Welcome to the weekly sporting review that has almost as many readers as spectators at a Wallabies game.
This week is brought to you be the letter F, and the number 2. For the F there’s footy finals, foreign football, Formula E, and Golf. The number 2 is for the amount of finals games in each code this weekend, and possibly the amount of fans that watched the Wallabies.
AFL FINALS
Two great finals and for the first time since Collingwood in 2007 a team from outside the Top 4 makes the second last week of the finals. In this case it is two teams that have upset the apple cart. Both teams will more than likely act as small speed bump on route to the Buddy Franklin final, but the two were unfancied last week, and North Melb have beaten all of the remaining teams.
NRL FINALS
Not very often can a Souths fan clock off in a finals game with 20 minutes to go. After pantsing Manly in the first 60, they took a hard earned break and got a decent mouthful from the boss. Souths have merely raised the hopes to a level of higher future disappointment.
Penrith were the heroes of the finals, causing one of the two upsets of the finals. The Roosters felt they were robbed, but it certainly has opened up the finals since the once premiership favourites lost. In Soward Penrith have some kind of saviour, which is surprising to say the least for a player who wasn’t wanted by anyone it seemed last season.
More on the Broncos and Cowboys. Less on the Bulldogs – Storm. Another game over by halftime, and the Bulldogs Manly showdown is looming as a real finals battle (read boring as f***).
FORMULA E
Motor Racing fans have been craving a summer series since the A1GP got into bed with Ferrari, ended up broke, and vanished. In Formula E you have your new off F1 season distraction.
Sure they don’t have the speed, sound, tracks, team, prestige, history of F1, but they do have a shitload of ex F1 drivers to remember and enjoy.
The Gurglers Top 5 drivers who should be in Formula E are below.
Pierluigi Martini
Andrea de Cesaris
Pedro Chaves
Ralph Firman
Sakon Yamamoto
As in any good series, a last lap crash will always get the punters interested, especially between 1st and 2nd, especially at the last corner, escpeically involving sons of F1 legends and former F1 star Nick Heidfeld. The crash is below for your amusement.
QLD CUP FINALS
A great accompaniment to a lazy Sunday afternoon. Ipswich and Wynnum were the entertainers from the weekend. Ipswich who at one stage in the second half were 10points up threw the ball around like a team behind by 18 with 5 minutes to go. They should have maybe concentrated on their right side after Wynnum sent raid after raid and kick after kick into that corner for many tries.
The big party is on at Suncorp in two Sundays time. All three grade equals Brisbane’s best day out.
FADING POWERS?
Premiership powerhouses Melbourne Storm and Geelong Cats are now out of their respective finals. Is it the end of a golden era, or just a bad year? Like Souths or Melbourne Demons fans, there’s always next year.
BRONCOS
Played like a team who lost their final game to seal their spot in the eight. Dropped the ball as if on a commission for error rate, and only came to life when far too late. Martin Kennedy get s special mention as the worst purchase of a player by a SEQ rugby league since Garrick Morgan. Happily, with Four Qld Cup feeder sides, he’ll have plenty of choice next year for scenery.
COWBOYS
Conspiracy already abounds at the severity of the Tariq Sims sentence. They’ve still got a knock out final in Sydney this weekend to make it a three-peat of controversial exits.
WALLABIES
Why wouldn’t you take a Test against Argentina to cemetery of Australian sport. Smallest crows ever, and hopefully another nail in the coffin for the SAAB of Australian sport.
NRL TV FIGURES
Down 3.6 million. A quick check on the ABC discussion on Sunday should give plenty of reasons why. So will the Gurgler soon. Channel 9’s thoughts? Live game on a Sunday. More than likely in Sydney with the small rotation of Rab’s favourite teams.
GURGLER SUPER MULTI pays $1990
NORTH MELBOURNE with 26.5 point start v Geelong
HAWTHORN to win by 25 +
NORTH QLD to beat Roosters
MANLY to beat Bulldogs
JIMMIE JOHNSON to win Nascar race
BOX HILL to win VFL Grand Final
EAST PERTH to win WAFL GF
DORTMUND to win in Bundesliga
WYNNUM to beat Easts
