Highly regarded “football” pundit, Francis Leach, has given his assessment of the Socceroos performance against South Korea on Saturday night and has come down with the opinion that Australia’s problem is that we don’t have a natural number 9 (central forward/striker) who can optimise opportunities that come from dominating possession by regularly popping the ball into the back … [Read more...]
Sartorial splendour at rugby 7s
For sporting sartorialism, it's hard to beat a rugby 7s tournament. The recent Byron Bay 7s was no exception with the women and the men turning out in an array of eye-catching strips. Elegant, awesome, colourful, original, hilarious and stupid are just some of the adjectives that spring to mind. Take a look and comment on the ones you liked the best. … [Read more...]
Should Cooper Cronk have played?
I heard Cooper Cronk’s appearance in the 2018 NRL Grand Final (despite breaking a scapula only one week earlier) described as disgraceful... and as a piece of alpha male stupidity. More generous critics suggested that he should have prioritized his health above what was just a football match. The most intelligent of Cronk’s critics made the point that, of course Cronk would … [Read more...]
Golf – The best origin story?
For many years I thought that the funniest sporting origin story I had ever heard was the “Fractured Fairy Tales” version of the origin of golf. According to Edward Everett Horton, the Fractured Fairy Tales narrator, golf was invented by a very clever King who came up with the idea of belting a little ball into a hole. The sport he created was so difficult that he, initially, … [Read more...]
The (occassional) magic of Thredbo!
I am one of the world’s crappiest skiers but, despite my crappiness, I have had the opportunity to ski (like a kook) in some pretty remarkable places. Furano in Japan, Aspen in Colorado, St Moritz in Switzerland and Livigno in Italy are all paces that have thrilled me to the core, not just because of the athletic opportunities that they provided but because of their … [Read more...]