The Tour de France begins

One of the highlights of the sporting calendar every year is about to unfold as the Tour de France starts with a 6.4km prologue time trial in around 45 minutes time.

I won’t pretend to be an expert on cycling but the Tour de France is always extremely exciting as we get to watch some of the world’s greatest athletes push themselves to the limit. Prior to the tour, all the talk seems to suggest that it is a simple two horse race between Australian Cadel Evans and England’s Bradley Wiggins. Hearing that there is a chance of the winner not being in any way linked to Australia will usually be enough to convince me to watch a sporting event but I am particular excited by the prospect of seeing the first English winner of the Tour de France in it’s long, illustrious history. I love Mark Cavendish, like Murali in cricket or Diego Maradona in football his approach is controversial and adds spice to the spectacle, but it is tough to know what his plans are given some of the sprinters will have their eyes on the Olympics which follow not long after the Tour. If Cavendish does opt out of the tour early to focus on the Olympics, it will definitely leave the race for the green jersey wide open. So while some are suggesting this may be a ‘boring tour’ by ts standards, I think there’s potential for some real excitement – and I’m almost certain it won’t end up being a race between Wiggins and Evans, there’s always going to be a surprise somewhere along the line.

I am well and truly on the Bradley Wiggins bandwagon for the duration of the tour, so hopefully he can ride into Paris in yellow… Ideally with Robert Gesink in second for the sake of my fantasy side!

What are the Roosters doing?

As an outsider looking in, I’m a little bit confused as to what exactly the Sydney Roosters are trying to achieve going forward with the way they’re handling their playing roster.

Letting go of two of their most experienced players – Braith Anasta and Sam Perrett – is a very bold move. The big rumour is, of course, that it’s to free up enough coin to sign Sonny Bill Williams. But, as incredible a player as Sonny Bill is, surely he’s not worth the value that the likes of Perrett and Anasta provide – not only on the field, but off it? Letting go two of your senior players, two veterans of the club who have given the Roosters their all and are undoubtedly part of the “leadership group” that all clubs talk about having and that all clubs constantly emphasise the importance of having, will have it’s negative consequences. Sonny Bill is apparently only keen to play in the NRL for a year. For a team like the Roosters, who have been in a rebuilding phase for years now and really need to start to find some consistent success, I’m not sure this is the right approach to be taking.

Sonny Bill Williams is well known for commanding top dollar – I very much doubt that the salaries of Perrett and Anasta combined cover the salary that SBW will be demanding. There’s probably enough there which could have instead been spent to retain the two experienced heads, and approach someone else to add to that leadership group – perhaps someone like Michael Gordon who could’ve played a season on the wing with a view to making him Anthony Minichiello’s long term fullback replacement.

But it seems the Roosters are keen to take the punt on Sonny Bill. Honestly, if I were a Roosters fan, this news would frustrate me to no end. The Roosters have been categorised as a rebuilding side for some time now. Letting Anasta and Perrett go just seems to me like it will result in a number of the blocks they’ve built up being knocked back down. It will have a big effect on the culture of the club,  with less veteran players to show the young players the way to achieve success. And after the year with Sonny Bill? The Roosters will be left with a huge chunk of the salary cap to spend meaning the likely addition of at least a couple of players who will be expected to play important roles, and potentially an unstable culture within the club.

Back to rebuilding again, then. You’d almost have to say that the Roosters would need to win the comp next season to justify signing Sonny Bill as a good decision if it happens. And on paper, I doubt their squad for next season plus Sonny Bill is capable of doing that.

Exciting, if somewhat concerning times ahead for Roosters fans I guess.

Congrats to the Miami Heat, in particular, LeBron

A big congratulations to the Miami Heat organization for taking out this year’s NBA championship after defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder in today’s game five to win the series 4-1.

In particular, LeBron James, who has been exceptional this postseason, not only in his performances but in his demeanour. LeBron James this playoffs has been a perfect example to back up the theory that “you’ve got to lose one to win one”. He has progressed a great deal from this time last season, where he was left distraught after the Heat lost the finals series to the Dallas Mavericks. LeBron played so smartly this time around. He made a clear mental effort to avoid settling for jump shots every time he had the ball in his hands. No longer did we see LeBron resort to throwing up contested three point shots in the fourth quarter, desperately trying to see the game home. LeBron re-invented his approach – so much so, that he, incredibly, scored a grand total of zero points from outside the paint in today’s game. There’s a reason his transition to a more post-orientated approach has worked – most of the guys who guard him normally simply do not have the strength to hold him off in the post, and when he’s being defended by a guy who can, he can utilise his incredible speed, agility and athleticism to get around them or his court vision to set up his teammates.

The latter approach came in particularly useful today, as the Miami Heat’s role players were on fire from long range, hitting 14 threes in the game – half of which were made by Mike Miller. It was great to see Miller, someone who has been plagued by injury all season and who has been unable to handle anywhere near his usual minutes in the postseason, come out and fight through those injuries to do what he does best – knock down threes, and help lead his team to the win. The “supporting cast” of the heat were instrumental throughout the season, each providing multiple key performances to aid the Big 3. Along with Miller, Mario Chalmers and Shane Battier both contributed crucial performances in the NBA Finals series, and they fully deserve their championship rings.

What impressed me most out of it all however was LeBron James approach mentally. We did not see the show pony of last season, the LeBron who seemed to be driven by a desire to prove everyone else wrong, as he himself put it – he was playing the game out of hate rather than love. The LeBron of old was hard for me personally to like because of the way he put himself across at times on the court, jumping around and beating his chest at every opportunity. This time though, there was none of that. LeBron has learnt. He kept his cool, he remained focused, and clinical. Early in the fourth quarter, Mario Chalmers started to celebrate and wave to the crowd. It was LeBron who went over to him and told him to hold off and get the job done. He now knows what it takes to win, where he went wrong last season. He had every right to celebrate when the game was over, but until then, he knew that he had to keep his emotions in check and finish the game off. And that was something I really liked to see.

He’s finally done it: LeBron James finally gets his hands on the Larry O’Brien trophy

So congratulations again to Miami – they are deserved winners. There’s no doubting the Thunder will be back, they are so young, it is scary to think what they can accomplish from here. Like the Heat were, the Thunder will be better for this defeat in the Finals. They’re such a well-run organisation that they’ll undoubtedly come out firing next season. They’ll be under the media microscope over the next few weeks, but it really is scary to think of what they can do with the added drive and motivation that this Finals loss will provide.

’til next season!

Hindy for Origin is a nice idea but not practical

Nathan Hindmarsh is one of most respectable players in the NRL. Seeing the way Parramatta have played this season is doubly disappointing given it’s Hindy’s last. He is one of the hardest workers in the game, constantly racking up tackles and is always there to dive on a loose ball or help to hold an opposing player up over the line. He leaves every ounce of energy he’s got out on the field for his team every week, and he’s been robbed of a long and illustrious State of Origin career. Hindmarsh has always had Origin all over him, he’s a workhorse, he’s tough as they come and he will not let you down. He should have played a lot more games than he has, that he hasn’t boggles the mind. NSW have picked teams in the past to try and contain Queensland, yet they’ve ignored one of the greatest tackle machines to ever play the game. Perhaps Hindmarsh didn’t “have enough mongrel” read: “wasn’t willing to play dirty and try to get under the Queenslander’s skins instead of try to win the game”. Regardless, Hindmarsh will go down as one of the game’s truely “good guys”.

However picking him for Origin III would be a mistake. New South Wales do not need a player like Hindmarsh in the side. They’ve finally woken up to the idea that they need to beat Queensland, not contain them. And this approach is working. The Blues’ pack has been excellent in both of the matches so far in this year’s series. They’ve finally found front rowers capable of bending the Queensland defensive line, and the smaller, more agile back rowers are making yards on the back of this around the ruck. It’s a successful game-plan that Nathan Hindmarsh doesn’t fit into.

It’s a shame that Hindy can’t be picked – I’d love to see him go out on a high with an appearance in Origin but it’s just too important a game to pick someone who doesn’t fit into the team plan. Tony Williams is reportedly close to a return – he’d be the obvious replacement for Glenn Stewart should he be fit enough. He made an impact in game one and he’d do the same in game three – he’s just way too big not to and he fills the role on the fringes so well.

Hindmarsh is an excellent player – there are few more deserving of a championship win than him – but unfortunately, this time, the right call would be to look elsewhere.

The David Nalbandian incident

For those who haven’t seen it:

Reportedly, the player involved, David Nalbandian, is set to face assault charges for his behaviour. This is ridiculous. Sure, his behaviour was disgraceful. He fully deserved his disqualification – lashing out like that was childish. But the disqualification was enough. That sent the message loud and clear that you cannot get away with hurting a spectator – even purely accidentally – under any circumstances. But charging Nalbandian with assault is not required. The message that needs to be sent to youngsters is to control your emotions. Full stop. Not control your emotions in situations which may injure someone.

The injury itself was fairly minor. It’s the sort of thing that happens to young kids in the playground on a daily basis. Put a plaster on it and in a week you’re all good again. It will hardly impact on the man’s life at all.

This, to me, just reeks of someone wanting their 30 seconds of fame by being the one to get one over on the superstar sportsman. Like those people who spot a sporting icon out late at night and bait them into a negative reaction. Sure, the sports stars need to be able to control themselves and realise they have a responsibility to act as role models, but when people are making an active effort to bring icons of sport down just because they think it will impress others and get them some time in the limelight, that is just as disgraceful.

Kasiano to play Origin III?

Rumours are doing the rounds that Bulldogs prop Sam Kasiano is all set to emulate James Tamou and turn his back on his allegiance to New Zealand in favour of State of Origin, and may end up doing so as soon as this year’s third Origin match.

Of course rumours like this with no concrete quotes from either party can be given little credibility, but as a Kiwis fan I cringe every time I hear word of Kasiano, one of New Zealand’s best front row prospects, is going to instead declare allegiance to the Maroons and, subsequently, Australia.

Something has got to be done, as this is ruining both Australian and New Zealand rugby league. Origin is based on the idea of “state against state” – where true NSWelshmen and Queenslanders fight to their very limit for their states. We, as fans, constantly hear of ex-Origin stars coming in to speak to the current sides about the passion of Origin and of the honour of being able to represent their states. Kiwis cannot fully comprehend this.

Origin is the pinnacle of the game, clearly. The intensity of Origin is on another level to even the World Cup or Four Nations finals. You can’t really blame these young Kiwis for wanting to play the game at its highest level, and to get a piece of the pay-day that comes from it.

But, the more Kiwis who do play Origin means the more “true NSWelshmen and Queenslanders” who miss out – blokes who have grown up with Origin and know exactly just how much it means. Someone like Aaron Woods for example, a born and bred New South Welshman, is probably the man who would be in the side should James Tamou’s allegiance instead be with his country of birth. How do you think Woods, someone who bleeds blue, feels that he is being robbed of his boyhood dream to play Origin by a Kiwi?

The Kiwis will be weakened as a result. The appeal of Origin will be weakened as a result. The immense history of Origin and rugby league in general is being tarnished. It only takes a few Kiwis to shift allegiance now and eventually it will become common practice.

Have an All Stars series, such as that found in the NBA, if we want to get the best 34 players in the game on the field together regardless of allegiance. But for now, the single biggest issue facing rugby league is the quickly growing farce that is Kiwis being able to play State of Origin. It is quickly ruining the game.

Sunday at Leichhardt never fails to please

Today’s NRL match between the Tigers and the Roosters was excellent. The Tigers nearly stole it at the end there, but unfortunately their performance in the opening hour had let them down. Understandably so, though, given the massive emotional burden the Tigers were carrying with the news of the death of Robbie Farah’s mother. Farah is one of my favourite and most respected players in the game, so I do hope that he and his family are doing okay in getting through this very tough time.

This was an example of why rugby league is so good. The Tigers spread it wide, playing a very expansive brand of footy with the ball flying over both sides of the field on every tackle, and they nearly completed the impossible.

There’s no need to read anything into the Tigers’ performance today, they are not falling apart defensively or on the way down – they simply were greatly affected by something that is bigger than sport.

Hopefully Farah is able to bounce back when he does return to the game and continue his great run of form. He’s been the Blues’ best player over the first two Origin matches (only Greg Bird could argue a case against that). It would be great to see the Blues win in game three, led once again by Robbie Farah.

The Great Motivator? At the moment, anything but…

When New Zealand Warriors coach Brian McClennan joined the side in his role as mentor and overseer, he was widely lauded for his ability to bring unity to a team. To get into players’ heads. To bring about success “from within”. At the moment however, the major problem facing the Warriors seems to be mental lapses. Switching off at inopportune moments. Seemingly, it’s a lack of appropriate mental application that is letting the side down. Is this proof that McClennan, at some stage given the nickname of ‘The Great Motivator’, is not all he’s cracked up to be when it comes to the mental side of the game?

The Warriors started the season with an incredibly frustrating habit of failing to show up to a match for the first twenty minutes – which was eventually addressed. Should never have happened. And now, over the past three matches against Wests, Melbourne and Penrith, we’ve seen the Warriors go out to a solid lead, only to blow it each time through switching off and giving away the ascendancy. Once again, should not be happening. Finally, the Krisnan Inu saga. I’m not going to deny for a second Inu had to go – it was clear he and the Warriors did not mesh – particularly this season. But we messed him around. Constantly being included and dropped from the first grade side and hearing he had a poor attitude could have done nothing but slash the confiidence of one of the most talented players in the game. My fear is that Inu’s quiet, give little away nature was mistaken for a poor attitude. Of course, I have absolutely no idea what Inu’s attitude to the game is like and so will not for a second attempt to claim that this was the case. But see what a little confidence has done for Inu at the Dogs. He’s been given the kicking duties, and a consistent spell in the first grade side. And we’re yet to see a trademark Krisnan Inu brain fade, instead watching him perform admirably for the fourth straight week.

It’s too soon to suggest Inu is about to finally unleash all his potential. But, to me, it’s no surprise that he’s returned to some of his best form under Des Hasler. Added to this, Hasler has now, for the third successive season, springboarded the career of a young half. It was Trent Hodkinson two years ago, Daly Cherry-Evans last year, and now Josh Reynolds this year. Perhaps the title of “The Great Motivator” should instead be given to Hasler. It surely cannot continue to be attributed to the coach of  arguably the most inconsistent side in the competition at the moment.