I saw half a dozen media articles last week that suggested that Nathan Cleary is considering a possible future career jump to the Super League. Really? The Super League? I doubt it. He’s a talented bloke and, no doubt, money isn’t everything to the best Rugby league player in the world, but do the pundits seriously expect us to believe that Nathan would be willing to halve his … [Read more...]
Didn’t see that coming! – NRL Grand Final 2023
Socrates doesn't normally comment on common, garden variety, pro sports news... but he got his analysis so wrong, on this occasion, that he couldn't keep himself away from his keyboard. How did your prediction go? Did you predict the NRL Grand Final scenario? Over to Socrates for his description of the one he got wrong. The third scenario… the one I didn’t see coming… was … [Read more...]
Socrates and the cranky coach…
Socrates is sitting on the steps at the local gym when he notices one of the Australian National Rugby League’s (NRL) most famous veteran coaches approaching the front door. The coach sees the old hooker/philosopher and realizes that it’s too late to turn around and run off… but he isn’t in the mood to be harassed by the busybody sports thinker today. Socrates doesn’t miss a … [Read more...]
To smash or be skillful? Can good defense be coached or are accidents like the Latrell Mitchell and Joey Manu incident inevitable?
My soccer playing eight-year-old daughter walked up to her (elite rugby player) seventeen-year-old cousin and asked… “Hey Haz? What do you do when you play rugby?” “I smash people,” responded Haz. While I figured that there was probably a bit more to Haz’s defensive responsibilities (at the top end of schools representative rugby) than his brief description provided, … [Read more...]
Road Test – Cameron Smith versus Tom Brady (Socrates looks under the hood of second hand athletes)
Bloody hell. Just as I was about to launch the Smith versus Brady comparative road test to determine which used play-maker presents the best value, Smith pulls himself off the market (retires after no les than 430 games)! When one examines both athletes and the two sports they have excelled in it is still an interesting question. Which of the two old, beaten and battered vets … [Read more...]