Yours Please #4
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By Scott MacLean, Ryan Nixon and Keith Miller
We have decided to introduce a regular new series. “Yours Please” asks three Sportsfreak affiliates their thoughts on what has happened – and what may happen – in the sporting world.
This week, @MadMacLegend, @NewYorkNixon and @ArtGuyNZ give us their thoughts on the weekend’s events.
1) In rugby, the Southern Hemisphere reigned supreme over the weekend. Which result stood out the most to you?
@MadMacLegend – It has to be the Wallabies. Few gave them a shout against England at Twickers, yet they were the ones who had their arms aloft at the end. Next for me was just how poor Ireland were (and only just shading Nic Berry’s outing), then Wales’ downturn continuing by losing to Fiji who conceded 50 to Scotland last week. South Africa over the Jocks and Argentina over Italy were eminently predictable, but a shout out to Chile who easily handled Canada; what has happened to the game in North America?
@NewYorkNixon – Australia’s. England would have been all the better for having a hit out last weekend, and the Wallabies are still a team on the rebuild. But they’re quickly showing that there’s something building there, and there’s some excitement around not only Joseph Sua’ali’i, but also a number of other players. Len Ikitau and Rob Valetini in particular have emerged as stars.
@ArtGuyNZ – Initially I was going to suggest Fiji beating Wales, but Wales – without taking anything away from Fiji’s 14-man effort for 60 minutes – are absolutely horrible at present. So, I think for Australia to come back and beat England at Twickenham the way they did was a pretty impressive effort.
2) Another tournament, another tennis tantrum – this time from Daniil Medvedev (again). What is the answer to the Spoilt Brat Syndrome in tennis?
@MadMacLegend – The ATP has to bring in a demerits system and start sitting blokes out of tournaments. If F1 can have one for poor driving – which saw Kevin Magnussen sit out a race this year – then surely tennis can address that.
@NewYorkNixon – Is there a need for one? We clamour for personalities in sports, and sometimes that means players whose emotions get the better of them. As long as they’re not endangering other people, and that there are still penalties attached, let them at it. It’s good content.
@ArtGuyNZ – There is nothing more boring than watching a grown adult behaving like a petulant infant when things don’t quite go their way on the tennis court. World Tennis doesn’t appear to be overly interested in clamping down on it, but one suggestion I have heard makes a lot of sense. You are allowed to take one racquet on court only – if you smash it up, you have to play with that for the rest of the match.
3) Shaun Johnson’s farewell test saw him run the show in the second half. How will he be remembered?
@MadMacLegend – When it comes to outrageously talented playmakers, he and Benji Marshall are 1 and 1A. Copped an awful lot of flak for not winning every game every week despite often having a very average supporting cast, but has a highlight reel that could stretch for hours. And the fact he answered the call for the Pacific Champs tells you what sort of bloke he matured into.
@NewYorkNixon – Ultimately, as a halfback with all the talent in the world, who failed to bring home what Warriors fans have been wanting since day one. That’s largely unfair on SJ too, as the club failed to construct the roster needed to fully utilise his talents. The Prince of Penrose will always live on in the highlights, though.
@ArtGuyNZ – This farewell test summed up Shaun Johnson to a tee. A relatively quiet first half was followed by an incredible, explosive second half with Johnson ruling the roost, and having a hand in most tries. He has been judged harshly over his career, but he could (and quite often would) turn a game on its head. Mercurial, sure – but Johnson has had a big impact on this country’s rugby league landscape.
4) The Fast 5 Netball has been and gone. What impact did it have on your weekend viewing?
@MadMacLegend – Didn’t have it on at home, but it was the choice of the staff down at the pub. But I love the concept of netball’s equal to rugby sevens and the fact that games are seldom a foregone conclusion at halftime. Throw in the other entertainment and they’ve certainly managed to tap into a market that works.
@NewYorkNixon – Outside of the Australian men’s team’s piece of fantastic *NSYNC choreography, none.
@ArtGuyNZ – Nil. Following on from the Silver Ferns remarkable Constellation Cup win, you would think that this event would have really captured the public’s imagination. But frankly, it didn’t. Unlike its cricketing counterpart T20, which was initially seen as a bit of fun, for whatever reason, this event seems to have been unable to shed its dancing, prancing image into a serious option.
5) Raygun retires from what she considered to be break dancing. Genuine underdog or total fraud?
@MadMacLegend – The person who spurned a thousand memes; just today an NFL player celebrated by copying her infamous routine. There are genuine questions how she ended up in Paris in the first place and just what THAT routine was, but her fame and notoriety will live on long after everyone has forgotten her name.
@NewYorkNixon – One of the craziest “sporting” storylines of 2024. The shame for the sport of breaking is that, instead of making headlines at the Olympics for the right reasons to help legitimise their sport, Raygun turned it into a mainstream meme. The only silver lining is that unlike another amateur breakdancer, we didn’t have to witness it on the grass nearly every year…
@ArtGuyNZ – Total fraud. The way she was selected for the Olympics – thanks largely to a helping hand from her selector husband – was shoddy at best, and the whole thing reeked of a bad publicity stunt gone wrong. Quite why you’d do that at Olympic level is beyond me, but I do have to thank her for being single handedly responsible for the removal of the silliest sport to make the Olympics since Poodle Clipping was a test event in 1900 (yes, really).
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