Are You Ready For Some Football?

Greg Inglis on the fly last season

We are just over a week away from the start of the NRL season and to me the offseason has felt like a lifetime. Of course rugby league is once again in the news for reasons besides the actual game, as yet again the face of the NRL season launch has found himself in an off field situation, however I am not going to be discussing that particularly issue while we don’t know all the facts. It’s not entertainment and it’s not worth speculating publicly about.

There is so much to look forward to in the 2013 NRL season and I thought I’d share my thoughts on what I’m excited about:

• OK so this first one isn’t exactly the footy itself, but for the first time I will be playing Fantasy NRL in the draft format traditionally associated with American fantasy sports. It has existed in Australia before this year, but for the first time that I know of it is available for free (because who in their right mind would pay to play fantasy sports?) and if you know how obsessive I am about my Fantasy NBA, I am going to be just as bad when it comes to Fantasy NRL. Although I must admit, in light of recent developments, I’m glad we postponed our draft date.

• For the first time since I wasn’t a toddler the Rabbitohs go into a season with legitimately high expectations. A top four finish with a rookie coach and rookie halfback in 2012 has Rabbitohs fans excited and expecting the club to challenge for the premiership in 2013. It’s a bizarre feeling for a fan not used to success, at least in this sport and after attending the Charity Shield last Friday, my excitement levels to watch the Rabbitohs in 2013 could not be higher.

• A new era in State of Origin. Ricky Stuart is no longer the coach of the Blues and after being very critical of his decisions as coach in 2012, I am hopeful that the Blues will have a real opportunity to end the drought. Queensland is still going to be just as competitive and won’t hand it over, but hopefully Laurie Daley can become the NSW version of his old Canberra teammate Mal Meninga. I know I’m biased but it’s not in the interests of State of Origin for this domination to continue as it has as if one horse always wins in a two man race, eventually the race itself is no longer interesting.

• The new era in refereeing. Harrigan and Raper are out and Daniel Anderson is in and by all accounts, fans and pundits have been impressed during the preseason so far. Refs have been given more licence to make decisions, which should empower them and give them confidence and also they are now required to give an opinion when referring to the video ref. It remains to be seen how it goes, but it can’t be much worse and if it is a noticeable improvement then it will do wonders for the game.

• This one is less excitement and more general interest, but how will the league go without the shoulder charge. Players are bound to do it on occasion almost out of muscle memory and instinct and how they are punished will be of note. Also worth following is how TV networks respond to big hits them they happen, as historically they love promoting the big collisions, both during the game and in their promos and now those big collisions aren’t even legal. Will the game actually suffer like many predict? Or will it simply be a topic of conversation for a few weeks and then no one will care anymore?

• The rookies. Every year I love watching the kids I’ve seen dominating the Toyota Cup (now the Holden Cup, which is going to take some getting used to) coming up and taking the NRL by storm. My favourite young gun who I’m hoping gets plenty of NRL game time this year is Edrick Lee of the Raiders. He debuted in first grade against my Rabbitohs last year, but if he gets his chance in a pretty deep Raiders backline, he is going to be a big-time fan favourite and excitement machine.

• The inevitable controversy. This is weird, but sometimes it can be fun to get angry or worked up about a particular issue in footy. Whether it’s refereeing or rules or a team or whatever else, there will surely be something that gets us debating and arguing over the course of the season and whilst in the moment it might be frustrating, it’s part of what makes us love sport too.

• My team has Greg Inglis. You know… in case you forgot.

What are you excited about heading into the 2013 NRL season?

Walking Away

Sporting Legends Black Caviar and Michael Jordan

You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em,
Know when to walk away and know when to run. – The Gambler by Kenny Rogers

It’s an old story we’ve all heard a million times. The once great athlete who doesn’t know when to retire and ends up sticking around too long, a shell of their former selves, trying to reclaim past glory or perhaps the last few dollars they can make in their athletic career.

The most obvious examples of this happens in boxing when guys stick around well into their 40s, often because they lost their money and because they don’t realise they don’t have it anymore. Usually it ends with them being knocked out by a younger fighter and finally realising it’s over. In rare occasions like George Foreman, the old guy returns and actually succeeds, but not everyone is so lucky.

There are also many examples of players in team sports hanging around trying to catch on as a role player on a contending team trying to win a championship. Shaquille O’Neal and Gary Payton are great examples of players who had plenty of money but just couldn’t walk away when they probably should have.

Of course this leads us to Michael Jordan. The greatest basketball player of all time has already had one comeback that most people would like to forget when he played two seasons for the Washington Wizards, which at the time he part-owned and worked for. This weekend His Airness turned 50 years old and is the owner of the Charlotte Bobcats. Many pundits and even players spent the week discussing not only Jordan’s past, but also whether he could contribute to the Bobcats right now. In most cases this conversation would be 100% hypothetical, but most cases aren’t Michael Jordan.

Wright Thompson from ESPN wrote an incredible insight into Jordan this week and you can see how the hunger to play and compete is no different at age 50. He still beats the young guys on the Bobcats at 1 on 1 and whilst I doubt he does it, I don’t think he is kidding when he thinks about returning to try and improve the Bobcats on the court.

Personally I’m very torn on this idea. There is a part of me that would love to see Jordan lace up his Nikes again and see just what he has left, even if he could just play 10 minutes a game and jack up a few shots. The other part of me still mourns seeing him play for the Wizards when he wasn’t really His Airness anymore. Michael Jordan is the guy who changed hands mid layup and hit that championship winning shot over Byron Russell. Michael Jordan shouldn’t be the 50 year old man coming off the bench of the team he owns, because they don’t have enough good players without him.

All athletes, or at least all the really good ones, are hyper-competitive by nature and that’s what allows them to reach that success. It’s that same nature that leads to their downfall by sticking around too long or coming out of retirement when their body can’t perform at the levels their brain expects. Michael Jordan is that athlete mentality on steroids (calm down, metaphorical steroids not real ones).

But what about when the legendary athlete isn’t human?

Black Caviar is one of the greatest racehorses of all time and certainly Australia. Last year she just barely held on to her undefeated streak by winning the Diamond Jubilee Stakes in England, which cemented her legacy as it was a massive race and not on her own turf. The great mare was injured during the race and due to that, as well as jockey error, she only just managed to hang on.

At the time I thought the owners and trainer Peter Moody would call time on her career. There was nothing left to prove, she had made everyone involved very rich and she had an undefeated streak that shouldn’t be jeopardised by bringing her back, especially after an injury. Of course the biggest concern is that the race horse doesn’t get to make her own decisions and they are risking her health by continuing to run her as well.

Last Saturday Black Caviar made her return to the track and looked great. She won convincingly in a race named after her. I must admit I was worried going into the race about how she would do and it was a relief to see her perform the way she did. But with nothing left to prove and a horse at risk of injury every time she runs, I still feel like the connections should let her retire now. The risk outweighs the reward at this point.

I am glad to read that they will not enter her in the Newmarket Handicap where she would be carrying a whopping 61.5kg of weight. She will instead run in the William Reid Stakes at Moonee Valley on Friday, March 22. Whilst it’s a better choice than risking her streak in the Newmarket, I still feel like this ‘farewell tour’ they seem to have planned of letting her race in different cities so people can see her before she retires, is a bad idea.

I worry it will take her finally losing one of these races she is supposed to win for them to decide maybe it is time for her to head to the paddock. I want the great mare to retire with her record intact, not to mention her legs, but what is the real difference between 23 wins and whatever number she ends up on?

I really hope we don’t see Black Caviar wearing her equivalent of Michael Jordan in a Wizards jersey, because she doesn’t have the option of making that decision herself.

SBW: Farce or Revolutionary?

Sonny Bill Williams at Roosters HQ

Sonny Bill Williams has received a lifetime worth of both criticism and praise over his career to date and pretty much all of it, both good and bad, was deserved. He is a rare breed of athlete, seemingly created by whatever deity you believe in to dominate whichever sport he chooses to participate.

No one can doubt that Sonny Bill is a fantastic football player, both in rugby league or rugby union and I would imagine that if he had chosen to play any other sport as a child he would have been able to reach great heights in that as well. However, whether it was due to his personality or due to the influence of others, Sonny Bill has had controversy follow him wherever he goes.

This past week’s boxing match against Francois Botha is the latest in a line of incidents that make Sonny Bill and his manager Khoder Nasser look spectacularly dodgy and honestly they don’t seem to care.

You see, Sonny Bill Williams is a mercenary. He is a gun for hire. Sure he is in team sports, but he isn’t really a member of any team but his own and that is a decision that someone with his natural gifts is able to make. People will cater to Williams’ demands because when he actually plays for them he is so good at what he does. He only signs one year contracts and doesn’t hide the fact that he might leave to go do something else as soon as that one year is up.

In fact, he is already talking about playing for New Zealand in the Rugby 7’s at the 2016 Olympics. Although perhaps someone should tell him that you don’t get paid for competing in the Olympics.

The fact that Williams’ camp pulled the stunt they pulled by removing the last two rounds of his fight against Botha doesn’t actually surprise me. Partly because at this point nothing that happens in boxing would surprise me and partly because Nasser and Williams stopped playing by others people’s rules long ago.

After  getting away with walking out from a binding contract with the Bulldogs several years ago, besides the public backlash of course, Williams and Nasser realised they could get away with pretty much anything, because there is always going to be another door opening as they burn the bridges behind them.

Whether Williams ever goes back to boxing is unknown, as Williams was already suggesting that it might be his last fight and given how that turned out I can’t imagine too many people will be willing to pay to watch him fight again unless it’s against a much bigger name opponent.

Khoder Nasser and his stable of Williams, Anthony Mundine and Quade Cooper are a group that we haven’t really seen the likes of before in the sports world. The best comparison I can come up with for them is the nWo from the old WCW days in professional wrestling. A group of bad guys, simply out for themselves, but talented enough to do it and become the next big thing in sport. Of course in this comparison Khoder Nasser would be Eric Bischoff.

Williams now has reported for duty at Roosters training for the 2013 season and Roosters fan are excited. Also excited are the NRL and Channel 9 who are promoting the opening match of the season between the Roosters and Rabbitohs as if only one player is playing. As long as he can stay on the field I am sure that Williams will have a great season for the Roosters and their fans will adore him.

But who knows how many seasons he will play for them and if you were another club in the NRL or Super Rugby would you consider it worth your while to invest such a huge chunk of your salary cap in a player who you might only get for one year?

The flip side to this is that in some ways Sonny Bill Williams is a revolutionary. We all admit that nowadays sports is first and foremost a business and with a limited career span it is only fair that an athlete tries to make as much money as they can in that time. Not every athlete can do this the way Sonny Bill has, but given he is so talented that he will always have new opportunities, it is financially smart of him to play his cards in this manner.

It would not surprise me to see more of the top athletes in the future following this model of one year, mercenary style contracts. Some may only do so in a single sport, but some like Williams will be able to move from sport to sport and from league to league, offering their services as long as they are the ones willing to pay the most for the privilege.

Soccer manager Pep Guardiola is already a fan of the one year contract, more for personal reasons than financial ones, but much like Williams he is talented enough and in demand enough that he can continue doing so for many years to come.

Of course there are huge risks with this strategy. Williams has been plagued by injury in the past and all it takes is one injury to shut a lot of those open doors. A long term contract provides security and it admittedly takes a lot of balls to live the life of an athlete without that security. So for that, I actually commend Sonny Bill.

There are areas in which I respect Sonny Bill Williams. He is a tremendous athlete and football player and by all accounts he trains hard and does everything he can to be the best he can be. But for the most part, I am ready to boo as loudly as I’ve ever booed when he takes the field for the Roosters on March 7 and I’m sure he won’t even notice.

By now he has heard all the booing and hating and I don’t think he cares one iota, because Sonny Bill Williams is playing for Sonny Bill Williams and so far he is winning.

Pepe Le Pew

Reina disappointed after conceding a goal

It was not too long ago that Pepe Reina was one of the best goalkeepers on the planet, or at least in the English Premier League.  He is a multi-time Golden Gloves award winner for conceding the least goals during the season and while Liverpool has struggled around him, he has been one area of the team where there weren’t any worries.

Every once in a while he would make a silly mistake which would raise eyebrows, but honestly, so does every goalkeeper. When a goalkeeper makes a mistake, due to the nature of their job it is magnified by the likelihood that it leads directly to an otherwise avoidable goal.

Reina has been a member of the all-conquering Spain squad that has dominated football over the last few years; however he has been the backup to Iker Casillas for the most part.

Also, Reina is only 30 years old, which in goalkeepers terms, is a baby. Goalkeepers’ primes are typically later than outfield players and no one finds it surprising for a ‘keeper to play into his early 40s. Therefore, barring a transfer request, Liverpool fans figured that they had their long term goalkeeper locked up for years to come.

But then this season happened. To be fair, there were signs last season as Reina started making a few more mistakes than previously, but he was still a solid keeper and no one was really calling for his ousting. But in the 2012-13 season so far his performances have been nothing short of horrendous.

When he was injured and replaced by Australian Brad Jones in goal, no one seemed to be overly concerned even though Jones isn’t particularly good either. The downgrade from Reina to Jones simply wasn’t that significant and that itself is a massive problem when a team is trying to qualify for the Champions League.

After a terrible start to the season, Liverpool have been on the right track in the last couple of months as they work their way back up the ladder and are now at least in contention to qualify for the Europe League. Players and manager Brendan Rodgers are still talking about making a charge towards the top four, however unlikely that may be.

But how much closer would they already be to that if they had 2007 Reina in goal as opposed to 2013 Reina? It seems baffling for a goalkeeper to be significantly better at 25 years old than 30 years old without something like the Petr Cech head injury to explain it.

With rumours that Barcelona are interested in bringing Reina home to his junior club when current stopper Victor Valdes moves on in the offseason, Liverpool and Reina have come out saying Reina is going nowhere and plans to see out his contract which runs until 2016.

In the past that would delight me, but after Reina cost Liverpool more points with a horrible mistake against Man City this week, I think it’s time the club give serious consideration to replacing him, or at least buying him some legitimate competition.

Young English starlet Jack Butland was available during the January transfer window and Liverpool were linked with him, but in the end they never big and he went to Stoke after rejecting a move to Chelsea. Liverpool should have made him a priority, but that opportunity is gone now.

There are plenty of other good young keepers out there all over the world (including here in the A-League) and Liverpool need to start taking a proactive approach to finding their future goalkeeper, because the future might be sooner than they think.

How long can a team realistically give a guy to turn around his form when it is in such a crucial position? Does someone earn the right to play their way into form when each mistake they make has a serious impact on the position of the club?

Were Liverpool to sell Reina in the offseason, I would approve of that but that’s not to say I think he will never be able to find his form again. It’s entirely possible that after some time off during the summer he will be back and as good as ever. It’s also possible that he can recapture that old form, but only with a change of scenery and a new club. However, it is also possible that Pepe Reina will never be able to find his old form again.

Some players have slumps and then come back from them, some players gradually decline as they get older and some players simply just lose it.

We can’t know which category Reina falls into until we see what happens in the future, but Liverpool also can’t put all their eggs in one basket and hope for the best.

Whether they sell Reina and move on or whether they simply buy another keeper to push him for a first team place, Liverpool has to find a way to fix their goalkeeping issues so they can go back to focussing on the outfield issues that have already been widely accepted.

The Rodgers era has finally started to show some positive signs with Daniel Sturridge’s arrival and even Jordan Henderson showing signs of life along with the emergence of Raheem Sterling and Andre Wisdom, but a lot of that hard work is quickly undone when you can’t trust the man at the back.