The Sporting Day: Some Sporting Observations

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Some Sporting Observations

8. Takeover Target proved once again that he was a true champion of the turf when he recorded yet another group one victory when taking the Doomben 10,000 on Saturday. Ridden to perfection by Jay Ford, the fairytale $1400 gelding from Queanbeyan sat just off main rival Gold Edition before striding past her in the straight. He sizzled the turf and added another chapter to the story with a dominant victory. He is on his way to England again and again, looks like he could be coming home with the cash.

7. The Portland Trailblazers and the Seattle Supersonics- both on the very fringe of the NBA sphere- were the major winners of the NBA draft lottery held last week. Both unexpectedly received a major dose of luck when getting drawn one and two in the most anticipated draft in over a decade. The rewards for one and two are huge with franchise players Greg Oden and Kevin Durant on offer. It was just reward for both the Blazers and the Sonics who tried their best to win every game last season, unlike both the Boston Celtics and the Memphis Grizzlies. An NBA championship will be going to the Pacific North West in the next five seasons.

6. Brownlow medal favourite Chris Judd is a very good chance to be declared ineligible this week after being accused of gouging Hawthorn defender Campbell Brown on the weekend. A delight to watch, a well liked player and a surety to be near the top of Brownlow voting, Judd looks to be in a lot of trouble with video evidence showing him raking the face of Brown. The incident looked nasty and those with the shorts on Judd will be very nervous.

5. The Richmond Football Club has every right to be furious after being robbed of their first victory of the season by an appalling refereeing decision on Saturday night. With the scores locked in the dying stages of the almighty tussle, the ever-working and enigmatic Tiger forward Matthew Richardson charged out to the half forward flank, took a good mark and played on for a goal to put the Tigers up. The play was unbelievably called back and a 50-metre free kick awarded against Richo for a push in the back that did not exist. The Tigers, simply, had the win stolen from them by poor officiating and a worse rule. The AFL needs to immediately change their interpretation of the in the back rule to allow a contest rather than the game of touch football followed by a whistle that currently exists.

4. The Wallabies showed they are a long way off the pace in terms of World Cup contention with a disappointing performance against Wales on Saturday night. The young Wallabies struggled throughout the entire contest and were lucky to escape with an after the siren win. The Welsh team are hardly world beaters and this is a second string outfit yet they nearly embarrassed the Wallabies on home turf. The clock is ticking with the World Cup just around the corner and Australia seem to be running out of time.

3. The St.George-Illawarra Dragons are in need of a major overhaul if they are to avoid the wooden spoon this season. The Dragons have had a shocking run with injuries this season and Ben Hornby was another who went down on Friday evening but that is no excuse for the poor attitude which is crippling the club. That poor attitude was on display for all on Friday evening when the Dragons, obviously uncomfortable in the cold, refused to turn up and played dreadfully. Coach Nathan Brown would have been appalled and is now really on the hot seat. It may be time to start again down Kogarah way with a new coach and a new focus.

2. South Sydney forward Jaiman Lowe deserves to be rubbed out for the rest of the season for his vicious cheap shot on Gold Coast centre Brett Delaney. With Souths mounting a stirring comeback and only four minutes on the clock, Lowe received the ball on the first tackle and punched the ball deep into Titan territory. Tackled, he leaped up, played the ball and chased Delaney, grabbing him and laying him out with one shot. It was a cowardly act and Lowe should be given a long spell on the sidelines. His act was a terrible blow on the sport, as were the comments of coach Jason Taylor after the match who made plenty of excuses. It would be refreshing for a coach to defend the game that has given him a living over the cheap thuggery of one of his players.

1. New South Wales selectors find themselves in a very awkward position after the ordinary performance of rookie halfback Jarrod Mullen. Blues selectors rolled the dice on the young kid from Newcastle and he showed he was just not ready. This is no knock on Mullen, who will be a star with some experience, but he was tossed into the deep end. He had only a handful of games under his belt and it showed. Selectors must now decide whether to stick with Mullen and potentially give up on the series or choose a more experienced pivot and shatter the confidence of Mullen. It is a difficult position to be in and the man who looks set to take the biggest fall is unfortunately Jarrod Mullen, who will take the blame if the Blues do not win in Sydney.

Upper of the Week: The Jarryd Hayne try. Having played just on a half of Origin football, Hayne scored one of the most remarkable solo tries in Origin history when recovering a Tate kick and then putting the ball on the toe and winning the race. It is a try sure to be replayed forever and a day and deservedly so. Hayne has a big future in league, that is for sure and certain.

Downer of the Week: The scheduling of the Storm-Eagles clash. For some reason, this mega clash was placed in the least desirable time slot of the Saturday twilight game. The game should have been a showcase for the game but was hidden away in the graveyard slot. The NRL needs to ensure that the best games are shown to the widest audience if the game is going to continue to expand and grow at its current rate.