Macca

Summed it up well Gorg and from early on it looked like whoever had the ball last was going to win ... Packers had that possession and then gave it up with a fumbled return. Annoying. Rodgers would have almost certainly gotten the team into a field goal position otherwise and then it's up to the kicker. I thought we played a good game all the same and it was the best we've played all season and with the Vikes losing again today, we're still a chance for the division. Next up for Green Bay is @ the Patriots next week (SNF) ... should be a cracker. Brady vs Rodgers only happens once every 4 years at a minimum. Bring it on! Rams @ Saints next week is another potential beauty ... late arvo game.

Pats, Washington, Baltimore

Looked impressive all the same DZ ... the horse is going to win more races, that's for sure. Depends on where they place the horse but with that 1000m speed, the metro wins will come. I just had a look-see today but it got around the final turn nicely and looks to have a bright future.

Well we won't be getting an 80,000+ crowd for the season opener although we at least aren't playing away from home. We might get 35k up to 50k to the Port opener however on the back of winning 2 of 3 finals in the just completed season. Hopefully we get a couple of decent blockbuster home games before the QB clash ... it should be noted that we will be the away team next season in the ANZAC eve game against Richmond. Our crowds should generally be on the improve as long as we maintain our winning form so our financial concerns have dissipated somewhat anyway in that regard. What we do need is a big spike in prime-time games on free-to-air TV ... which is related to the potential sponsorship dollars moving forward. We are now ready for the big stage but we're fighting against the endemic thinking that rewards the Victorian clubs with huge memberships and extra-large supporter numbers.

4 best bets in so far and those listed below are showing 30-1 combined without the odds booster. Good luck all! Spanish Primera Division Sunday at 05:45 Atletico Madrid v Real Sociedad Winning Margin: Atletico By 2+ Goals $2.50 French Ligue 1 Sunday at 05:00 Lille v Caen Lille Win/Over 1.5 goals $1.85 Serie A Monday 1.30am $2.50 Napoli Win & +2.5 Goals Match Score vs Roma Bundesliga Monday 6.30am $2.70 Leipzig Win & +2.5 Goals Match Score vs Schalke

Winx just seems to be getting better ... didn't get out of 3rd gear. Bowman gave the horse the perfect ride and the horse was not extended. However, 2 lengths to Benbatl, 5 lengths to Humidor and 8 lengths the Avilius. I reckon they just keep racing the mighty mare ... certainly the Autumn carnival but why not another Spring campaign including another Cox Plate?

Best Bets Serie A Monday 1.30am $2.50 Napoli Win & +2.5 Goals Match Score vs Roma Bundesliga Monday 6.30am $2.70 Leipzig Win & +2.5 Goals Match Score vs Schalke

Can't post up the links until this evening Wadda but go to Racenet.com if you can and then follow the links Ciao!

I will look out for it on Sunday DZ ... as well as that race the $200k Sale Cup looks an interesting race with DK Weir having a couple of runners including 'Plein Ceil' which would have to be a decent show. In other news 'Latrobe' is out of the Melbourne Cup and will instead run in the $2Million McKinnon Stakes on the last day of the 4 day Carnival. Decent prizemoney for a alternate race hey? Would Winx run in the McKinnon? Anyway, read more at ... RacingPost.com

@Dee Zephyr 'El Magnificence' running in the 5th Race at the Valley tomorrow night?

Best Bet Saturday Moonee Valley Race 9 No.4 Avilius $2.70 (Place Only) Assuming all 8 horses start in the race.

It was a very good win by Runaway in the Geelong Cup, all the same. Can't say I had it amongst my chances but not to worry. Runaway will have to rely on a hefty weight penalty to get into the Melbourne Cup now. The race should probably make a horse exempt for the Cup in my opinion. Here's the race ...

Week 8 we're playing for just the 1 point ... there's 1 or 2 standout road winners but putting 3 together might be a tricky exercise. Good luck! Leaderboard in the comp 3 - JV7, Go the Biff, Dr. Gonzo, Clintosaurus, Dappa Dan, Macca 2 - Gorgoroth, Dee Zephyr, layzie, DeeSpencer, titan_uranus 0 - Everyone else Week 8 Lines With Cousin Sal | The Bill Simmons Podcast (Ep. 431)

Ha! Midterm is a real chance ... I have got it included

You are on 'Midterm' then ... if it doesn't win we are sending people around ?

Don't have one ... what is yours?

There seems to be quite a few of these types of huge fields mainly at Newmarket or Royal Ascot in contrast to a lot of their Group 1's that often only have small fields. I suppose that is just how they do it over there. The topweight 'Finche' is lightly raced but has raced and performed well at Group level or listed races in all but it's first start. All at around about the Geelong Cup distance. I am not tipping it or any other horse to win outright however as the exotics is my caper with these sorts of races. I've narrowed it down to 5 winning chances and about a total of 7 or 8 that could get into the finish. It's a good betting race DZ if one can figure out the form ?

Geelong Cup on Wednesday and it looks a good betting race too ... the locals (or newly acquired locals ?) have real claims as do the overseas contingent. If chancing your arm on the exotics a mix of locals & newly arrived horses is probably the go. The 1, 3 & 6 are all having their first start in the country and all 3 have decent overseas form for this sort of race. Geelong Cup 2400m $350k Group 3

Yeah, there were a number of standout moments today ... Titans going for the win instead of taking the game to overtime with a converted point after. In such a tight division that decision was quite questionable. Rams & KC careering away from the rest .. both look morals for the 1 seed in each conference. Saints & Pats are close enough but the top 2 will need to start losing. Eagles lose again ... 3 & 4 now and in a bit of trouble. Panthers staged an excellent comeback though and they might be alright too. Washington keep winning. Vikings are well and truly back on track and they should take out the NFC North unless they slip up or unless the Packers can win against the odds in the next 5 weeks. Chargers win again and go to 5 & 2. They should be able to secure a wild-card but a division win will depend on KC slipping up. With Mahomes playing lights-out as he is, that's not likely

Points allocated! Leaderboard in the comp 3 - JV7, Go the Biff, Dr. Gonzo, Clintosaurus, Dappa Dan, Macca 2 - Gorgoroth, Dee Zephyr, layzie, DeeSpencer, titan_uranus 0 - Everyone else.

Australian Group & Listed Races Best Bet Strike Rate 44: 15 - 5 - 8 And here's a few replays from yesterday ...

My tips ... Pats, Vikings, Rams Paging @DemonDave @DeeSpencer

Test Cricket in this Country has an issue with the available talent coming through ... the choices for young people is vast these days so therefore the talent pool is and has been eroded. Future test stars can also be lost to t20 as well as a host of other sports. Specifically with regards to the batting but the reality is that our test batting order hasn't been consistently strong for more than a decade now. We lose a lot. The wickets in Australia are too easy to bat on as well ... learning how to bat on 'roads' isn't exactly a test at any level so when we are faced with spinning or seaming wickets overseas, we often struggle. CA needs to find better pathways for talented sportspeople ... how they can do that is anyone's guess but maybe they can look at how the AFL goes about it. The pathway for future t20 cricketers is a far easier hurdle to overcome so that might have to be the roundabout way of producing Test-quality batsmen looking ahead. One thing is for sure ... the Sheffield Shield is no longer producing a production line of test quality batsmen. And that trend is more than a decade old and counting.

Couple of feature races at Sha Tin later today that might be worth a look. Some familiar names involved with both races. The winner of the Sprint should come from the 3 favoured runners whilst either 'Beauty Generation' or 'Pakistan Star' should win the Mile classic although 'Rise High' may feature with the low weight. Race 7 The Premier Bowl 1200m Group 2 Race 8 Sha Tin Trophy 1600m Group 2

And Royal Ascot pays off late ... Stradivarius, Roaring Lion, Cracksman. You've gotta love a treble. Ripper!