Macca

A draw will secure top spot but Ange likes to play to win. In the crossover matches (in the QF's) we'd be up against the runners up in group B if we win our group and ... we'd play the winner of group B if we finish runners up in our group - hope that makes sense ... Group B In a nutshell we'll now avoid Japan until at least the SF's and we may well avoid them until the final (if both teams make it that far) if we win our group and Japan win their group.

You may or not be part of the target audience, TD. They would have done a few surveys you'd reckon - data bases of tennis goers and the like. There was a fair crowd there and they seemed quite enthused by the whole concept. It's on again tonight but ch9 got lucky on Monday night with the t20 game on ch10 being interrupted by rain. I've no idea whether it will work or not but I watched the last hour of the match and I didn't "dislike" it. The people launching this brand of tennis will probably see my attitude as a win. I much prefer traditional tennis with those 5 set marathons being favs of mine. One thing I do know is that a popular view is a popular view. If it finds an audience, so be it.

The NRL have taken a lot of their games back to the club's traditional venues (in Sydney, mainly) ... of course, they're not as obsessed with crowd numbers as we are in the AFL so playing in front of 15-20 thousand seems to be quite acceptable. As a consequence of all the interstate* club's that we now have in the AFL, there is a need for smaller type stadiums in Melbourne. Any game involving any of the interstate teams against many of the Victorian clubs would be an ideal fit for the suburban grounds of old. We simply don't need the MCG or Docklands when only 15-25 thousand people are going to turn up. However, it's doubtful that we'll ever see any of the suburban grounds re-established so it's a rather pointless discussion. Princes Park might have been a chance but the surface area has been reduced because of building works - not many liked going there anyway. We're stuck with what we've got unfortunately (which is a shame in many ways) *'Describing clubs as 'interstate' can work both ways or in a different way ... the clubs outside of Victoria would almost certainly want to have the big drawing teams from elsewhere as their home games (from a financial viewpoint)

It's interesting that ch9 are the broadcast partners and they're showing the games in prime time ... if it was hidden away on one of the cable channels then one might not take much notice. The other thing to consider is the money on offer to the players ... they're going to need the big guns involved and the tournaments are going to need to have some meaning to the public & the players. Like anything new, it's a wait and see process and a lot will depend on ratings numbers - apparently the numbers were quite good (all things considered)

Peyton has been carrying a bad quad injury as well according to reports

It's becoming a long season for Peyton but I still believe he's got a fair bit to offer ... the alternative is who or what? Obviously he can't play forever but he might be able to be managed differently. Denver are still a probable playoff team if Peyton can be healthy most of the time ... for a lot of this season he's been very good. His numbers were right up there despite the way he finished off the season. I wouldn't be ruling a line through him just yet. The trouble is that the position of QB tends to be all or nothing ... how does Denver rest Peyton within games or rest him for complete games if indeed they even want to manage him that way? It may be possible to do so but I can't ever remember a veteran top line QB being used in this way before. As for next week, I reckon there's more chance of the Colts upsetting the Pats than the Packers beating Seattle. If Rodgers was 100% fit then we'd have a much better chance but even though he had a terrific game today, he was nowhere near full throttle. Seattle's offense isn't great so I guess if we can remain within striking distance then we're a sneaky chance. On the other hand it might just be the Colts time. After seeing how well the Ravens did in New England they'll believe they've got a real chance.

Ha! This version of the game is rapidly gaining acceptance ... I've found the whole concept to be quite fascinating with regards to how it all fits into our summer. It's not going away in a hurry. ... and just when you thought we'd exhausted all avenues for new sports we've now got another one to deal with ... 'Fast4 Tennis' ... Lleyton vs Roger on ch9 right now. The sporting purists will be beside themselves with grief

Playoff tipping comp leaderboard 6 - JV7, Go the Biff, Macca 5 - pantaloons, Georgiou R.R. Martin 4 - Gorgoroth (a clean sweep this week) 3 more games to go and don't forget that the SB is worth 3 points.

The ground caused the ball to move but in my opinion it should be ruled a catch unless the ball spills free. As it was, it was a spectacular play and those sort of highlights need to be kept in the game. I'm more thinking about future incidents like these. Not sure there's any grey area either - if the ball is being controlled and isn't moving before a player and the ball hits the surface then in my opinion it should be ruled a catch (unless the ball spills free) Edit: The other thing to consider is what if by 'reaching out', Bryant had have broken the plane of the goal line? (he was probably only about a foot short) Is that then ruled a TD? We've seen numerous examples of where a ball gets knocked free just after a player breaks the plane of the goal line (a TD is normally awarded in these instances)

I could hazard a guess on who that wouldn't have been

A Des Bryant catch or non catch on the goal line with under 5 minutes to go. In the end it wasn't paid NFL.com will probably have it highlighted if you can access it. A tense game and the commentators were calling it a good one. I was just hoping for a win :-)

Was it a catch or wasn't it? It seemed unfair not to pay it but normally it isn't paid under those sort of circumstances ... however, it could be argued he was making a football move after completing the catch. Again, they've probably ruled that the ground dislodged the ball and caused the bobble. Watching it live I thought I saw the ball move and once it moves, they'll often rule it to not be a catch. Murray also fumbled the ball in the 3rd quarter which helped turn the game. Rodgers finished strong after looking shaky in the first half ... happy to get the win but the Cowboys put up a terrific fight.

No doubt he'll play (or at least start) ... how well and for how long, that's the question. You just never know in this sport ... anything could happen including Rodgers not being incapacitated at all. I'm prepared for any outcome but obviously hoping for the best. Seattle in the end were just far too good and whoever is up against them next week is in for a torrid time. The crowd was seriously loud and I thought the Panthers did well to hang in for as long as they did. The Ravens had their chances and could have won ... credit to the Pats though - too good in the end. The match was not without it's controversy though ... Tom Brady: Study the rulebook

Dallas may not get a better chance to beat the Packers in Lambeau tomorrow ... a possibly banged up Rodgers with a questionable rush defense awaits. A torn calf muscle seems a lot to overcome but they might be able to get him right. It literally is going to be a wait and see situation ... if it was just a strain then he might be ok but when there's a tear involved it makes one think he could he could tear it even more so - especially in freezing cold weather and the nature of how he plays the position. I'd like to be more confident but I'm not sure he'll be able to get away with just throwing from the pocket without a lot of movement. The best protected QB in the sport seems to be Peyton and that's probably because he rarely ventures out of the pocket. The Denver O-line has to be absolutely first rate because of how Peyton plays the position. Rodgers likes to manoeuvre himself around as a general rule. He might have to adjust his game but then our O-line would then have to play out of their skin. We'll also need Lacy to have a big one and Starks would need to chip in as well. Denver should win the later game at home - might be close though.

I'd like to see Clarke get back ... there are going to be some games where we'll need his steadying influence and his unique batting skills. In the ODI's not every batsman needs to have the capabilities of hitting the ball out of the park ... mainstays are often required especially when it gets to the QF stage onwards. I like the look of the squad but I agree with TD about the reserve keeper ... of course, one of the 14 other players would then miss out but if it were a batsman or a bowler breaking down shortly before a game then at least that type of player can be replaced (apart from the spinner) The squads are too small anyway - 17 or 18 would be a better number. It's not as if it would be much of an added cost to the countries involved.

Good effort by the Ravens but the Edelman play turned the game As for this game, Carolina are hanging in there ... the scoreline at half time could have been worse for the Panthers. They probably need to score first in the 2nd half to have a chance - however, the Seahawks do get the first possession once play resumes.

I reckon Roos will have it in mind to create 4/5 marking options in our forward line ... not necessarily to all play in the one side but if we're going to win games, we'll need to have more than just Hogan & Dawes as targets. So, who are the other options? There's a number of possibilities ... from those who were on our list prior to last year's influx of new players - Watts, Pedersen, Fitzy, Howe, Toumpas, Vince, Gawn/Jamar are all candidates. They could all play as a 3rd tall/tallish forward. Of the new players, O-Mac & Petracca could possibly play that role - even Brayshaw might be tried. It's not unusual for a new player to start off with a role in the forward line and we're not talking about the no.1 or no.2 target - a 3rd forward just needs to be able to play a 3rd forward's role. Most here probably know what that role is but here are my expectations of what a 3rd forward should be capable of ... Sometimes decoy An ability to create space Can lead to the right spots Half decent hands Play the lead up role when needed Can consistently get to the front position A reasonably accurate kick We probably only need 1 or 2 of those aforementioned players to click and away we go. Hogan & Dawes need to be firing to a certain extent but we'll need to have good back-ups regardless. Roos likes versatility in his players and he also likes to build players to play that sort of role. I'm expecting the unexpected with regards to the line-up in our forward line. As for Clark - we got by before he rolled up and we'll certainly get by without him. Plus, a large chunk of our salary cap has been freed up. I'm actually quite relieved that he's gone.

That was one hell of a finish. Lots of highlights but the KP & Maxwell partnership was terrific to watch

I didn't take a lot of notice of that stuff from Clark - It's not that I don't care about issues like that but I tend to view sport in a different way. We've all got our own issues to deal with - Clark is no different. There's not much we can do with regards to a players personal issues and besides all that, how much do we really know about that side of things? I'd rather just judge him on his football - he was never that good in all reality. A half decent player in a really poor team. Being one of the better players of a very bad bunch (for a very short space of time) never impressed me. He might do well at the Cats but that's up to him. He didn't want to play for us and in the end, that's all that matters. We've now got players who do want to play for us and that's where my care factor lies. Jones re-signing & Lumumba wanting to come to us are 2 such examples of that.

I just view all the players as people who are passing through the club - they either do well or they don't. The club is what is important ... to me, it's all about the team. The club is always bigger than any individual ... it pays not to get too attached to any individual person who is or has been associated with the club (unless they are great for the club for a good length of time) People like Warne-Smith, Norm Smith, Stynes, Barassi and Flower et al created their own special category - most others can only aspire to the greatness of people like that. Clark fell way short - I moved on the minute he left.

I guess we all see things differently ... I thought our first 5-10 minutes was average and then I thought we played really well for the rest of the match. It was a terrific open game in fact and we created plenty of chances. Kuwait were no match for us in the end but they had a go. I'm quite happy with the 4-1 scoreline and if we win our group, we'll avoid Japan until at least the semi-finals. A good start and we've got plenty of scoring opportunities with Cahill & Luongo being quite dangerous up front. Oman & especially South Korea will be much tougher opposition but I'm expecting at least 4 points from those other 2 group games - it might come down to goal difference to decide our group.

Worked for the Hawks & Pies ... as a concept, it's a workable idea (albeit "bending" the rules) But, with those "best draft picks" that can eventuate from tanking, a club needs to get it right. Pick duds and not get any improvement and the recriminations can begin. The way it works is if you tank and then pick well, you're generally off the hook. Tanking is always a chance of happening when there are drafts involved. It's happened in footy on numerous occasions and it happens in the NFL & NBA on an almost constant basis. The Cleveland Cavaliers and the Oakland Raiders get the finger pointed firmly in their direction because both those clubs kept drafting "busts" after tanking. The Indianapolis Colts on the other hand tanked and then drafted Andrew Luck - no such recriminations. There's a pattern. GWS & the GCS have tanked yet most people in the football world either turning a blind eye or haven't noticed. Out of sight, out of mind. There's a very good chance that the Saints tanked last season ... were they seriously trying to win games? They started off at 3/2 after 5 games and then went 1/16.

Now it's a tear in the calf muscle ... Rodgers may be far from 100 percent ... if that's the case then it's unlikely that his calf muscle has had enough time to heal. Couple that with the near freezing conditions and I can't see how he can be at his best ... or anywhere near his best if we're being brutally honest. It could be that he's just going to hand if off to Lacy and Starks and throw from the pocket only. That may or may not get it done and Dallas is sure to apply the pressure. If we have to go to Flynn or even Tolzein then we may have to end up relying on Romo not being able to take advantage - that's always a possibility

Nice equaliser from Cahill ... hopefully we can go on and win it. For those without cable the game is on ABC Grandstand radio Edit: Channel 2 are broadcasting the games involving Australia but tonight's game is on delay (10pm start) Edit (2) ... now 3-1 in front

The captain picks the batting order but I'm assuming on this occasion he'd be consulting the selectors and Coach. A no-brainer for mine anyway ... I reckon he can handle the no.3 spot with relative ease