Beware The Haka

This comes from Blondie - Saturday's a Rugby Day via Katy Corey - Steel City Experiment. Be careful next time you put a batch in the oven.




Probably not as funny as the Handbag Haka, also from Blondie

The New Coach Phenomenon

How come all of a sudden teams start winning after the demise of their previous coach and is replace by a fresh faced caretaker??

The prime example in Brad Fittler with the Roosters in the NRL. Under Chris Anderson the Rooster could win to save their lives. Everything they touched turned to mud. Then Anderson succumbs to health issues and relinquishes the position. Since the Fittler has led the Roosters to three wins in a row and they are on a new lease of life.

So what is it that makes the players start performing to their potential? It might be a reflection on Chris Anderson's coaching but I'm not too sure about that, although I do think he was a bit past it and shouldn't have put his hand up for the job in the first place.

Rather it's as if the players take it as boot up the bum because they are usually somewhat responsible for they sacking or early resignation of a coach. A reality check that says he's lost his job, if I don't start performing then I could be next.

Watch the Bombers now that Kevin Sheedy won't be coached past this year. They will play above themselves as they want to send him off on a high.

Coaching Merry-Go-Round

It's been quite a few years since we had a bunch of coaches being sacked or resign in such quick succession. To re cap we have had:

• Neale Daniher resign from Melbourne, replaced by Mark Riley
  
• Chris Connelly resign from Fremantle, replaced by Mark Harvey
• Denis Pagan sacked by Carlton, replaced by Brett Ratten
• Kevin Sheedy not having contract renewed at Essendon, but will see out the rest of the season

I don't think Denis Pagan will coach again as his reputation has been somewhat tarnished. Kevin Sheedy may coach again but I see him moving on to bigger and better things. AFL CEO, Andrew Demetriou has already sounded him out as been the driving force of promoting the game internationally, a task I'm guessing Sheedy would jump at.

Daniher has been widely tipped for the vacant job at Essendon being a former player and favourite son, while Connelly is less heavily backed to go to his old club, Melbourne. There was talk at some stage that Daniher and Connelly might do a direct swap.

One this is for sure, there are openings for new senior coaching aspirants. Whether it is a current assistant such as Mark Harvey, Chris Bond, Peter Sumich, Guy McKenna amongst others, or if it is a straight out playing coaching newby such as Michael Voss and Nathan Buckley. Whatever the case may be it will be a talking point until all positions are filled which will be no earlier than October.

Get used to the endless banter and speculation.

Wings Clipped

About a month ago I was tentatively predicting a West Coast demise. Surely now even the strongest of supporters must be worried.

A near 100 point loss could have been so much more if Port Adelaide had kicked straighter.

I caught most of the last quarter and it looked like one of those day when nothing worked. As if they were in quicksand, they more they fought the deeper they got. Even Premiership player, Adam Selwood, was making uncharacteristic errors. One in the forth quarter led directly to a simple Port goal.

Yes, the Eagles are undermanned having only 26 players to choose from, this is a real test of their depth. Chris Judd played but was still hampered by a groin complaint and had little impact on the match.

A trend I have noticed though is that teams bounce back from big losses while the winners are usually a bit flat the next week. So guess who the Eagles are playing this week?

mmmm.... dammit it's my team, Sydney, and it's played at Subiaco. Maybe we'll be the setters of a new trend.

They've Done It Again

Perennial under performers. Oozing in potential yet producing little. That is how I would describe our national soccer team, The Socceroos.

It's hard to believe that they were favourites for the Asian Cup, as they face relegation after the group stage if they don't give Thailand a belting tomorrow.

People are already starting to point the finger. The Media is closely scrutinizing the Coach, Graham Arnold. While Arnold is doubting the players' commitment to playing in this tournament for their country.

The situation isn't helped by opposition teams having the dive and tumble down to a fine art. All you need to do is scrape their jersey and they are down and it isn't surprising anymore to see a stretcher to come out for these sissies. However, it is successful in frustrating the Aussies and it takes their mind off the game.

I only flicked on a get a score update for the Iraq game. Once when I switched on I saw 1 - 0 Iraq leading, and I thought he we go again. Later it was 1 - 1 and my mindset was a bit more positive, perhaps they have finally clicked. One more scorecheck found my positivity to be ill placed as it blew out to 3 - 1 Iraq's way.

It will be a long time before I could be bothered to watch a game again.

Anderson Quits

Chris Anderson has just quit as Sydney Roosters coach citing health reasons.

If health reasons are prohibiting him from finishing this season then he shouldn't have taken the job in the first place. If my memory serves me correctly he had issues with his heart while on tour with the Kangaroos, to the point of collapsing suddenly.

If you have problems with the ticker then it would be advisable not to start coaching a team that is struggling, as it will always be a difficult task and will put more strain on your health. It is hard enough with a healthy body to be a successful coach. Finally Anderson has come to the realisation that it is a job for a younger person. Luckily for him that Brad Fittler is waiting in the wings.

So I guess good on Anderson for finally seeing what is most important in life and giving the game away.

Rugby On A Rise

Rugby is starting to get more exciting as it leads in to their World Cup in France.

The Tri Nations series is a even as it ever has been with Australia only just nudging clear after a win against the second graders from South Africa.

We have had a few lean years in Australian Rugby since the end of the Eddie Jones era. For a while it felt like this new era would bring endless experimentation with little in the way of results. John Connelly was adamant about trying players out of position and about giving new players a go, even to extent of starting George Gregan on the bench. We're not used to seeing him trot out in jersey 20 or whatever it was.

But now it appears that things are starting to click at the perfect time. Our confidence is up after a win over New Zealand and the World Cup is around the corner. All we need now is stability in the starting lineup and injury free key players.

Soccer Beefs

I really tried to show some persistence in Australia's Asian Cup debut, but when the game is 90% dull, 8% interesting and 2 % exciting I'm going to want to flick channels occasionally. Then I flick back from CSI and someone has scored. In this case it was the Oman team which made the game more interesting as it would have been slightly embarrassing for the Socceroos to lose their opening game, considering they are the favourites to win the whole show.

The Socceroos seem to under perform when it is most needed. I'm talking mainly of previous World Cup playoffs against Iran and the first time we played Uruguay as I think we all know what happened the most time we played them. Having everything to play for but not matching the importance of the game with their intensity or desperation.

They were lucky to get away with a draw against Oman. Some might say it was some Tim Cahill brilliance. Rather it was a lucky deflection that planted the ball at Cahill's right foot ready to strike at a relatively open goal.

Next time I'll try and watch more and maybe, just maybe I'll catch a goal or two live.

Dropped The Hall

The Sydney Swans have resorted to dropping spearhead Barry Hall for the next game or two. He could probably have been dropped for form alone but it did seem obvious that he wasn't as fit as he should be. A mid season wake up call could mean he will come back and absolutely run rings around any opposing player. It may also act as a motivator to the rest of the team who may have been in the mindset that Barry will make it happen. Without him everyone else needs to lift otherwise they will be the next to be dropped. I am sure that the layers know this and are pumped for a big game against league leaders Geelong. It will be a tough ask traveling down there, a ground that Geelong has made into a fearful fortress. I think the job might be too huge but I am still hopeful. A good show here could still be a turning point in our season to make a run for the finals.

Also dropped for this week is Adam Schneider and Heath Grundy. They make way for Nick Davis, Jarred Moore and debutant Matt Laidlaw. Good luck to the young fella it will sure be a huge welcome to the big league. Good on Roos for backing the youngster in the crunch game.

Gower Treason

So Craig Gower is planning to not only to switch codes, but also to switch countries. No big deal right? Well not necessarily. A lot of people would agree that this would be a good move for him after all the dramas he has had from the media this year. However, he went on radio proclaiming that he isn't going anywhere, instead he will see out his current contract with the Panthers. That was Sunday with 2gb's Continuous Call Team. By Tuesday Gower has changed his tune and he is now heading to France to play Rugby. His decision to seek a release is exacerbated by the release of emerging five-eighth, Peter Wallace, to the Broncos. Now the Panthers have no halves combination and have to start from scratch. That could take years to develop a tight unit in the play making division. They have unproven players there at the moment, some of whom must take this opportunity to step up and show how good they are. St George recruit, Richie Williams, would be a prime candidate. Unfortunately I see some tough years ahead for the Panthers and their supporters.