December 2006 - Sports And All

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Sports and All - December 2006

Eagles Face Double Standards

December 6th 2006 05:11

Ben Cousins was issued a last chance warning last year when he was found fleeing a police booze bus in the lead up to the 2006 AFL season. This year in what seems an annual saga Cousins has been arrested for being drunk in public outside Melbourne’s Crown Casino.

The question begs, will the Eagles stand firm and sack the serial offender? It is highly improbable the Eagles will take this course of action due to sheer talent of the footballer in question, but it will start a precedent that will severely risk double standards in future incidents.

Should one of the Eagles rookie list players be caught running away from a booze bus or be arrested for public indiscretions it is quite likely the player would be de-listed, which creates two sets of guide lines. Those for club champion Brownlow Medalists and those for young men that make up the numbers.

Obviously the Eagles have a good playing chemistry, highlighted by the club competing in consecutive AFL grand finals, but there must be more than a few players and officials who have tolerated almost as much as they can from a former captain, and role model for legions of young West Australian footballers.

At what point do the Eagles say enough is enough?

(Let me know what you think!)

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Ashes Update

December 6th 2006 03:07

Chris John Abbott-
With two tests played and won, Australia seem almost certain to regain the coveted ashes it lost in such heartbreaking circumstances 18 months ago.

Before the series I had predicted a 3-1 series win to Australia and thus far I see no reason to amend that notion. Australia dominated the first test with a combination of heart, focus, skill and revenge but the second test has been the biggest indication of the difference between the two sides. Class.

After England declared on day two with a lead of 551 runs most thought the game was England’s to lose, a fair appraisal but for the quality of Australia’s squad. To win a test match the absolute necessity is to be able to bowl out your opponent twice, whilst accumulating runs and keeping consistent performance over five days. England had match winners in the shape of Pietersen, Collingwood and Hoggard but they couldn’t answer Ricky Ponting (All too often he was given singles to get him off strike).

I must admit that after the second day’s play my mind skipped back to the Adelaide test against India in which Australia amassed a similar first innings score to England batting first only to see India pull the match out of the fire on the final day through a Dravid inspired performance.

Remembering that the Adelaide pitch does not crack up as dramatically as the GABBA pitch did in the first test, I didn’t feel Australia’s cause was as lost as a self help manual by Marcus Trescothick. Yet watching the final day’s play I was as surprised as the next man, when Warnie and co turned the screws but at no stage had I felt Australia were on death row. England failed by misreading the pitch and by resting on their laurels. Had they made their runs more quickly they wouldn’t have needed to declare six down and could have made closer to 650, which would have been to many runs for Australia. But the biggest problem was their lack of intent on the final day. Warne bowled well, Lee looked sharp and Clarke is in form, yet it was truly England themselves who presented the biggest problems early on the fifth day.

Adelaide resembled no mans land for the English on day five with each delivery seemingly exploding off the pitch. Strauss was unlucky, but Bell and Flintoff’s dismissals were particularly poor. Yet when Australia (led by brilliant knocks from Hussey and Ponting) formed their chase the pitch again seemed a paradise for batsmen.

This test will be remembered, (McGrath’s worst figures, Hoggard’s best and a real arm wrestle in between) but England will need to forget the fifth day fade out if their any chance to hold onto the tiny urn.

The third test is in just over a week in Perth, England have already missed a trick by leaving Panesar in the pavilion for the ineffective Giles and many pundits now claim he will get his chance in Perth. It is highly likely I believe that Panesar will again miss out as Perth is more commonly known for its pace and bounce which suits batsmen and seemers. James Anderson is the most likely man to be axed and I would suggest Sajid Mahmood will come into the XI with Giles luckier than a boxing-day turkey.

Again the toss will be imperative, should Australia win the toss and bat first, there will be no low swinging chariots, just slung hooks and bitter memories of what could have been.