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Some Sporting Observations

8. The NFL was entirely correct in taking a heavy handed approach when punishing the New England Patriots and coach Bill Belichick for the so-called “Spygate” affair. The Patriots have been docked either a first round pick if they fail to make the playoffs or a second and third round pick if they do, as well as being fined $250,000. Belichick was fined an additional $500,000 for masterminding the scheme. The Patriots had been caught filming Jets defensive signals and relaying them to their offense in week one. This is an act of blatant cheating and it was pleasing to see Roger Goodell take this strong action.

7. It was a wild game at the Dawg Pound. In the battle of Ohio, the Cleveland Browns downed the Cincinnati Bengals 51-45 in a game that saw twelve touchdowns and over a thousand yards in total offense. Bengals QB Carson Palmer was his usual brilliant self but the big surprise was Cleveland and in particular QB Derek Anderson. There has been a three way battle in Cleveland for the under center position but Anderson may have made the position his after a mammoth game. You will struggle to see a more exciting game than this.

6. Gold Edition won the first group one of the season, silencing the knockers who insisted she was over-raced as a three year old. Given a much better ride this week where she pinged straight to the front, she proved impossible to catch as she has so often in the past. She defeated a very good field that included group one winner Undue and the undefeated Here De Angels. She gets plenty of praise, particularly in these pages, but she is deserving of every positive word. Australian racing needs a champion like her now.

5. The Rugby World Cup has been pottering on as expected with few upsets and little interest. That will change once the pool phase comes to an end. The one major disappointment to date, though, has been Ireland, who have been absolutely dreadful. The Irish entered the tournament with high hopes but may not make it out of the group stage if they continue with their current form. Ireland struggled against Namibia and then nearly lost to Georgia. With Argentina and France to come, don’t expect too much from the men in green.

4. The West Coast Eagles run at the top of the AFL is officially over. In what was the worst weekend imaginable for West Coast players, officials and fans, the Eagles blew a decent lead to lose their elimination final to Collingwood in extra time on Friday night only to receive the news that club star and Brownlow Medal winner Chris Judd was returning to Melbourne. The decision capped a star-crossed year for the organisation. West Coast will now enter a rebuilding phase while all Melbourne clubs will be moving heaven and earth to get the services of Judd. Carlton are considered the early favourites.

3. The Kangaroos achieved what only very good football clubs do and that is bounce back from a horrifying defeat when their season is on the line. The Kangaroos were comprehensively outplayed in every facet of the game by Geelong two Sundays ago but that did not stop them from turning up to play and play well on Saturday night. Dean Laidley had the team put the flogging behind them and had them playing burden free football when upsetting the Hawks. The entire outfit lifted, despite injury, and shamed the doubters once more. The Roos are a definite show against Port this weekend.

2. The aura of the Bulldogs being a September force is dead. Canterbury has lived on the reputation of being a team to be feared in September but some ordinary performances in recent years have cast the Bulldogs as just another team. The supposedly fearsome Bulldogs pack was outmuscled by the quality Eels pack while the Parramatta halves played rings around Sherwin and Roberts. Simply, you cannot win big games without at least one quality half and an ability to win the forward battle. Parramatta may struggle to beat the Storm this week but they have the across-the-field talent to match-up well with Melbourne. The clash will be a highly entertaining affair.

1. There are not nearly enough superlatives that can be given to Cowboys halfback Johnathan Thurston. He is utterly phenomenal and may actually surpass Andrew Johns as the greatest modern day player if he maintains this form for the remainder of his career. His performance in destroying the New Zealand Warriors on the weekend was astounding even to the most grizzled rugby league watcher. In seventy four minutes, Thurston had two try assists and a hand in many more, kicked seven from seven, made two line breaks and set up two more. The result was a 49-12 decimation. He can carry the Cowboys to the title.

Upper of the Week: Tiger Woods and the Fedex Cup. The four week Fedex Cup playoff series has been an unquestionable success and there was no more deserving winner of the inaugural title than Tiger Woods. He played amazing golf to shoot an eight under 257 to win by eight shots. Amazing.

Downer of the Week: The 20/20 World Cup. The tournament is nothing more than a bad joke that will do nothing more than take away from real cricket. The quicker this Mickey Mouse tournament is over, the better.