The Sporting Day: Some Sporting Observations

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Some Sporting Observations

8. Parity makes the home underdog golden and the NFL is one of the most even competitions in professional sports. So those who like to wager on an outsider playing at home have had a winning weekend of grand proportions with, up to the Sunday night game, five winners from seven plays. Not only did the five biggest home dogs of the day cover, they won outright. Expect this trend to continue throughout the remainder of the NFL season. There is so little between the top tier teams and the bottom teams, due to the salary cap and the draft, that big starts on home teams is too good to resist. Follow home dogs for the rest of the season and you won’t go wrong.

7. Coaching can make all the difference. Teams rarely win with a bad coach no matter what the talent on the field. That certainly seems to be the case at San Diego where new coach Norv Turner has not been able to fulfill the expectations of pundits and fans alike. Norv Turner, who has failed as a head coach at Washington and Oakland, was bought in for the fired Marty Schottenheimer and was expected to take the high flying Chargers to the next level. With Tomlinson, Rivers, Gates and Merriman, these expectations were fair. Instead, the Chargers have gone 1-3 and looked a pale imitation of the 2006 Chargers. Norv Turner just cannot inspire them to play well and does not have the tactical intuition to outplay even inferior sides. Downgrade San Diego in your power rankings for the rest of the season.

6. The New York Mets suffered through one of the greatest capitulations in modern sport when they blew not only their lead in the NL East but also any chance of taking the wildcard spot. The Mets led the East by seven games with seventeen to play and blew it. No team has ever blown such a lead so late in the season. Their hitters went missing, the starting pitching was inconsistent and their bullpen was simply dreadful. The final week was nothing but a nightmare for Mets fans. They witnessed the other New York team lose six of their last seven games including a loss to the lowly Florida Marlins on closing day. A victory in that game would have forced a playoff for the Philadelphia Phillies as well as a potential wildcard playoff. Don’t expect the Mets to recover from this for many years to come.

5. Rugby may have come to be in the Old Dart but there is little to crow about in the UK and Ireland when it comes to on-field triumphs. Wales crashed out in the group stage, losing to Fiji and failing to take advantage of their fine showing in the 2003 Cup. Ireland were the same, losing to Argentina and France while putting up dismal performances against Namibia and Georgia. Meanwhile, England and Scotland have limped into the quarterfinals but should advance no further. Southern Hemisphere rugby is miles ahead of the stifled Northern game and this World Cup merely solidifies this position.

4. Geelong slayed the demons that had occupied Kardinia Park for the better part of half a century with the most dominant Grand Final victory in the history of the AFL. In a sizzling performance that showcased all the skill that took the Cats to big dance, Geelong destroyed Port Adelaide by a mammoth 119 points. Having got their bad performance out of the way against Collingwood, Geelong played like a team possessed on the big day, running rampant over a Port Adelaide team that had plenty of ball winners. Jimmy Bartel. Gary Ablett. Steve Johnson. Paul Chapman. All unbelievable. The Cats were deserved Premiers.

3. Michael Crocker has been a heavily criticised player over the years but there is no doubting that he always puts in when it comes to the crunch. Michael Crocker has suffered another injury and suspension riddled season but again proved why he is so highly regarded by coaches, teammates and representative selectors. Crocker was stunning in the Grand Final, leading by examples with big hitting and hard running. He scored a powerful try and has been rewarded by selectors with an Australian jersey. Never underestimate Michael Crocker.

2. The battle for the Australian five-eighth position has been widely considered to be a two horse race between Greg Bird of the Sharks and Braith Anasta of the Roosters. Bird played well for New South Wales when given the opportunity while Anasta was one of the Rooster’s best throughout 2007. The most surprising thing is nobody has mentioned Greg Inglis, preferring instead to lock him in for a wing position. He has been somewhat maligned as a number six this season but proved in the Grand Final that he is the dominant five eighth in the competition outside of Darren Lockyer. He should be Australia’s number six.

1. The Melbourne Storm were electrifying all season and thoroughly deserved to win the NRL Grand Final on Sunday night. They saved plenty for the big one and never looked like getting beaten on Sunday evening, dominating the Eagles from the opening kickoff. Manly looked outmatched and that is exactly how the game played out. Ben Cross, Michael Crocker and Brett White outmuscled the Eagles up front while Greg Inglis and Billy Slater were electrifying and always a danger. The Storm are the most complete team the NRL has seen since the Broncos of the late nineties and have been a delight to watch throughout the season.

Upper of the Week: Brett Favre breaking the all-time touchdown throwing record. With a well timed slant pass to new favourite receiver Greg Jennings, the Packer legend passed Dan Marino for the all-time record. Brett Favre is the last remnant of a different era of quarterbacks and it is tremendous to see him back winning games and firing touchdowns.

Downer of the Week: The tragic and untimely death of former West Coast Eagles star Chris Mainwaring. Mainwaring played over 200 games for the Eagles and is regarded as a club legend. He died of a drug related heart attack at the age of 41.