The AFL have again underlined why their collective decision making confirms them as the savviest governing body in Australian sport, on the heels of Anna Bligh’s historic Queensland election win, writes Ross Stapleton.
Sport
It’s now or never for Terry Wallace
Richmond Tigers coach Terry Wallace has courted the media from day one and the media, in turn, has looked after him, largely turning a blind eye to his failure, writes Charles Happell.
It’s time to change the NRL “boyz” club
Rugby League has an entrenched, serious, and dare we say it, intractable problem with rampant s-xual abuse and misogyny within its ranks, writes James Connor .
The catastrophic opening to the NRL season
In a lifetime of watching rugby league, I cannot recall a more catastrophic lead in to the start of a premiership season, writes Jeff Wall.
Carrara stadium funding political football raining goals for ALP
Now the ALP has a ready-made partisan issue where a vote for them is essentially a mandate for an AFL Gold Coast club — while voting for the LNP will all but kill it off. Such a stark choice mocks Springborg’s political radar, writes Ross Stapleton.
Sponsorship is a two way street
The operators of the Melbourne stadium formerly known as Telstra Dome are finding out the hard way that sponsorship is a two-way street, especially when it involves naming rights, writes Stephen Downes.
The AFL’s expansion nightmare
The decision to create expansion teams in the Gold Coast and Western Sydney was a dubious proposition even during the economic boom. In a GFC, it’s untenable, writes Adam Schwab.
Soccer has the AFL rattled, that’s the real story
At issue is which code wins the right to use Melbourne’s Telstra Dome on Saturday week … and more than that, writes Charles Happell.
Open done, jobs go at Seven Sport
A series of rumours this morning suggested Seven has cut staff at Seven Sport in Sydney, writes Glenn Dyer.
Tennis drug ban proves that WADA has lost the plot
A young man’s life was saved by his sensible use of his own asthma medication but his career has been destroyed by a totalitarian doping agency, writes John Orchard.
Alas poor Haydos the flat track bully and Christian sledger
Matthew Hayden’s more than just a run machine that ran out of gas. He’s a great Australian, or so News Limited tells us, writes Walter Slurry.
Australian selectors need to get to work
Matthew Hayden has had a successful member of Australia’s all-conquering side — but his time has come, writes Adam Schwab.
Mungo: The real world crisis — Australian cricket
The Australian cricket team have brought disaster upon themselves by hanging around for too long, writes Mungo MacCallum.
Time for Collingwood to move on from Eddie McGuire
The Collingwood Football Club AGM at the MCG tonight should be an absolute belter, writes Stephen Mayne.
Letting Cousins back willl be a backwards step for the AFL
This weekend, the AFL is deciding whether to bend the rules one more time to get Ben Cousins back on the field. Greg Hill looks at the potential repercussions of this decision.
John Daly: A waste of taxpayers’ money
What global financial crisis? State governments are happy to spend their money an obese, chain-smoking, temper tantrum throwing golfer who can’t play golf, writes Charles Happell.
Honda exits as F1 global financial crisis looms
Like a hurricane on the tail of a breeze, Honda has baulked at the global financial situation and plunged the world of Formula 1 into its own crisis, writes Andrew Maitland.
AFL draft: 11% of those picked will never play a game
As inexact sciences go, AFL drafting is up there with economics and weather forecasting. Some duds get drafted in the top 10, while champions get overlooked until the third, fourth and fifth rounds, writes Charlie Happell.
Sport handling the alcohol sponsorship issue poorly — already
It has not taken long for Cricket Australia to take the lead in poorly handling the growing challenge from the health lobby to the sponsorship of sport by the alcohol industry, writes Jeff Wall.
Ponting cops it for picking self-preservation over victory
Ricky Ponting’s decision to honour over-rates ahead of keeping hold of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy has led to an outpouring of ill-feeling from former players and commentators. Compiled by Thomas Hunter.
World Championship Chess: Anand takes world title
The world has a new Chess champion, reports Ian Rogers, Australia’s first Grandmaster.
The recession proof carnival
As the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival reaches its peak crowds, and betting turnover, on the Caulfield and Moonee Valley carnival days have been at near record levels, writes Jeff Wall.
World championship chess: Kramnik fights back
At the tenth game only one person seemed unaware that the World Chess Championship was supposed to be all over — Vladimir Kramnik, writes Ian Rogers.
World Chess: The Painter and the philistine
Each game for Kramnik is an opportunity to try to create a work of art, albeit one where his opponent tries to obstruct him at every move, writes Ian Rogers.
World championship chess: Nadal v. Federer with pawns
There was atmosphere and passion aplenty in Bonn on Friday as Anand and Kramnik fought out one of the greatest World Championship games of the modern era, writes Ian Rogers.
