Collingwood Belt Carlton Black and White

Life is great for Collingwood supporters. With four rounds of the home and away season left, they are on top of the ladder and just smashed Carlton by 48 points. Carlton only managed 12 points for the first quarter and eight for the next two meaning that at three-quarter time the score stood at 80-20.

Elsewhere, Essendon defied their recent form and had a good win over St Kilda. Even though they have done well in recent times against the Saints, the Saints were still the favorites. It was hard to find a betting site that didn’t recognize this. Thus all those who wagered on Essendon found themselves receiving a very healthy payback.

Port Adelaide didn’t help Hawthorn’s chances of doing well in the finals with a eight point win while Geelong just had too many answers for the Swans who simply struggle against the better sides in the competition. Round 5 now seems a million miles away as that is when the Swans were on top of the ladder and flying high.

Melbourne are definitely the surprise packets of the competition and showing that their years being mired at the bottom of the ladder could be over. Same too for Richmond who had a 20 point win over the Crows.

For the Bulldogs, it was a far for stress-free game against North Melbourne as opposed to what happened last time when Barry Hall was tormented. Finally the Dockers smashed the Eagles in the Western Derby with a 75 point thumping.

The tables have definitely turned from the early days when the Eagles were the big brother and the Dockers couldn’t lay a glove on them. Now the Eagles have no answer for their more polished opponents.

Looking at the ladder, Collingwood have a two point lead over Geelong which makes a difference as the Cats have the superior percentage. Likewise the Saints have a two point lead over the Bulldogs and Dockers for third spot. If the Saints slide any more they could finish as low as fifth which is just unimaginable. There is a fierce tussle between the Dockers and Bulldogs for fourth spot and then there is the rest which you could say are making up the numbers.

Hawthorn was in sixth spot and 10 points behind the Dockers. Carlton, Sydney and the Kangaroos are fighting over the last two spot but in all honesty, none of them deserve it.

Darren Albert writes for this blog. He also writes about live betting odds.

Eric Tindill- Oldest "All Black" and Test Cricketer Dies at 99!

Oldest "All Black" and Surviving Test Cricketer Eric Tindill Dies at 99

New Zealand All Blacks Piri Weepu and Molly Tindill with former New Zealand All Black and Test Cricketer Eric Tindill in his 99th birthday at his home on December 18, 2009 in Wellington, New Zealand

Eric Tindill- who has the unique status to represent New Zealand in both Cricket and Rugby as a player and referee (Rugby) and Umpire (Cricket) died on Sunday in Wellington Hospital. He was 99 years 226 days.

At 99 years, he was the longest living Test Cricketer and oldest Rugby international.

A left-handed batsman and wicketkeeper, Eric Tindill played five cricket Tests for New Zealand between 1937 and 1947. He also represented the All Blacks rugby team 17 times between 1935 and 1938, making his only Test appearance in a 13-0 loss to England in 1936.

He was referee in two rugby Tests between the All Blacks and British and Irish Lions in 1950 and New Zealand's second Test against Australia in 1955. He then umpired New Zealand's cricket Test against England at Christchurch in the summer of 1958-59.

Although George Dickinson, Curly Page, Charlie Oliver, Jeff Wilson and Brian McKechnie also represented New Zealand in both rugby and cricket, Tindill was the only player to play Tests in both the sports.

May His Soul Rest in Peace!

News Courtesy: The Canadian Associated Press
Image Courtesy: Zimbio.com

Paul Christian Sampson of London Welsh Marries TV Presenter Kirsty Gallacher

London Welsh's full-back 33-year old Paul Christian Sampson married TV presenter 34-year-old Kirsty Gallacher in a romatic spanish ceremony.

Kirsty Gallacher looked stunningly beautiful in a white Suzanne Neville dress as she held a bouquet of white roses and posed with her husband Paul Sampson. (picture above). They got married in the historic town of Arcos de la Frontera where Gallacher's father Bernard has a house.

Kirsty Gallacher who has two children with her rugby full-back Sampson, said the dress-shopping experience was surprisingly easy despite being heavily pregnant with son Jude for her first consultation with Neville.


Image Courtesy: Dailymail.co.uk

This the year for St George?

Once again St George are sitting on top of the NRL ladder but the question remains how they will play in September during the finals. Last year they were in the same position and bowed out in straight sets. Will this year be any different?

The salary cap scandal that engulfed the Storm means they are out of the running. Otherwise they would be in fourth position and a serious contender for the title. Currently in second spot you have Penrith, behind them you have the Tigers, Manly and Roosters.

Interestingly enough each of those teams won the title in the past decade so they know what it takes in order to win won. The Broncos are always up there but currently they are in ninth spot. They are on 22 points which is level with South Sydney.

This past round there were some interesting results. Gold Coast defeated St George by a point in extra time. Melbourne defeated Penrith and Souths took out the Warriors in a high scoring game. Manly defeated the West Tigers in a spiteful encounter while the Broncos and Roosters are still to play.

Round 21 is going to throw up some more interesting matches. Parramatta host the Roosters in what should be a fierce match. What will be a huge game is the one which sees the Broncos host the Dragons. Over the years, the two have played some intense matches. Obviously Wayne Bennett coaching the Dragons gives the game an extra dimension. He was very successful at the Broncos and for a long time symbolized the team. He is now at the Dragons trying to bring them their first title in over 30 years.

He is already a huge legend of the game but should Bennett be responsible for breaking the drought for the most famous club in the competition, he will be the greatest of all time. At the moment, there is a lot of betting action on the Dragons but on the other hand, people are wary of them collapsing in the finals.

Adding more to the Dragons and Broncos rivalry is the two grand finals they played in consecutive years in the early 1990s. The Dragons just weren’t able to get over the line and continued their years without anything to show for it. Also you have players who have played for both clubs such as Gorden Tallis and Wendell Sailor.

Darren Albert writes for this blog. He is also an expert on live bets.

2010 AFL Season Heats Up

here are just six rounds left in the home and away part of the 2010 AFL season. Collingwood sit on top of the ladder and deserve to be there. They are playing great football as testament by their win over St Kilda. It has been a while since neither Geelong or St Kilda are on top of the ladder.

These two are both behind Collingwood with 12 wins and then there is Fremantle on 11 wins. It is hard to see anyone other than these four teams winning the premiership. Everyone else is just too inconsistent. In recent years the Bulldogs have been up there and they are again this year with 10 wins to date which puts them in fifth spot.

The Sydney Swans have rebounded from their embarrassing loss to Richmond with two wins on the trot against North Melbourne and Carlton respectively. They have nine wins as do Hawthorn.

Then you have Carlton and North who are both on eight wins. You would be hard pressed to find a bookmaker who thinks either of these sides is a genuine premiership contender.

Essendon are a bit of a rabble at the moment. Their season has descended into a farce and it remains to be seen if coach Matthew Knights will see out the season. Melbourne would feel happy with five wins although it can only be so long until they have such low expectations.

Brisbane and Port are also on five wins. Mark Williams has left Port Adelaide because of this. It was only at the beginning of the decade that Port Adelaide were the most powerful side in the competition. They eventually won their deserved flag in 2004 but could have won more.

Richmond and West Coast are also mired down the bottom of the ladder. For the West Coast it is also hard to remember how good they were but when you see Chris Judd and Ben Cousins running around playing for different teams you are reminded of it.

Richmond have done well to win five games but again there is only so long that can have such low expectations for.

In terms of Round 17 there are some interesting games. St Kilda take on Hawthorn which could go either way although you would have to say St Kilda are favorites. The match between the Bulldogs and Dockers should be a fiercely contested one and it will be a good test for Fremantle. Then there is the Adelaide showdown which is always an entertaining game.

Darren Albert writes for this blog. He also writes about live betting.

Lions Find Their Roar

We are at an interesting stage of the AFL season, one week short of the halfway mark. At the moment Geelong and Fremantle are on top with eight wins from their 10 games. Geelong had a good win on the weekend against Melbourne while the Dockers were too good at home against the Kangaroos.

Next up is Collingwood who will want to halt their downward slide. They lost to the Lions who would have been thrilled to have snapped the losing streak of their own. Then comes St Kilda who defeated the Crows in what wasn't the easiest of weeks for them. It was a great time for them to play Adelaide who are simply awful. St Kilda though are still coming to terms with the loss of Nick Riewoldt.

The Bulldogs have been up and down and lost to Essendon on Friday night. Carlton have also been up and down but would be thrilled to be in the eight and with six wins from 10 games. They defeated the Eagles on the weekend.

After such a promising start, the former ladder leaders Sydney have lost their last four to have slumped to 5-5.


Port Adelaide were just woeful against Richmond which was the Tigers first win of the season.

There are some interesting games in Round 11. It opens with Richmond against St Kilda and you would think St Kilda would be far too strong for the Tigers.
Sydney hosts Essendon at the SCG which is a venue where the two have played some magnificent games over the years. You would think the Swans would be too good and will snap their losing streak this weekend.

Collingwood hosts the Bullldogs in what is just a massive game for both sides. Online betting doesn't know how to split these two. There is some tension between the two and neither would want to lose this game. You would think Carlton would be too good for Melbourne and likewise you would expect the Dockers to win in Adelaide against the Crows. The Power have to travel to Melbourne to take on the Hawks. It will be interesting to see if the Power can bounce back after that loss to the Tigers.

As always should be a fascinating round of AFL and will set up the season nicely for the second half.

Darren Albert writes for this blog. He also writes about live bets.

Magpies Flying High

The Magpies are on a high after going to Western Australia and defeating the Dockers. Now they have another big game against Geelong. These two sides should combine for a Friday Night classic at the MCG. This game is so big that Channel Seven have decided to broadcast it live into Melbourne.

The Dockers need to rebound against the Swans in Sydney. After a great start the Swans have dropped their last two losing to both the Cats and Bulldogs. Now they have to host the Dockers in what should be a good game.

Richmond will be hoping to open their account against Essendon in the Dreamtime match. The Tigers have been close but just haven’t been able to seal the deal. They lost by three points to Hawthorn while Essendon will be feeling very confident after defeating St Kilda.

Melbourne will host Port Adelaide in what is a game which should be pretty even. Neither have set the world on fire this year and the Power will be licking their wounds after their loss to Carlton.

The Blues on the other hand will be euphoric of their recent form of not which has seen them topple both St Kilda and Port. They have five wins from their eight games which is a pretty good return. They play Hawthorn in a game which should be quite fiery.

Adelaide host the Lions and the visitors will be desperate for a win after their season has come off the rails of late. Still you would think they should be too good for the Crows.

The Eagles host St Kilda and this is a tricky game for the Saints. They aren’t in the best of form and now have to travel all the way there while the Eagles are on a high after their win over the Demons.

The Bulldogs play North Melbourne in a game which could go either way. Live betting should be pretty even here with there no apparent favorite.

After eight weeks, the ladder is starting to separate and you would have to say that things are tough for the teams on three wins or less. This means you have 10 teams playing for eight spots. Will the ladder stay as it currently is come September? Will the eight teams now in the eight be the ones all playing in the finals. We’ll have to wait and see.

Darren Albert writes for this blog. He also writes about online betting.

Swans Brought Down a Notch by Cats

Even though the Sydney Swans were playing good football, they were not playing good enough to defeat Geelong at Skilled Stadium. Down there, you have to play exceptional football and missing a few key players, the Swans just didn’t have enough fire-power. Inversely, the Cats were well-served by the return of Gary Ablett Jr who carved up the Swans.

Elsewhere it was an interesting Round 7 in the AFL. The Dockers continued their excellent start to the season with a win against the Lions in Brisbane. The Dockers aren’t playing like they have previously and look to be somewhat of the real deal. They now host the Magpies in a Friday night blockbuster.

At 6-1, both teams are on top of the ladder and this game should be a massive contest and one of the biggest home and away games Fremantle has ever played in. There are some interesting subplots. As a former coach of the West Coast Eagles, Mick Malthouse has no issue with playing at Subiaco. There is also interest to see how the Dockers will do under the bright lights of Friday night football.

The Bulldogs have had an interesting two weeks – choking against St Kilda and then just getting over te line against the Demons. This weekend they will have an interesting test against the Swans. This will be a better indicator for the Swans where they are at as opposed to the Geelong game.

The Cats now go to Brisbane to take on the Lions. At home they Lions will want to do well but you would think the Cats will have too much purr in them. You would think that nearly all live bets would favor Geelong.

Hawthorn are struggling so they will welcome having to play the hopeless Richmond. At one stage Richmond were a chance against Adelaide but fell in a heap conceding the last eight games. Hawthorn are coming back from a trip to Perth but still you would think they would be too good for the Tigers.

Carlton has to travel to Adelaide to take on a resurgent Port. The Power are playing well and you would think would be too good for the Blues. Essendon were good against Port and maybe could have won but against St Kilda you would think they have no chance. St Kilda are just too good.

Darren Albert writes for this blog. He also writes about sports betting.

Rugby Star Gavin Henson and Charlotte Church to Wed At Last

Charlotte Church and Gavin Henson have announced that they are engaged after the rugby star popped the question secretly 6 weeks ago as the couple celebrated Charlotte’s 24th birthday.

The Welsh rugby player pulled out all the stops to make the proposal special, surprising his partner of 5 years by whisking her away in a helicopter he’d borrowed from his Ospreys boss.

The Over the Rainbow Judge described in a magazine interview how she’d been feeling a little worse for wear after celebrating her birthday the night before when she heard the helicopter land in her garden.

After flying to a seafront hotel in Truro, Cornwall for a romantic lunch, Gavin took Charlotte for a walk before getting down on one knee and proposing to the Voice of an Angel star with a 2 carat heart shaped diamond ring.

The couple, who have two children together Ruby and Dexter.

Image Courtesy: Hellomagazine.com

Top of the Table Clash Awaits Dockers and Saints

At the start of the year, who would have thought that the Dockers taking on St Kilda would be a big game? Now it’s the biggest game thus far in season 2010. Both sides are striving to be undefeated after four rounds of the season.

No doubt Fremantle are on a high. For the first time in their history, they have won their opening three matches. Now they face St Kilda in an absolutely massive match. The two have had some amazing matches over the years and this promises to be the best of them all.

Geelong were valiant over in the West and will bounce back against Port Adelaide when they unveil the 2009 Premiership flag.

Elsewhere the Bombers travel West to take on the Eagles in the opening game of Round 4. The Bombers are fresh off their win against Carlton and would love nothing more than to make it two on the trot.

Sydney have rebounded well since losing to St Kilda in their opening match. They have defeated the Crows and Richmond but these two are the bottom two sides on the ladder so who knows where their form is really at. What can be sure is that their new players such as Daniel Bradshaw and Ben McGlynn are fitting in well. Being in such good form, most of the live bets are going to be on the Swans especially at the start of the game.

Adelaide host Carlton in a game between two strugglers. Will this be the game that sees Adelaide win their first game of season 2010?

Collingwood meet Hawthorn in a game between two losers from Round three. These sides will both be licking their wounds after these losses and be keen not to make it two losses in a row.

Brisbane are also undefeated and host the Bulldogs up at the Gabba. The Bulldogs are doing well but the Lions seem to be playing better. The combination of Fevola and Brown is working like a charm and the other recruits are also playing well.

Richmond meet Melbourne in a game between the two sides favorite for the wooden spoon although saying that Richmond would be ahead of Melbourne after the Demons defeated the Crows in Round three. They also showed a lot of heart in their narrow loss to Collingwood. The truth of the matter is that Richmond look like a rabble and who knows how much more their supporters can take.


Darren Albert writes for this blog. He also writes about online betting odds.

Dockers Looking The Goods

For the first time in their history, the Fremantle Dockers are looking to win their first three games of the season. They have already had good wins against the Crows and Bombers but this week against Geelong will be a massive test for where they are as a side.

There are actually two other games involving the other four undefeated sides of the competition to date. Collingwood is taking on St Kilda in a clash of two of the traditional Victorian powerhouses. Both are in good form and both would be desperate to win this game. The betting odds are pretty even for both sides, but if anything St Kilda are slight favorites.

There is no love lost between the two, even less so since Luke Ball switched to Collingwood in the off-season.

The other game involving two unbeaten teams sees Brisbane to travel to Adelaide to take on Port Power. Both sides have defeated the West Coast but the Lions took out Carlton in round one as opposed to the Power who toppled North Melbourne in their opening game. The Lions look good with Jonathan Brown and Brendan Fevola in tandem. They will be a handful for the opposition back-men all over the league. Out of the Melbourne spotlight, Fevola seems to have settled down.

Normally Carlton taking on Essendon is a huge match – it still will be will Essendon winless and Carlton on just the one win. Neither would want to give the other the satisfaction of going down to the other. The has been much criticism of coach Matthew Knights and expect that to intensify should they lose to their arch-rival.

Sydney are flying high after their win against the Crows in Adelaide and complacency should be their biggest obstacle against a Richmond side who are clearly not good enough.

Melbourne takes on Adelaide in a massive game for both sides. Neither side has won yet and would love to put a stop to that now, especially the Crows who would be expected to dominate the more inexperienced Demons.

The same will happen when the Kangaroos play the Eagles. Both are also looking for their first win of season 2010.

The Bulldogs meet Hawthorn in a game that should promise much. Neither side is at its best and it will be interesting to see how Hawthorn handles Barry Hall.

It should be a fascinating Round 3 of AFL football.

Darren Albert writes for this blog. He also writes about live bets.

Allan Langer Apologises for Unacceptable Behaviour

A remorseful Allan Langer has apologised for his unacceptable behaviour which he regrets let down so many people.

The former champion Brisbane Broncos halfback returned an alleged blood alcohol reading of more than three times the legal limit when stopped for a random breath test at 1.40am on Monday in the northern Brisbane suburb of Everton Park.

Mobile phone video footage supplied to TV stations also shows Langer dancing on top of a table wearing only his underwear in a popular Brisbane hotel hours before being stopped by police.

Brisbane suspended him from his position as Broncos skills coach on Monday morning and will review his coaching situation after he appears in Brisbane's Magistrates Court on April 19.

"I accept my actions were unacceptable - people do and are entitled to expect more from me," said Langer in a

statement released on his behalf late on Tuesday.

News Courtesy: news.smh.com.au

NRL Returns In Style

Rugby League returned in a big way with the start of the 2010 season. St George tried to atone for their disappointing finals exit with a defeat of the Eels. They had too much firepower for Parramatta and won 18-12. It was a bad loss for the Eels who were hoping to build on last season where they made it as far as the Grand Final.

In the Queensland derby, the Broncos edged past the Cowboys. It was a tight and torrid affair but in the end, the Broncos had too much class for their counterparts.

There were some surprises on the Saturday. The most notable of which was that the Knights were able to rebound from all of their off-season troubles to defeat the Bulldogs. The Knights have had some difficulty with drug related issues and will be over the moon after their gutsy victory. On the other side of the coin, the Bulldogs will be less than thrilled with the way they opened the season.

Penrith ran over the top of Canberra. These two teams haven’t been up there for a while and it’s hard to see that changing after the opening round. The Panthers were ok but the Raiders have plenty to work on.

Melbourne opened up the defence of their premiership with a gritty victory away to Cronulla. The game was never going to be easy, especially when the Sharks were keen to atone for their appalling 2009. In the end, it was the experience of the Storm which got them over the line. Bookmakers had the Storm as favourites but in the end they had to work for it.

The Titans had a tight win over the Warriors in an exciting match. Both of these sides like to entertain and this game was no different. The ball was thrown around a lot which made for some exciting football as well as some errors.

Both sides had much to prove in the local derby between the Roosters and the Rabbitohs. The press had been talking up the Bunnies and they were heavily favoured against a Roosters side which won the wooden spoon last year. You would have thought the two swapped uniforms giving the lesson the Rabbits were handed. The Chooks ran over the top of them for a 36-10 victory.

The round finished in a flourish with the Tigers staging a fantastic comeback against Manly. They looked gone for all money but scored four tries in the final twenty minutes to stage a famous fightback.

Darren Albert writes for this blog. He also writes about live bets as well as other types of sports betting.

Final Eight of NAB Cup

The first round of the NAB Cup was completed with the four remaining matches being played. There were some interesting results.

First up St Kilda edged out Collingwood by a point. It was a spirited display by the Saints who had gone through a very tough week. They raced out of the blocks with a six goals to two opening quarter and that said the mood for the match.

Nick Riewoldt kicked four and Adam Schneider was the only other multiple goal kicker. For the Pies, Leigh Brown kicked four and Paul Medhurst and Travis Cloke each bagged two. Former Saint, Luke Ball managed one.

The Saints now face the Swans who managed their first ever NAB Cup victory under coach Paul Roos. The Swans just had too much class for the Blues even though the Blues played in the finals last year and the Swans didn’t. Betting was quite even, but in the end the Swans' superior experience stood firm. The Swans would be very pleased by how their new recruits went. Ben McGlynn, Trent Dennis-Lane, Gary Rohan and Lewis Jetta all impressed with Jetta the pick of the bunch.

The Blues showed that it will take them a while to get over the loss of key-forward Brendan Fevola.

In somewhat of a surprise, North Melbourne defeated defending champion, Geelong. Liam Anthony was the best on ground with 38 touches as the Cats were put to the sword. Anyone who bet on this would be doing very nicely thanks to AFL betting. North Melbourne were offering some very healthy odds.

They will play Fremantle who just had too much firepower for an up and coming Demons side. Even with Jack Tengrove and Tom Scully the likes of Pavlich, Hasleby and Mundy had too much experience.

Looking ahead to the second round of action you would favour the West Coast Eagles at home to Port. That will be too much of a home ground advantage. The Bulldogs will take on the Hawks in what should be a pretty compelling game. It is quite hard to split these two. Both sides offer a lot and would be favourites with AFL betting for the day premiership.

Sydney and St Kilda meet again in Round 1 and it will be interesting to see how full-on the both treat this. Will they sacrifice something here in return for keeping somethings disclosed for when they meet in Round 1?

Finally Fremantle have to travel to Victoria to take on the Kangaroos. Should be a fascinating quarter-finals round.

Darren Albert writes for this blog. He also writes about live bets during sporting contests.

The Return of Football

It was a good weekend for lovers of the egg-ball game with all three codes making a return down under.

Rugby League has the All Stars Game which was a great way to start off the season. The Indigenous side won 16-12 in front of an enthusiastic crowd of 26,000. The good feeling of the game could mean that it is going to become a permanent fixture on the rugby league calendar.

The first half of the first round of the 2010 NAB Cup took part. There were good wins for the West Coast Eagles, Port Adelaide, Hawthorn and Western Bulldogs.

This sets up two of the quarter-finals where the Eagles will take on the Power and the Hawks will battle the Bulldogs.

The four remaining first round matches throw up some interesting games. St Kilda meet Collingwood in what should be a great tussle between two of the bigger Victorian clubs. The Saints will obviously want to bounce back from their Grand Final loss while the Magpies will want to do well after making the final last year.

The Swans have never won a NAB Cup match under coach Paul Roos and this will be their last chance when they take on Carlton in Blacktown. The two will be keen to impress as will be Melbourne who take on Fremantle in Subiaco. The final first round match is defending champion Geelong up against North Melbourne. It will be interesting to see where most of the live bets end up. You would think they woulud begin with the Cats.

This will be a tough ask for the Kangaroos and will be a gruelling first-up assignment for new coach Brad Scott.

Then there is the Super 14 which had its first round. There were good wins to the Hurricanes, Brumbies, Bulls, Crusaders, Waratahs, Stormers and Chiefs. It was particularly good for the Chiefs to be able to win in South Africa.

All matches were fiercely contested but none as much as the heated Queensland-NSW derby. The two old foes locked horns in a game which went down to the wire. What wouldn’t please the Reds is that the Waratahs won with the last passage of play. New Reds coach Ewen McKenzie will be scratching his head and wondering what went wrong when for all money, it looked like the hosts were going to get the points.

Week 2 throws up some more fascinating games. The Reds host the Crusaders in a tricky match which could see them already in a 0-2 hole.

Darren Albert writes for this blog. He also writes about betting online.

Football Codes Getting Back Under Way

It might only be February but the football season isn’t that far away. In some instances it’s very close. The final Super 14 season commences this week. The competition is a very successful one and a big reason why the Southern Hemisphere is so advanced in terms of rugby. The competition witnesses some fantastic free flowing rugby where the ball is thrown around.

In 2011 there will be at least one extra team. It has already been announced that Melbourne will be the new team meaning that each of the countries will have five representatives.

This weekend also sees the beginning of the AFL preseason competition. There will be four first round matches this week and another four next week. The opening match sees Essendon take on the West Coast at Subiaco in what should be a good hitout for both sites.

Following this is the Adelaide showdown which is followed by Hawthorn taking on Richmond in Tasmania. It will be interesting to see how the Tigers do under new coach Damian Hardwick. As for the Hawks it is a year of rebound after their Premiership defence ended in tatters. They had a slow start to the year and found themselves mired at the bottom of the AFL ladder. They tried to fight their way up but in the end it was too much. This year AFL betting isn’t quite sure what to make of them.

Finally the last match of the weekend sees the Lions take on the Bulldogs in Canberra. All of the Lions’ new recruits will be on show and it should be entertaining to see how Barry Hall fares with his new side.

Rugby League also has a game this weekend with the NRL All Stars taking on the Indigenous All Stars. The NRL All Stars boasts the likes of Israel Folau, Darren Lockyer, Cameron Smith and Billy Slater. It will be a very good team but as are the Indigenous All Stars. They have Preston Campbell, Scott Prince, Jamie Soward, Jonathan Thurston and Jamal Idris. It should be a special game and a great spectacle. It is a novel concept and will feature some new rules such as the "Double Try" rule where a team can choose to go for a second try instead of a conversion attempt. This is taken from the NFL where a team can go for two instead of a field goal. Should provide great viewing and hopefully is the start of a great tradition.

David Wiseman writes for this blog. He also writes about greyhound racing.

Tiger Down Under

Tiger came, he saw and he most definitely conquered. His trip to Australia was a success in every which way. It was as good a public relations as exercise as you could hope for. Everyone loved him, everyone behaved themselves and he won the tournament. Most importantly was that Tiger had a good time. It was his first trip back to Australia in 10 years and it was well worth the wait.

It was also a huge shot in the arm for Australian golf. In the 1970s the likes of Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player would go down under to play but in recent years not only have the international stars been avoiding going to Australia but many of the big name Australians haven’t been playing. This has meant that golf in Australia was suffering.

Australia loves its sports and loves to prove itself on the global stage. It hosted the 2000 Olympics which are one of the best games of the modern era. Brilliantly organized, they were basically flawless.

In addition to that, Australia hosted the 2003 Rugby World Cup and the 2006 Commonwealth Games which took place in Melbourne. Australia is also looking to host the World Cup. Soccer betting isn’t sure what to make of Australia’s chances but the biggest sporting tournament of them all has never been to Australia and it deserves to.

Australia would make a great fist of it as it does with most sporting events that it hosts. The spotlight is going to be South Africa to see how it fares with the 2010 World Cup and Rio with the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympic Games.

Before then, Vancouver has the 2010 Winter Olympics and London the 2012 Summer Olympics. Both of these games should be enjoyable as both of these cities seem to be well ahead in terms of planning.

The truth of the matter is that it is becoming harder and harder to host a huge international sporting event. Not only do you have to be able to host all of the athletes, but the spectators and media. You need the stadia to be big enough and you need transportation to carry the spectators to and from the sport. The days of Helsinki and St Louis hosting the Olympics seem to be well and truly over. Likewise you won’t think that Chile, Sweden and Switzerland won’t be hosting another World Cup, at least not by themselves.

David Wiseman writes for this blog. He also writes about harness betting.

November Reign

The year might be winding down but still there is plenty of top quality sport to be played. The big news at the moment is the World Series. The Yankees just clinched their 27th World Series title. They defeated the Phillies to break their nine year droughts

Elsewhere, the final phase of World Cup qualifying resumes after a bit of a break. There are playoffs in Europe to decide who the final four representatives will be. None of these playoffs are going to easy nor will the other ones which include New Zealand taking on Bahrain and Costa Rica playing Uruguay.
The final round of qualifying in Africa will decide their five representatives.

Rugby league may be finished in Australia, but the Australian side is in England taking on New Zealand, England and France. There may be no NRL until March but that hasn’t stopped the Melbourne Storm from being the favourite in NRL betting.

The Australian rugby union side is also in England. They are on their northern tour as are New Zealand and South Africa.

A new NBA season has just begun. The big question will be if Shaquille O’Neal can combine with LeBron James to bring a title to success-starved Cleveland. Will it be the LA Lakers again or will the San Antonio Spurs be up there? The season is very early but already the Celtics, Nuggets and Suns look the goods. Meanwhile the Nets and Pacers are struggling.
The NFL season is nearly halfway over. The Pats, Colts and Broncos look the teams to beat in the AFC. In the NFC the Vikings and Saints are the front runners. As always it will be an exciting finale to the season.

Tennis is winding down but there is still the Davis Cup final where Spain will host the Czech Republic. Apart from that there is the Paris Masters and the ATP finals to take place in London.

In cricket, everyone is heading to the southern hemisphere. England will be in South Africa while both Pakistan and West Indies will be going to Australia. As always it will be an interesting season in Australia. They are still nursing their wounds after the Ashes and will be keen to bounce back. They are still looking for a spinner as well as someone to replace Andrew Symonds. It remains to be seen what kind of opposition the two teams will pose for Australia.

David Wiseman writes about sport for this blog. When he isn't doing that he can be found greyhound betting.

Looking Back on the Year in League

It was a tale of two stories for rugby league in 2009. On the field it was a fantastic year with spectacular rugby league being played. Off the field it was a disaster with scandal after incident after controversy.

It began even before a match was played when Brett Stewart was pulled up following the season launch. The champion fullback’s indiscretion caused the commercials the league had filmed to be altered as Stewart was the star of them.

As the year progressed there was no respite, in fact it got far worse. A 10 year old incident with Matthew Johns was brought to the surface meaning that Johns had to resign all of his positions. Nate Myles defecated in a hotel corridor and Greg Inglis had to face charges of assaulting his girlfriend.

If these three weren’t enough, countless players were fined for drink driving and getting into various types of trouble.

As bad as that, it was breathless on the field.

Once again the State of Origin was incredible. Queensland have won four series in a row but New South Wales bounced back when they won the last match in a very fiery display.

In the domestic competition, Wayne Bennett’s arrival at Kogarah took the Dragons to the top of the ladder. They won the minor premiership for the first time in 24 years. They were playing aggressive, passionate football and were looking good for the title. Elsewhere, the Bulldogs had a remarkable season. They bounced back from a poor 2008 to finish second on the ladder. Gold Coast Titans also did well to finish third. The Melbourne Storm weren’t as dominant as they were in recent years but still finished fourth. Then followed the Sea Eagles, Broncos, Knights and Eels.

The finals series began with a bang when the defending champion Sea Eagles were eliminated following the Dragons’ defeat to the hands of the 8th placed Eels. Not only did this give the Storm the week off but gave them a home preliminary final.

In Week 2, both the Titans and Dragons would go out without winning a final. The Eels and Broncos both advanced to the final four. With the Eels having to play the Bulldogs for a place in the Grand Final, a wave of nostalgia followed. Everyone was excited for the game by previous Eels-Bulldogs encounters and it resulted in the biggest ever crowd a non Grand Final. The Eels continued the dream while the Storm were simply too strong for the Broncos.

The experienced Storm had too much for the Eels in the Grand Final and made it two from four Grand Finals. The Eels will be better for the experience and are a favourite in NRL betting for 2010.

David Wiseman writes for this blog. He is looking forward to the next Melbourne Cup.

Storm to Face Eels in Premiership Decider

Once again the season has flashed by and we are at another NRL Grand Final. The fourth placed Melbourne Storm and in their fourth straight Grand Final while eighth placed Parramatta are in their first Grand Final for eight years.

The Eels have done it the hard way defeating the first, second and third placed sides on the way to the Grand Final. As for the Storm, they only had to defeat the fifth and sixth best teams. They also had the benefit of having a week off. Can they win to have their second title in four years?

The Eels are looking for their first title in 23 years. They last won in 1986 which signalled the end of their purple patch. They won three straight titles in 1981-83, lost in 1984 and then won in 1986. The team in those days consisted of the household names of Sterling, Kenny, Price, Grothe, Cronin and Ella. They were a star-studded side and the fans are happy to see that the side is back in the big time.
Of course they were the red-hot favourites in 2001 against the Newcastle Knights and were absolutely hammered. Nathan Hindmarsh, Nathan Cayless and Luke Burt are the only survivors from that side but it isn’t sure that Cayless will take his place due to a hamstring injury.

The bookmakers aren’t sure what to make of the game. The Storm are the favourite as far as NRL betting goes but the Eels are riding a huge crest and who knows how far it will take them? They have been written off in each of their three previous finals and dominated all three.

For the Eels, superstar and Dally M Player of the year, Jarryd Hayne is going to be the key. He is an excitement machine and is capable of doing anything. Of course the Storm boast several of those players. Billy Slater and Greg Inglis will keep the Eels hands filled and that may open things up for the others such as Cooper Cronk, Steve Turner and Brett Finch.

Ultimately the Storm’ s superior experience at this level and easier lead-up should see them take the title. They still have unfinished business from last year while with the Eels, there is a sense that coming this far is already a huge achievement. They may already have played their Grand Final.

After the conclusion of the NRL season, David Wiseman is looking forward to planning his Melbourne Cup betting.