The Greens oppose the CPRS not because it is too weak, but because it will point Australia in the wrong direction with little prospect of turning it around in the timeframe within which emissions must peak, says Senator Christine Milne.
Crikey’s AFL and NRL Hot Form Charts
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AFL Hot Form Chart The city of churches and the city of temporary fencing lost their teams last week, thus reducing the number of AFL flag hopefuls to just six.
But before Andrew Demetriou can say “interstate TV ratings”, let’s fire up the Crikey Hot Form Chart and study the stats, with the help of an all-new feature — the X-factor.
1. Port Adelaide Can it be true? For the first time since … well, since it was published, Geelong aren’t sitting atop Crikey’s Hot Form Chart. On the back of five straight victories (one over the Cats themselves), the Power are now officially top, top, top. Do we have a genuine premiership contender? The stats say yes.
2. Geelong Geelong won the fight and beat the spread when they absolutely shilacked the Kangaroos on Sunday. The Cats are now shorter than Phar Lap in a fixed donkey race to take the flag but somehow, they’re only second best on the Crikey chart. Prophetic?
3. West Coast My mum told me that by playing injured superstar, Chris Judd, West Coast are admitting to the rest of the competition that they can’t win without him. My mum is an ex-Australian netballer who is not without a clue on such matters. My mum is also a Quinn, and if you jump up a few branches on the family tree, you’ll run into Ellen Quinn, mother of Ned Kelly. So, when I see a West Coast team missing Judd, Cousins and Kerr, I feel a genetic authority in declaring: such is life.
4. Collingwood Do the Pies flatter to deceive? Or are they legitimate contenders? Methinks tonight’s rumble in the West will reveal all. The Pies travel but take their best side to face an Eagles line-up without a midfield. All of which means Collingwood are favourites against West Coast in Perth … just don’t tell Mick Malthouse.
5. Hawthorn Winners of the game of the year last week, and it was a final to boot. Hawthorn overcame some last quarter yips to announce emphatically it is the real deal. Now the Hawks face the Roos, who looked pedestrian at last outing, and possibly the Power after that. And it’s all down to one man …
6. Kangaroos Like an opponent of Roger Federer, the Roos look destined to go out in straight sets. Can the Shinboners summon something special and give September a shake? Computer says no.
Crikey’s AFL Hot Form Tips are:
NRL Hot Form Chart: the Shakespeare edition
It’s not often that the loss of a football team brings down a Premier but we’re talking Queensland here and Peter Beattie is a proud man. There was no way the Victorian flag would be flying over Parliament on his watch!
For finals round 2, we thought a thespian point of view might add something to the stats as we pick apart Crikey’s NRL Hot Form Chart.
1. Melbourne Storm Like last year, the Storm have secured the Minor Premiership. Like last year, the Storm have a week off before the prelim. Unlike last year, the Storm are in season best form. Hard to toss from here.
2. North Queensland Cowboys The Cowboys play in the daytime this weekend, a schedule that has caused them problems in ’07. I know of another creature who goes all woozy and weak in the sunlight … that’s right, Philip Ruddock.
3. Manly Sea Eagles Manly put scratchy performances behind them and dumped Souths – a team with momentum and sentiment behind it – out of the competition last week. The rest will be appreciated ahead of a likely preliminary final battle with the red-hot Cowboys.
4.New Zealand Warriors Teams who lose at home in the first week of finals often sag like a pricked balloon – especially when the home ground comes with the palpable advantage of Mt Smart Stadium. Now, the Warriors go north where the air is wet, the men are thirsty, and the crocs are nervous.
5. Parramatta Eels As if the existing Eels-Bulldogs rivalry wasn’t hot enough, Willie Mason has thrown accelerant on the bonfire by claiming in a newspaper article that the Bulldogs would not be overly concerned at having to play Parramatta in the finals. This after Mason’s team was downed by the Eels! You can call Willie a lot of things … and arrogant is certainly one of them.
6. Bulldogs The Dogs tell us they are in good form despite three narrow losses. Unfortunately, the only form Crikey’s Hot Form Chart notices is winning form. We are a tipping the Eels in what is shaping up as an old fashioned, hate-fueled, rip snorter of a game.
Crikey’s NRL Hot Form Tips are:
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