Tag: sport

TheV.A.R. Exposes More than Infringements

Why the Talking Heads Hate the VAR

You hear it every week, they run entire shows discussing it , and the media despise it , but why?

Well punters here’s the guts, my humble view from just a lifetime of watching the NRL (well not since they handed it over to Murdock) but I hear the whaling, and football ( even bigger whaling) from the commentary boxes.

Since sports were called from radio first up the commentary was taken as gospel and that reliance of the the opinion was nearly always supported by a commentator who had experience in the sport, either playing or long term in the box, (IE Norman May, Wolstonhome , Walker, Tyler, Tapp, Magilvary) to name just a few, all had credibility, all were balanced and respected, a important factor in their professional careers .

Then came along the clown shows where cricketers wore coloured pyjamas and TV presentations and presenters decided they were part of the gig and wanted the bathe in the glory with the benefit of hindsight and video replays where their call was more important than then actual event we were watching or paying to watch.

This trend continues and now it runs its own competition of who gets the mike and dress up in the suits, and in Australia its a real battle of the super dickheads versus intelligent females in the football code calling rages.

Then enter this animal called the VAR and all of a sudden the elation of the commentator be it bias or balanced was challenged and to this day the right decision, the fair decision , is challenged as the talking heads need to look harder rather than talk or shout louder.

That’s beyond many sporting IQ as their experience and knowledge is questioned, or exposed and often they come up very short when the camera which they worship to make their profiles proves them undoubtably wrong… and proves it, taking away the what ifs, which they themselves should have taken into account.

Yep egg all over their faces on replay, not good for the profile on voice replay on the record.

Their response is to debunk the system, hand it back to doubt and controversy that makes easy media and their lack of talent securely hidden.

Its pretty easy to pick the journalists and the bozo’s as its always a decision that goes against their preferences and picks they rate themselves pre game, and when post game arrives the excuses and blame is allocated and VAR dampens the hype.

I can’t close without saying we in Australia need to have varying commentary on our football as for too long we have been brainwashed by the English game and yes it was all we saw and allowed to see, as the rest of the worlds game was never broadcast. That colonial culture still exists which is detrimental to our games progress in our nation, our youth needs to learn the world game from all the world, every week not just at World Cup time.








Sporting Networks May have the Key on Domestic Violence.

Lets Not Reinvent The Wheel on DV

No one in our country should be comfortable with tolerance to Domestic Violence ever.

We are hearing all the outrage via media and all calling for a solution but this issues has been a sleeping giant and no politician of any persuasion has a magic solution BUT if we are SMART there is a model that we know works if you want to follow.

I refer you to the FIFA model on Tolerance to Racism.
For the ones who are not familiar please let me pass on the basic principals.

FIRSTLY you have to be committed to wanting a solution and prepared to follow it totally.

START at the lowest level of in “Australia’s” case ALL sporting events at all grounds at all clubs promote the STOP DV LOGO (yet to be Invented) before every day and through the day on the grounds,and the higher the age the banner exposure is increased to before main matches by all players.
When it comes to TV it’s compulsory both teams stand behind the banner and promoted by the network.

SECONDLY
ALL CLUBS are the eyes and ears of their communities and if DV is detected it’s a duty to act via reporting to a network system (Yet to be Formed) within that code or organisation that has connection with the appropriate authorities to act.

For example(TRUE STORY) a very high profile player professional who was identified within his club as a abuser was refused contract renewal and dropped from the squad as the Club was going against its pledges and it was a reflection on the entire club if it was tolerated, as is racism.
HIGH BENCHMARK “”yes” NO TOLERANCE APPLIES.

I do not expect all codes of sport to get on board easily as some struggle as racism is still part of the support base so how could we expect them to have the ability to accept something that maybe still part of their culture and would see this initiative as trivial and even a threat.

I’ll be totally honest FIFA still has issues with racism internationally with non compliance but its come a long way and the people now are putting pressure on the sporting administrators if racism is detected and they are held to account.

If our politicians ARE FAIR DINKUM then starting to address this problem must Start at the grass roots.

Kids and Mums Know it goes on and often have no where to go. Club officials and clubs can be that safe place to talk if that culture is promoted.

Yes, it sets up a network where they can go but not all kids play sport but of if each sporting association are funded to show that do not tolerate DV the word will spread.

Yes I have been a President, Chairman, Secretary Captain, State Coach, Junior Coach, and player in my past life and it would be a added responsibility, but with some support as part of the national initiative we can take a leaf from FIFA and use it to change our perspective on this DV pandemic.

Politically speaking, I would include the Non tolerance to Racism and Domestic Violence as a joint campaign and joint ongoing campaign throughout all sporting bodies in the nation, and I hear the “We just take it as read” stance is a great hiding place, but if you want real impact we must start with the kids, and it’s NOT a quick solution, no culture change is but that’s what we have to do even if it’s not politically expedient at the time.







Murdock’s Oxygen Taken by Women’s Class.

They just can’t help themselves can they.?
The Women’s World Cup is taking oxygen from the Eastern coast Round Robin codes and the media must be feeling the heat.
It really irks them to report record breaking stadiums, pressure on them to give the copy that equates to that popularity on a daily basis taking the focus away from the Murdock owned codes.
Let’s be clear here, Murdoch was never in contention for the FIFA contract to broadcast, and it hates it. It takes every single opportunity to get mileage from the event, not by applauding the women, but by finding the negative or even creating the negative to get click bait to their sites.
It must be really hard for their journalists to see players not being charged with alcohol or drug related charges or DV or racial hatred on a daily basis, seeing how true professionals behave on and off the park in comparison.
This behaviour by the media is not new, the true international codes are kept away from the mainstream as Fox and Murdock want all Australians thinking AFL and NRL have a monopoly on support, but that furphy crashed when Optus first won the World Cup and its entire network crashed 7 minutes into the opening ceremony and SBS had to take the feed for the entire tournament.
No, the media went quiet, real quiet and I’ll be quite frank, when I was alive in the game we were told at a exclusive function the media were instructed not to what they said was “Wake the Giant” as the fate of the two other codes would not be competitive if a world code was allowed to take hold of the Australian landscape particularly with the amount of migrants in our population. Fact.
I can hear the scoffs and the cries of disbelief but facts are indisputable, Football in Australia is 8th in participation rates, AFL runs in at 16th and NRL is a sorry 35th. And who gets the bulk coverage, those codes

https://www.statista.com/statistics/879755/australia-sports-participants-by-type/

Now I will never poo any of those fans who follow the codes and their passion BUT do not compare, as their is no comparison.
In closing just think why the Australian media will not refer to Soccer as its true world wide name Football?
It’s strategic, not to let the “Brand” get into our culture but as you can see that Brand is here loud and clear be it men or women where the world game sets the standards on acceptance of race and religion, sexual discrimination and is not controlled by media magnates.
Enjoy and go the Matilda’s and Germany. And NZ .. see I can have alliances and still keep a open mind..it a The World Game.

Let’s Flick Click Bait in Aussie Sport.

So the Wallabies got their arse kicked by Eddie Jones the Socceroos are in the 16 but to be honest we need a miracle to progress yet no one is asking if not only the international codes but all 4 majors are in good hands for the codes future NOT the medias

If you stop and look at all our football codes the first thing you will find we are following the yank franchise system with the media conglomerates taking the cream and the codes getting the crumbs.

That’s not rocket science because on every single board the media has its representation at the highest level. It has its employees mainly ex legends in their own mind commentary positions all on the payroll looking after their interests and when a Coach or Board member endangers their access the attacks begin.

To be quite honest The AFL and NRL are dead in the water as they are just a travelling circus of coach rotation, official rotation and a massive click bait income advertising stream for Murdock and it won’t change as management base is kept narrow and under control. The NRL handed over the peoples game years ago to the corporates and the AFL is a lone entity with a good fan base but no international standing so easily controlled.. The circuses and the tents are all in place and the people are just accessories to the TV rights.

Now moving to the international codes and this is where the game gets dirty.

Outside international organisations like FIFA and World Rugby are a thereat to the power brokers and any interference is like challenging the mafia. CEOs , coaches managers all will be incur the wrath of the Old Boy network and the following names are some who dared to change the structures or shift access away from the nepotistic inbred culture.

People, professionals with vision railroaded out of the sport because they dared to restrict insider access to international dressing sheds, selection processes IE RaeLine Castle Rugby CEO, (Pictured) railroaded by media, Robbie Deans designated as a traitor, Ange Postacoglis far to smart for the board , media harassment, Ewan McKenzie dared to discipline the medias super stars, railroaded, Eddie Jones branded traitor, Holger Osijek just give up on the unprofessional attitude towards international protocols. And Pim Verbeek (Deceased) because we don’t play like the Dutch., each and every one went on to exceed in their professional lives in far higher levels after leaving but not good enough for our media or Board Rooms who preside and presided over falling world standard positions.

They hold their jobs, and anyone who threatens, the dogs are realised.

So, no good just bitching about it, what’s the solution???

My vision is based on the fans being the major shareholders in the businesses. Board appointees under National Oversight with grass root involvement. Coaching positions called internationally, appointed by internationally qualified panels not necessarily involved with domestic contacts. The system of Franchise ownerships must be dismantled and promotion and relegation structures installed with a ownership ratio of 60/40 Australian to start with with minimal of 55% after bedding in.

This cannot happen within a World Cup window so we have to be prepared to bypass a Cup give it a 8 year span to totally restructure.

The Media will be on invitation only with NO representation in any form on management roles and other platforms ,ie Streaming , invited to bid for rights nationally and internationally opening us up to real time dimensions.

Our Aleague must have regulations in regard local talent and cease it from being a exit lounge for aged players, same with Rugby Pacifica taking on the NZ county model.

Let’s call it, we might not be going backwards much but the rest of the world is booming forward and we are well off the wave.

Bite the bullet now, and start the 8 year cycle, explain it to the masses, get them in as shareholders, educate the importance of International competition and benchmarks and our kids worlds will be widened, our knowledge base expanded and don’t allow self interest dominate our passions.

America Fails Female Equality Test. L.F.G.

While biding time pre the Matilda v USA Women match we decided to watch a documentary called L.F.G. On the claim for equal pay for American World Champions.

Let’s be totally upfront here, I’m not a America fan, probably instilled by my forefathers view on their involvement in both world wars and their performances since, BUT after seeing this film my opinion of their culture has sunk to a all time low.

The Matilda’s had to fight hard to achieve parity in and as a former trade unionist I wholly appreciate any battle for equality and in sure the majority of Australian people agree, however I never thought women could be regarded as inferior in not only skills but in their physical and mental makeup and that argument used in American court of law.

For that to happen and tolerated their has to be some flaw in not the female anatomy but the entire system of which these people live by and accepted as “normal and acceptable”.

No doubt it’s a total misogynistic system which only exists is for monetary gain which is the Great American Dream of individual capitalism till you reach a level of corporate capitalism and everything else, ethics and compassion, is collateral damage.

This example of the simple rights of a group of women who have outperformed their male counterparts at every single level of the sport yet get about a third reimbursement if their lucky, while the men are flat out finding their way out of the dressing sheds come the big gig ,World Cup time.

It sickens me and my wife that the men all men who are involved in sport can think this is “normal” in America and not have the guts to stand up.

What a pathetic race! “Big toys and little balls,thats the yanks”, was the saying and nothing has changed since 40’s apparently.

I understand the Law system is peculiar to America, yep I understand that. Where child marriage is still tolerated and practiced and accepted as normal says a lot for that system where you can justify anything as long as you have money to buy the outcome you desire without any boundaries or decency or human rights.

Where a political and human rights system has not evolved since settlement so as not to upset the wealthy and corporate moguls and none on either side of the isle having the guts to change even though their society is burning down around them.

So what chance has these strong women got for what is regarded as normal in any civilised society? My guess little without international pressure.

International pressure that would see their federations sanctioned by FIFA nations, cutting their subsidies, releasing their female players from international restraints on who they represent and USA citizenship no longer a currency in a players right to earn a living and right of recall.

We cannot as a football family allow inequality and when it’s exposed it must be acted on. We cannot allow the current thousands of young girls who are as passionate as us be treated as inferior in that environment and we all can play a part by boycotting the companies that support the managements that fail in their duty and support equality in the Women’s Game all over the world, not only America.

The game is bigger that the men with the small balls,and the fathers who accept their youngster is inferior in any way and do absolutely nothing.

LFG means (Let’s Fucken GO!)

Murdock Butchers our Local Newspapers

For those who are not so News aware the Murdock Press has made the decision to cease all hard copy news papers to the regional and country areas across Australia and go digital.

This action in effect sends the little and older generations into news darkness as many have no IT or basic computer knowledge.

This may have been self inflicted by some granted as they refused to grow with the times and others unable to grow due to educational limits.

With all that’s said, the facts are people will loose the fabric that binds smaller communities together, a lifestyle that is incomprehensible to the self centred generations living their little boxes with make believe acquaintances online, many unable to communicate face or face let alone read and comprehend a news article.

A bit savage you may think? Yes but truthful and if you need proof, spend a hour or two on a polling booth and see humanity in its raw form doing something that should effect their lives and their family’s.

You will be amazed at the ignorance not only of the political systems but of general manners expected of a human being.

That said as true to form as you can get from Murdock the said they’d keep regional and small papers on takeover from APN and they lied, nothing new again from these bottom feeders of toxic text, and they will expect you to buy the Courier Mail if you want a hands on paper which in fact is nothing more than a LNP newsletter as I have stated many times and subedited out or simply consigned to the junk mail.

Truth and Murdock should never be put in the same sentence, as you now know from their actions.

In my case my editorial days may be limited as many times before my View does not sit with the owners ideology and I have been extremely lucky to have a editor who still feels balanced reporting is a key factor in a democracy, but like the QT she too is moving and many of the contributors may join me in the junk mail due to our views clashing with the owners ideology also.

That’s life but it does not help those who have been thrown into darkness, those businesses who’s adds were accessible freely will not have a presence of picking up a paper, the sporting body who wants any press to help them survive, the cocky who wants the cattle prices, the auctioneer, the church, the garage sale, and you can go on all gone to the iPad or smart phone of the fortunate.

To be honest I’m looking at community radio as a service, not a competitive entity but NFP (non for profit) organisation and any other media stream APP to try and compensate the losses, and any ideas please fill in at the bottom of this blog. Also Periscope the live App has been mentioned.

And I cannot close without mentioning the silence of the Hanson’s, the Katters, the Nationals all supposed to represent country people but obviously terrified to upset their puppet master Murdock, their absolute silence says why we as a nation need to govern ourselves for ourselves not run the agenda of a non tax paying overseas jerk , but not one of the conservatives have the guts to call him out. Political Harlots. All looking for that headline from Rupert.

In the Know, You Got the Dough from Scotty from Marketing.

Over my time involved in the Not For Profit (NFP) organisation’s I am well aware of the pains and hoops the members and supporters have to do to get support from either Federal or State governments and no doubt it helps to have support from your elected member but once that process is completed we all expect each and every application to be judged on equal merit because politics and sport should not be mixed.

That was the case until of late when Scotty from Marketing come on the scene with his slogans, but unfortunately like all things they have a expiry date.

You know “Have a Go the Get a Go” now has morphed in this case to “If you in the Know you get the Dough” and I could go on but really my issue is about all the little clubs who need basics like sprinklers, disability handrails, general repairs small ticket items to help the little organisations who are struggling to survive overlooked and funds given to organisations with massive turnovers or high end exclusive paying memberships taking 6 figure sums out of the pool.

I have no doubt those funds will be used legally but those exact funds spread lightly across the entire spectrum would have a better impact.

Sorry if that sounds to some like a Socialist point of view but if I was a elected member I would rather all my constituents had a bit that only the selected got all, but like all political landscapes there are winners and looses, and its always the little people who loose.

To me if their was ever a case for a Federal ICAC this is it. Australians love sport and fair play, and this is not within our code of sporting ethics and to those who repeat consistently the Sandpit Response of “They All Do It” is a cop out if we want our kids regardless of demographic be given a fair go regardless of who is in government.

It’s All about the $$$ in the Falou case.

I’ve watched, listened, and tried to digest this Falou shenanigans go backward and forwards with little or no retreat from whatever side you choose to hang your allegiance.

Not carrying any religious allegiance other than to the human race I choose to look at the facts from the start and ask the questions, however hard they may be.

Firstly, does a person have the right to follow his or hers own beliefs? Answer Yes.

Does a person have the right to impose those beliefs on any other person ? Answer No.

Religion is a choice a individual makes, nothing more as is the choice to not follow a religious tribe, so judging a person by his or hers decision or point of view is dependant of what tribe you follow or don’t is a bias exercise regardless.

Who’s right and who’s wrong is the story of mankind, but religions do not have a mortgage on being human and believing in the rights and wrongs of hurting each other be with words or actions.

Falou hurt people with words, that’s wrong, full stop. I can’t stand outside a place of worship in the public domain and accuse people of wrong doing because of their belief or sexuality I would get arrested for persecution among other things.

The fact he was warned and then breached that warning cannot be covered up by justifying lack of free speech.. He knew exactly what the repercussions would be so he pressed the boundary and then he played the sympathy vote.

It cannot go unsaid that some still will not accept the Yes Vote in the referendum, and that’s their choice, but I cannot see why a millionaire should be publicly funded by a tax free charity with public funds when I thought a non for profit organisation role was to help the less fortunate. Those donations will also be a tax rebate, so is this entire exercise all about money right from the start?

Time for a Life Rethink I think.

As I sit here listening to my wife laughing and talking at a garage sale next door selling crap we just don’t need at our age or we have grown out of the habit or been outdated I do reflect on why I am here this morning and not at my beloved golf course as I have done in various tracks like Rosewood’s and Laidley every Saturday morning for about 30 years.

Yep off to golf, home and review the day, it’s ups and downs my performance and others, what to improve and what to do to improve. All in a bid to lower my handicap and give me some sense of pride in my ability to compete at the highest level I can.

Today I am asking that question about weather I have outdated the lifestyle of golf and all its glory and if golf now should be a pastime instead of the lifestyle it has been for decades.

I look at myself as a sportsman. A fair and honest sportsman. A person who wants to perform at the game highest level on my ability, a person who played off single figures for a short time but mainly hung around 10-13 for decades and shook cages in both B and A grades.

Now as I age, 69 this year and a bit of a lung issue, I find myself drifting out and not enjoying the fact that age and health are slowing me down. I don’t enjoy coming home shagged for two days. I don’t enjoy not performing and knowing I can do better but ….. I have challenged myself with equipment that probably does not suit my age group but I love the personal challenge fo dealing with something tough on the competition field and winning in some way even if it’s only self esteem.

I cannot except the fact it’s fun to have more shots on holes than anyone else. It’s not fun to underperform and be rewarded for it by letting your handicap slide out. That’s not how I play now or ever.

Old mans game and old mans thinking is not what I enjoy and I know the game caters for the majority of people at all levels, it’s my standards, my personal standards I respect more.

Maybe that attitude has been in my blood since I first started playing sport in football competitions back at 10 years old and have carried that in my playing and coaching career, later my trade and business career and now my ageing career.

I guess I’m looking for a new challenge. I think.. I love sport, I love the people who play sport, I love my fellow club members and their company but with time on this place getting shorter by the day I feel it’s time for rethink for what I can challenge myself to.

I have considered re entering the Football Coaching field as a advisory, a caddy for some youngster, a manager for a sportsperson, just to name a few and as you are aware I love writing and politics, which I might add gets me into a bit of strife at the club some times but is talked under hands when I leave.

We have bought a new Subaru Forrester Sport, the most challenging vehicle I have ever driven, and that’s saying a bit as I have driven heavy vehicles, 4x4s, buses and some sporty Mercedes Benz, all with different personalities but this one is special. I reminds you you are the driver and your expected habits compared to your actual habits.

It will upset those who know it all but embarrassing them might just save their life if they choose to take notice. It’s all about choice and ego I suppose.

Any way this is not solving my issues but I am enjoying the off-road trips and visiting places where wildlife is a little more natural. Both of us enjoy that freedom of just stop and listening to the silence and song of nature, and change from living on a main road drag trip at times.

Anyway I’ll still keep playing golf and with this drought going on that too is a pain as tee up takes another level of skill away from my toolkit and I get no jollies from teeing up driver on fairways at all. It’s embarrassing to the integrity of the golf course and inflates faulted egos.

In my football career which extended in semi pro coaching , when you beat a player and he has time to get up and bite your legs it time to consider retiring, you’ve proved you point but the game is catching you up and you will be only remembered by your last game… and I don’t want to be remembered as a old man who played who manipulated a system.

It’s a pastime now nothing more and let the battle for honour boards begin.. without me.

Grumpy old fart aren’t I? And proud of it too. 🖕🖕🖕🖕

PS Hope the garage sale is going well, if not she will be as pissed Ruby the dog is looking over the fence at them….

Referees Blamed for Government Incompetence.

Dannielle Fords “Cutting Umpires Slack” article (See Below) should be read and digested by not only the arm chair warriors but the men behind the microphones and front the cameras and the scribes who present themselves as keepers of all knowledge on sport.

Anyone who has refereed sport experiences critical analysis for decisions that occur within tenths of a second and now we see the media gaggle question the Video Assist because it exposes infringements too well or or takes too long.

The VAR systems is accepted as the normal in European sport and unfortunately we Australians are yet to embrace it as this nations downgraded NBN speeds delays swift decision.

For instance in Bundesliga the centre in Cologne can monitor up to 5 matches at one once and have a decision expectation via 19-21 cameras on each ground within 26 seconds unless a on field intervention is required., Australia one per ground at snail mail speed., so when the squarkers in suits whinge they should be asking the question why do we in Australia are incapable of delivering the technology accepted as the norm overseas.

This is a classic example of when near enough is not good enough and our politicians felt our 55th place in the world in internet speed was acceptable for them I assure them running 55th when our sporting standards is effected just doesn’t cut it with the masses.

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