control over positioning of players when they did not play in the senior side. It is not uncommon for AFL players to be dropped from the senior side only to end up in their aligned SANFL club's reserves side because they were not considered good enough to be in their best 21.

An AFL reserves side in the SANFL could allow the senior game plan to be reinforced, which means the players would only have to learn one game plan. However I am of the view that Adelaide would have to also field an Under 18’s side and an Under 16’s side if they entered the SANFL (i.e. the all or nothing approach). The issue with this revolves around the player drain from the other 8 clubs while these players are found (Port Adelaide already have this structure in place and would simply move the remainder of their playing list into the Magpies). This could potentially reduce the competitiveness of the other SANFL clubs in the future.

The removal of the bye could allow for a reduced SANFL season of 18 minor round matches plus finals. A shorter season has significant player welfare benefits with less physical strain on the body and less chance of impact injuries from match conditions. Player welfare has become topical over recent years with the inclusion of the bye at AFL level.

However with a proposal such as this there would be some financial consideration being paid by the clubs for the right to own the AFL licence and/or the payment of a potential licence fee to enter the SANFL. This would have to be considered against the current arrangement of a dividend that is paid to the SANFL clubs. For the SANFL to survive not only would a licence fee be required but there would need to be an annual payment made to each club.

Then it comes down to competitiveness, would an Adelaide Crows reserves team in the SANFL be competitive against the other clubs and how much importance would Adelaide place on performance in the SANFL? Does the SANFL want a club that may not have the desire to win the premiership within its ranks and therefore simply act as a feeder club to its AFL team?

These were the main issues for me and the lack of suitable answers around these points swayed my decision to not support the proposal. There are other issues around club history, tradition, and the potential to attract more supporters to SANFL games to name a few, but I consider the points above to be the most important. Not everyone will agree about this issue but some consensus will need to be made if the SANFL is to survive and remain the second best Australian Rules League in the land.

What type of AFL supporter are you?

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Over the years, I have watched many AFL games and experienced the highs and lows of the great game called Australian Rules football. There are many different people that you meet and hence many different types of supporters. Listed below are some of the supporter types I have encountered over the years, perhaps you fit the characteristics of one (or more) of these groups.

The Stalwart – this type of supporter is easily identifiable. Usually in their advanced years, they are wearing a scarf or other memorabilia from yesteryear. These people have supported the club for their entire life. Nothing comes in between this supporter and their club. These people will always stay until the final siren even if their team is over 10 goals behind.

The Fanatic – this supporter type will dress up in their team’s colours, paint their face, wear wigs and carry flags to game day, all in the hope of getting their team over the line for the win. To say they are passionate is an understatement for they are committed to their team’s success. Their homes like themselves are full of team memorabilia and they are most likely to be a member of the club. In essence, they are the basically the younger (or more juvenile) version of The Stalwart.

The Commentator – this person will provide commentary on the game as it is being played (although without the panache of Dennis Cometti) and much to the pain of those around them. The commentary is always one-sided, which is annoying if you support the opposition. However to put it simply, I am already at the game and I can see what is happening, if I wanted commentary I would have stayed home !!

The Analyst – this person will watch the game and analyse what is happening on the field. Although they are not as annoying as the Commentator, this type will provide some analysis to others if the occasion warrants it. But if watching the game solo, then they will simply sit and watch the game and make mental notes in the process.

The Bogan – this type is almost self explanatory and is usually identifiable through their lack of teeth, unusual hair-styles and tattoos. This type of supporter yells and screams and rarely puts more than two intelligible words together without including at least one expletive. For example: “Kick the F*cking ball, moron” and “What the F*ck were you F*cking thinking D*ckhead?” are common favourites. Bogans are usually given a wide berth by most of the other supporter types.

The Misguided – these people have simply forgotten which game they should be watching. Wearing supporter gear for a team that is different to the match they are attending, they are really noticeable in the crowd. (Although it is understandable if an non-Victorian team is playing in Melbourne and those supporters are watching another game on the same weekend). Extreme variations of this type are people that attend one game in colours of a team that is playing in the same city on the same day …. Yes it happens !!

The Joker – there is always one in the crowd and these people usually find something amusing to say to the masses that is much to the chagrin of opposition supporters. An example of this is a West Coast supporter calling St Kilda player Stephen Milne a Therapist (which probably crosses the line once you think about it). Of course like any comedian, the Joker must continually update his material otherwise the masses will find it rather boring.

The Abuser - when things are not going as planned (or hoped) for their team, this person decides to abuse the umpires, the opposition and even their own players in the hope that everything will turn around including their own life. But when you think about it, are they really just venting their own frustration on life in general out at the football game. This type of supporter simply needs to chill out, have a meat pie and a beer (or something stronger) and just enjoy the game !!

Is this the end for Shane Watson?

Photo: AFP and www.smh.com.au

What is going on over in India? Four Australian cricketers have been internally suspended from the next test for not submitting their “homework” on their thoughts regarding ways to improve Australia’s performance in the final two tests in India.

Sound a little harsh… Well in some quarters the answer is yes. The logic being that you cannot treat grown men like children. This is true to a certain extent, but there are also other life lessons to consider such as responsibility, respect, and team commitment. It comes as no shock to me that one of the cricketers suspended is Shane Watson. A cricketer whom I think believes in himself first and then the team second. Over the years Watson has shown glimpses of putting the team first but that was obviously a folly. This was confirmed by Pat Howard the general manager of team performance for Cricket Australia when he said "I know Shane reasonable well. I think he acts in the best interests of the team sometimes"

On hearing of his suspension, Watson has decided to fly back early for the birth of his first child. This event would have kept him out of the team for the fourth test which is understandable. However what is unacceptable by Watson is his decision to consider his future in the longest and best form of the game. Basically this makes Watson come across as a spoilt schoolboy who believes he is above the rules and when punishment is meted out in his direction he has a whine and then sits in the corner to sook.

Well “Watto” perhaps the decision has been made for you. As you come back from another injury setback that prevents you from bowling, the following question needs to be asked: “Are you in the best six batsmen in Australia to warrant your place in the current test line up?” To do this you need to find six batsmen that are better than Watson based on form. At the moment this is debatable and he may be saved by a lack of consistent form amongst Australian Batsmen.

But the other question that will be asked is "What do you bring to the role of Vice-Captain" and furthermore after this event "Should you retain that position given that you have clearly disobeyed team instructions"? In a situation where team unity was required you chose not to show leadership and provide input. Not a very responsible action!! If I may offer advice to Shane Watson, think long and hard about whether you want to play Test Cricket for Australia again, accept that if you do the Vice-Captain position may not be yours. This may go against your nature but you will have to place the team's values above your own.

It is quite possible that Shane Watson will decide to quit Test Cricket, then should he consider quitting all forms of the game and just play Twenty20 cricket like Shaun Tait. This may be a viable option for Watson, especially if one is not fully committed to representing their country and still wants to play their chosen sport.

The Australian Federal Government Legislates to seize cash from its Citizens

Picture from www.theaustralian.com.au

After seeing a friend's post in relation to this on Facebook, I decided to do some more reading as I was truly astounded by the headline. As a result I asked myself “Is there anything that this government will not do to hide the fact that it is truly incompetent when it comes to finances?" For those interested, the link to the article from The Australian can be found here:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/cash-grab-inactive-bank-accounts-to-be-seized/story-e6frg6n6-1226585867131

The first paragraph from the above link summed it up fairly well as it reads “HOUSEHOLDS face losing up to $109 million from their family savings as the Federal government moves to seize cash from inactive bank accounts”.

The reality is that if you have a bank account that is inactive for three years then the government will seize the money and put it into Consolidated Revenue. This is just blatant stealing, that’s right “stealing”, after all it is your money !!!

I am sure that most people will have an adequate grasp of their own finances so that money would not be lying about in unused bank accounts. But regardless of this any money left in an account is still your money and the current government plans to “steal” it to boost their coffers and spend it on their programs most of which fail anyway.

The Australian government is being criticised for borrowing money to spend and has racked up over $250 Billion in debt (which has to be paid back sometime). This lavish spending has not always produced the right results, (i.e. some projects have failed) and now in order to limit the negative press (and interest payments) this government has decided that it will “steal” hard earned money from its citizens instead.

I would even argue that the previous legislation which allowed for bank accounts to remain inactive for up to 7 years before the money was transferred to ASIC as being morally wrong. After all, it is still my hard earned money and how I plan to manage it is my decision. So if I place my money into a banking institution to look after (and gain interest) over time I should expect it to be available when I want it and not be worried about the fact that a government may "steal" it at some point in time. Moreover I am worried about those people who put money away for their children (often when the child is born) for items such as schooling or university etc. Under the new legislation, this money is likely to be seized by the Government because of inactivity in the account.

This new legislation ranks up there in stupidity with the proposal to reduce the Research & Development Tax concession for Australian Business thus reducing the potential for innovation and potentially job creation in this country (or worse move the Research and Development offshore), and the increases to the private health insurance income limits thus potentially placing more people into a health system that is already over capacity.

Both these incentives were stupendous, but “stealing” from your own citizens in order to further mismanage the finances is simply wrong. Furthermore in a hint of hypocrisy, this government will throw money at families to send their children to school or $900 for taxpayers to spend as they wish. Would it not be better to find a better way to spend that money (infrastructure perhaps) or not spend it at all rather than spend the money in this manner and then “steal” it back from citizens ?