Monthly Archives: August 2013

Canberra Raiders: Ferguson, Milford and the quest for players who want to play

August 19, 2013 By in Shumpty Speaks Tags: , , , 1 Comment

Is there a week that goes by in the NRL at the moment where there is not some off field “news” about a Canberra Raiders player? Of recent weeks, whilst the team that I have followed for nearly two decades has been in the midst of playing the top 5 teams back to back and losing, the only news one seems to read is of players wanting a release from their contracts. Coming after the Josh Dugan debacle of earlier in the season, this constant cloud over the Raiders is almost becoming too much for this lifelong fan to bear.

I am not going to rehash all of the news of recent weeks save to say that it seems pretty clear that Blake Ferguson and Anthony Milford do not want to be at the club. In Ferguson’s case, whether he was on the grog at the weekend or not, he has shown nothing that could even be considered as resembling interest in being at the club since his return to the fold following his suspension over sexual assault allegations. The club stood behind him and now he, seemingly, not only wants to leave but cannot be bothered to watch a whole game that he was allegedly too injured to play? What a fine way to repay the faith the Raiders showed in him.

The Milford case is a sad one given his father’s illness. I would have more sympathy though if his manager was not in the press last week spruiking that his player, Milford, would consider boycotting the whole of the 2014 season if the Raiders did not grant him a release. It is important to note here three things:

1. Milford is a young man and is obviously close to his family. It is entirely understandable, as a human being, that he would want to be close to his father.

2. The Raiders have invested significantly in Milford given that they gave him an opportunity in their SG Ball side, after he had played with feeder club Souths Logan as a junior, and then the under 20 team before he hit the big time in the NRL this season. What I am saying is, this is not a player developed by another club who had been swooped upon when disaffected by the club. Simply: he was developed by the Raiders into the player he is.

3. It is pretty obvious that he does not want to be at the club next year.

That last point is the real issue for me: I just want to see a Raiders 17 on the weekend that wants to play for the club. Not one that is filled with players on the way out, wanting to be out or focused on their own agendas ahead of what is best for the club. If Ferguson and Milford do not want to play in the green jersey, then surely the best thing for all involved is to cut them lose and get players in that want to play for our proud club.

I know that is a painful suggestion given the players that the Raiders have had to give up in recent times but, in time, to have developed a squad of players who actually want to play in Canberra into a winning line up would surely be more satisfying that having to put up with the rabble we, as fans, have to put up with now.

I will always be a fan of the Canberra Raiders. It is striking though that this is the first year in my recent memory when I have not made a trip to Canberra from Brisbane to watch my team play. Indeed as close as two seasons ago I would travel to Canberra Stadium two or three teams a year. Maybe my disaffection with the NRL in general is colouring my love of my team but maybe, also, this seemingly constant wave of player disenfranchisement is also having an impact.

I crave the week, then month and then season where the team running out for the Raiders is one entirely united to cause of winning for the club and the fans. At the moment it feels like that week is a long way away.

The Ashes: England squad for the 5th Test

August 18, 2013 By in Shumpty Speaks Tags: , , 3 Comments

England have today named a 14 player squad for the 5th and final test of the Ashes series at the Oval.

The squad is: A Cook (c), J Anderson, J Bairstow, I Bell, S Broad, S Finn, S Kerrigan, K Pietersen, M Prior, G Swann, C Tremlett, J Trott and C Woakes

Tim Bresnan and Graeme Onions are out of the squad from the 4th test with injury. Steve Finn returns having been dropped after the second test.

Simon Kerrigan, for those who don’t know of him, is a 24 year old left arm orthodox spinner who has played 48 first class matches and boasts an impressive record with 164 wickets at an average of 26.52. He has not appeared in the top English team at any level.

Chris Woakes, having already represented England at ODI and T20 level, is another 24 year old (does England have some depth at the moment or am I missing something?) this time an all rounder, again with an impressive first class record, having played 82 first class fixtures during which he has scored over 3000 runs at an average of 38 and taken 284 wickets at an average of 25.48.

The Ashes: 5th Test … A dead rubber or an opportunity?

August 18, 2013 By in Shumpty Speaks Tags: , , Leave a comment

I have been a staunch advocate for the Cricket Australia National Selection Panel to not make changes for the sake of making changes to the Australia test match lineup and I remain so. There could be nothing worse for building consistency in a team than consistently changing said team as is clearly evidenced by the current predicament the Australian team finds itself in.

Nonetheless, after much reflection I can only conclude that there is no better opportunity to blood a player with a view to the future than in this fixture. The series is gone and this is a dead rubber so all eyes must be focused on winning back the Ashes in Australia, a series that commences only 3 months almost to the day from the end of this test match.

To that end I believe that James Faulkner MUST be awarded his first baggy green in this game for the, hopefully, betterment of Australian cricket and the strengthening of both our batting and bowling lineups.

With Pattinson injured, Starc proven erratic and Bird innocuous under pressure the time is right to grant a debut for the young left arm swing bowling allrounder from the apple isle to see what he is made of. He possesses an excellent first class record albeit on a helpful home grand and has been shown in the past to have the fire in the belly that at times has been lacking, either actually or perceived, in Australian teams of late.

That change aside I see limited benefit in making any other changes. If Usman Khawaja is to be Australia’s long term number 3 then he must be supported by the NSP and selected. Nathan Lyon has done enough in the eyes of everyone but for John Inverarity to secure his spot. Talk of Ashton Agar being selected to bat at number 6 is surely hyperbole from a desperate press core. Finally, say what you like Brad Haddin: he is still the far superior gloveman to Matthew Wade and given that the wicket keeping is still the primary focus of his role he must be selected as well.

This final test is both the dead rubber and the opportunity I mention in the title to this post. One wonders whether the NSP has the courage to take the opportunity or whether it will revert to type and make knee jerk changes that see the same faces leaving or returning depending on whose turn it is. Only time will tell.

The Ashes Tour: Tour Game Travesty Day 2

August 18, 2013 By in Shumpty Speaks Tags: , , , Leave a comment

Bad light stopped play on day 2 of the Australians’ tour match against the English Lions at Northampton and after a 68 over centre wicket practice for the Australians the match was declared a draw. Of the three batters seemingly fighting for two spots in the Australian team, Hughes, Smith and Khawaja, only Hughes spent a long time at the crease taking 92 balls to scratch out 30.

As I said yesterday: this was a terrible act of scheduling by the ECB and Cricket Australia playing a glorified net session or centre wicket practice for 2 days heading into the last test of the Ashes series. I guess though it is important to look for positives in every situation and I can see two here: Shane Watson did not get hurt and the final test is a dead rubber so at this net session didn’t make things worse for Australia.

Being on the last test!

Bledisloe Cup: First Test Talking Points

August 17, 2013 By in Shumpty Speaks Tags: , , Leave a comment

The All Blacks came to Sydney looking to keep a great record at ANZ Stadium intact and they will leave satisfied with a dominant 47-29 victory over the disappointing Wallabies.

Here are my talking points from what was a cracking game of rugby no matter the result:

1. Three men called Smith

They won’t get as many of the plaudits as some of their contemporaries but the games of Aaron Smith, Conrad Smith and Ben Smith were nothing short of outstanding. Aaron Smith bested Will Genia and that is saying something given that he is the best in the world. There is no better defensive centre in the game than Conrad Smith and he showed it again tonight. Ben Smith played James O’Connor off the break for the 53 minutes they were opposed and scored a hatrick of tries. Massive games for the 3 men called Smith.

2. Lord McCaw is back

Love him or hate him Richie McCaw is probably the best player in the game and he again showed that tonight. Off the back of his sabbatical I questioned his fitness and of course he proved me and any others who dared to question him wrong. He did get penalised more than usual in this game much to joy of Australian fans and those playing a certain drinking game.

3. Cruden factor: Who needs Dan Carter?

When Dan Carter first got hurt many Australian fans would have breathed a sigh of relief. Frankly, his replacement Aaron Cruden was just brilliant tonight and really the question needs to be posed: should he have been selected for the All Blacks as the first choice fly half. For mine he should have been and he showed why in this game. Injured at the 70th minute mark All Blacks fans will watch his rehab closely.

4. O’Connor = non-factor

I get why James O’Connor was selected for Australia. He does have an X factor about him that one suspects could swing a game. The problem is that we so rarely see it we don’t know what it looks like! Starting on the wing he just looked out of place and behind the pace and seemed to rarely be in position. Was moved to full back in place of Jesse Mogg at the 55 minute mark and whilst he was enterprising in patches was mainly innocuous. A late try should not mask how poor his performance was. Performances by O’Connor are not matching the reputation or alleged class he has and now is the time for a change!

5. James Slipper: Australia’s best

There was much consternation from those south of the tweed about the selection of James Slipper in the place of Benn Robison and boy did Slipper play a game and a half. Whether it was in the scrum, in close contact or running out in the backs James Slipper was in everything in this game. At scrum time he was the best of any prop on the field for mine and will grow in confidence from that performance.

6. New Scrum Law = why did we need a change?

This was the first many Southern Hemisphere fans will have seen of the new scrum laws and can anyone say they were happy with them? If the idea behind the law change is to make the scrums better and more contested then they have failed dismally frankly! The new process of pre-binding seems to slacken the engagement and make it virtually impossible to feed the ball straight. Well done IRB: another worthless change softening the game!

7. Give McKenzie some time: the early signs are good!

I know the result would suggest otherwise but I take away some confidence from this game. That confidence comes from some obvious influences of Ewen McKenzie seen in the Wallabies in this game. The run in the forwards, a McKenzie haul mark in Queensland, particularly the props running in the line, was excellent to see. This team is a work in progress and will improve with time. Anyone expecting immediate results needs to wake up to themselves!

New Zealand were simply too good in this game. The return bout between these two teams is in seven days in Wellington (assuming the ground is safe for play). Much improvement needed for the Wallabies even to get close frankly!

Bledisloe Cup: Keys to Victory

August 17, 2013 By in Shumpty Speaks Tags: , , , Leave a comment

Game 1 of the Rugby Championship tonight and there is no bigger contest than that between the Wallabies and the All Blacks which also doubles as the first of three Bledisloe Cup games.

Here are my keys to victory for tonight’s game:

1. Wild Horses

Even McKenzie has named 10 Brumbies in his first Wallabies line up since taking over from Robbie Deans. Obviously this is a play for consistency and combination in the team. The Brumbies were the best team from the Australian conference of Super Rugby and if they can replicate that form on the biggest stage that will put Australia in prime position in this game.

2. The Cruden factor

Aaron Cruden comes into the All Blacks lineup in place of Dan Carter who has a calf injury. Cruden is a different style of fly half to Carter: he is more direct where Carter could be described as sublime. Equally Cruden got the better of Carter in the semi final of Super Rugby and then led his Chiefs team to victory against the Brumbies in the final. A solid game for Cruden will go a long way to securing an All Blacks victory.

3. Lord Richie: fitness a question?

The All Black’s captain is three games back from his sabbatical and I wonder if his match fitness is a little lacking? He only appeared off the bench in the Super Rugby play offs and played only 40 minutes of a practice game last Friday. There must be a question mark over his fitness. His presence on the field is a massive plus for the All Blacks but if he can not make it through the full 80 minutes every minute he is off the field will be to Australia’s advantage.

4. O’Connor v Smith

Bizarre as it maybe to suggest that the battle between two wingers might settle the outcome of this game, it seems to me that one of the ways the All Blacks will look to attack the Wallabies will be in the air aimed at J O’Connor. This is particularly so given the prowess of the former AFL player on the other wing in a gold jersey. If O’Connor can shut down the likely All Blacks aerial assault on his wing, other options will need to be looked at by the All Blacks.

5. The Sydney Hoodoo

ANZ Stadium has not been a good hunting ground for the Wallabies having lost six of their last seven fixture at the venue. Included in that is three consecutive losses at the venue against the All Blacks. They will need to break that hoodoo obviously to win here!

This will be a cracking game of rugby: my heart says the Wallabies and my head says the All Blacks. In just under 4 hours we will know which part of me was right!