While the rest of the country slowly pulls itself out of recession, a full-scale Tiger Woods-led recovery will be raging down in a little suburban pocket of south-east Melbourne.
Life / Sport
John Howard transforming NRL: there goes the black fan base
Rugby league has been a dying game for many, many years — is John Howard really the man to revamp it? It makes even less sense when you consider a large percentage of the hard-core league fan-base is black.
Can John Howard save the NRL?
The Tele, owned by News Ltd who also co-own the NRL, is reporting that former PM John Howard is a likely contender to head up a new independent NRL commission.
Does hosting the Olympics pay off?
Olympic host cities are usually lucky to even break even on the net cost of hosting the Games. But there are some unmeasured financial boons for staging such “mega events”, as seen with the huge surge in Brazilian stock prices yesterday.
Turnbull victory the height of well-priced efficiency
The $502,000 Turnbull Stakes is a good test of horse, jockey, trainer and connections’ staying power at a middle distance, writes TP Maher.
NRL: A perfect Storm
The Melbourne Storm grand final win “has insinuated a once-scorned code into the consciousness, indeed affection” of their AFL crazy homeland, writes Greg Baum.
America’s big Olympic sook
How could Chicago not get the 2016 Olympic Games? cries the US media. They had Oprah! And the Obamas! And the Northern Hemisphere! At least they won one thing, says Mike Hegedus: a gold medal in naivete.
The Saints who didn’t quite reach heaven
What is it like for footy fans who get so close then fall so far? Nearly one week on, two Saints fans put pain to paper. Get ready for the grieving Melbourne Storm or Parramatta Eels fans.
Why the Parramatta Eels need to win
A victory for the Parramatta Eels over Melbourne Storm this Sunday would be a victory for the rugby league heartland and tribalism over the corporate dollar, writes Chris Seage.
The Olympics’ biggest losers
The biggest competition in the Olympics isn’t on the field or in the pool: it’s the battle to be the Games’ host city. But only one city can take gold every four year. The Economist looks at the cities with the most failed bids at hosting glory.
Dear IOC: say ‘no’ to Tokyo 2016
The IOC will announce the host city for the 2012 Olympic Games later today, and residents of Chicago, Rio, Madrid and Tokyo are holding their collective breaths — except Tokyo local Garrett DeOrio, who explains why the Olympics will bring nothing but problems to the city.
Can Eels weather the Storm?: NRL Grand Final preview
Seven months, 26 rounds of Rugby League, and come Sunday evening it all comes down to to eighty minutes of football in front of a sold out ANZ Stadium crowd.
Cadel Evans: the greatest victory by any Australian road cyclist
Cadel Evans’ men’s senior world road championship victory isn’t only his most prestigious win, but the greatest by any Australian road cyclist. Australia is become a cycling super power.
Reflections on a cracking Grand Final
St Kilda had its chances; the Cats got out of jail. When it counted, Geelong’s champions came to the fore. And the umpires were too prominent. Charles Happell reflects in the wake of AFL Grand Final ‘09.
Won’t somebody think of the football babies?
As the much-anticipated grand final between St Kilda and Geelong looms tomorrow, John Cash introduces meets of the die-hard Saints and Cats fans whose passions have been joined to the fate and fortunes of their club throughout a lifetime.
graph pr0n Geelong vs. St Kilda supporters: who does more yoga?
St Kilda supporters are more likely to participate in dancing and yoga than Geelong supporters while Cats supporters are more likely to be petrol heads. Possum Comitatus does some timely number crunching.
Australia’s biggest sporting losers
In the lead-up to the NRL and AFL finals, no-one’s focusing much on the potential of losing. Except for the The Punch team. They wrap Australia’s biggest sporting letdowns from Collingwood to Mark Philippoussis.
A long time between drinks for Saints supporters
St Kilda FC has won just one glittering prize from five starts: 1913, 1965, 1966, 1971, 1997. I was at the last four, says Kevin Rennie. He’s still looking for a ticket to Saturday’s Grand Final against Geelong.
Kasparov vs. Karpov: it’s not 1984 but it’s still rock’n'roll
It’s the chess version of cricket dragging legendary figures out of retirement to play some well remunerated 20/20 games, writes Ian Rogers: great rivals Garry Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov were at it again in Valencia last night.
Chess wars LIVE: Kasparov vs. Karpov: the rematch
It’s blood on the checkerboard as the world’s greatest chess grandmasters, Garry Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov, rematch their epic 1984 World Chess Championship battle. The Guardian are following all the action, as it happens, with a liveblog. Naturally.
Ablett’s Brownlow: a win for excellence and genetics
A truly deserved Brownlow Medal win for the man who could have taken it out three times by now, says Rohan Connolly. This was the climax of “sustained excellence by the AFL’s pre-eminent on-baller”.
Horse & Jockey: Caulfield: So many horses, so little money
When they first built a primitive racecourse at Caulfield in 1859, a track had to be crudely fashioned from the heath, sand hills and snake-infested swamps. It looks much the same today, writes T.P. Maher.
Ablett: always a bridesmaid, never a Brownlow bride?
It’s the last week of September, which means only one thing: AFL. Amongst all the Brownlows fake tan, will Gary Ablett Jnr be the favourite that didn’t take it home, again?
Renault: the biggest sports cheats of all time?
In a shocking act of cheating, Renault forced one of their drivers to crash, in order to let Fernando Alonso win. This is what happens when sport becomes about money not glory, says Simon Barnes.
NRL’s naked truths laid bare by female journos
What’s it like being a female journalist in a sport dominated by sex scandal headlines and mistreatment of women? Rugby League journo Jacquelin Magnay tells how to play the game.
