Adelaide Tiger

Good luck to whoever wins the Championship play off final. But I can’t help thinking that the Board at either club will already have a pre-prepared P45 for either coach come December if they are floundering.

I used to watch NRL360 when it was presented by Ben Ikin and Paul Kent was on the show. But my viewership came to an abrupt end when in either 2018 or 2019 Paul Kent commented - and I am paraphrasing - a week before the mid season international break over here ‘Why would people be interested in watching the likes of Samoa, Fiji and Tonga play this weekend when we should be having a round of NRL’. At that moment I just wanted to put my fist through the TV screen and bop him on the nose - just like when the General used to punch Dick Dastardly in the face through the telephone in the cartoon series when Dastardly and Muttley tried to stop the Pigeon. Just looked up Dick Dastardly and never realised - although I would be quite young - that his character was supposedly modelled on Terry-Thomas.

Not a game I follow as well even though I enjoyed watching the Channel 4 highlights show of the VFL in the 1980’s. I was taken to the first home game for Port Adelaide in 2007- I arrived in Adelaide in the close season. Got there an hour or so before kick off and had a steady three pints. I had no idea that the game was in four quarters so at the first quarter break we had a couple more. Half time seemed to last forever so I had a couple more ….. I cannot remember the last two quarters! Never been to another game. The game seemed to last longer than a Test Match!

My question will probably seem very naive, especially as the last bet I placed was on the Grand National probably twenty years ago and I only ever bet on that race. So as I have no knowledge whatsoever about the online betting services industry and how it operates are you saying that no sport, let’s say IPL cricket, benefits from punters in another country betting online on the outcome?

Hi HawkMan. I am someone who is always interested in reading new ideas and I am willing to consider their merits unlike some on here who will just poo-poo something because it is different and some are afraid of what non RL followers will think. What I like about the proposal is that it gives the opportunity to hold the WC across four countries which takes away the financial requirements to hold a full 16 team tournament. It also gives countries like France and NZ the opportunity to see their team play 3 - possibly four if they qualify for the QF - internationals at home which is a rarity - although you could also say that about England and Australia to a lesser extent. One issue about the last WC was the poor attendances in the group game phase. Your format also provides the opportunity to see an increase in attendances as each home nation will be competing in 3 of the 6 group games and possibly in the QF. The seedings for the quarter finals is a simple solution. Just nit-picking here but my only change would be to hold a semi-final draw straight after the QF’s. Every four years the SF and Final stage are held in opposite hemispheres.

Just watched the clip showing the bull dragging its handler across the grass …… it reminded me of the incident on Blue Peter in the 70’s when the baby elephant dragged its handler across the studio floor and it appeared that the handler also slipped on something baby elephant related

My early evening is so much brighter as Foxtel are showing repeats of early episodes of Steptoe and Son. Absolutely cracking comedy and obviously none of the woke BS that pervades programs nowadays. I can’t remember the last time I heard someone say ‘kick him in the goolies’

Worth listening to. As AM stated the IMG proposal suits some clubs more than others and whilst that the Board at Rochdale did not agree with all the content put forward there was no credible alternative.

Wow, nine posts in and no negative comment. Is this a record? Can’t wait to watch this series and I will also watch whatever tournament the SH teams play in.

Breaking news …….. the Tottenham Hotspur mascot has resigned as it was leaked that he is next in line for the Managers job should the interim-interim Manager be sacked before the seasons end. Commenting on SKY the Mascot said ‘####-a-doodle do, no effing way are they, cluck, cluck gonna stitch me up, ####-a-doodle with that job I’m not effing, cluck, cluck, barking mad’. P.S. the #### is the word clock with the second letter missing. P.P.S. No wonder we don’t have any Cockerels posting on here when the majority of the text will be replaced with ####

The last game was 20 years ago. The RL landscape has now changed. The vote taken to support IMG’s ‘Reimagining the Game’ MAY be a catalyst to commit to a long term approach at some point to grow a rep game series. Or the alternative is to just play France once per year (I am referring to games during the SL season and not to any international window at the end of the season).

Do you have an alternative suggestion?

Here is something that I really haven’t paid much attention to …. Team A kicks the ball over the dead ball line. Team B gets a seven tackle set. On the zero tackle Team A commits an infringement and the ref indicates ‘six’ again. But in this instance does Team B still get seven more PTB’sc or just six more PTB’s? If the latter then Team B get no advantage whatsoever.

Well DP, I for one can’t wait for Workington to sign Jonny Lomax once the TV money is divided equally as Saints cant keep him under their lower income from TV. Imagine Harrogate Town persuading the EPL to share the TV money across the four divisions. Perhaps they could persuade Harry Kane to move north

DP do you expect every club across the three divisions to receive the same amount from the TV deal?

Being the club rated as 12th does introduce an element of risk and risk in the new structure should drive improvement at all clubs. Importantly, IMHO, the new structure should offer a better outcome to a team that is replaced under the new grading system. For example - in previous years we have seen full time clubs relegated and revert to part time status as those clubs did not have the off field operations to bring in income to retain full time status. Whereas as from yesterday all clubs now have two years to start improving their off field operations before the first season in 2025 takes place. If a SL club is indeed replaced at the end of 2025 that club should have improved its income generation to ‘cushion’ the gap between funding in SL and the Championship. It should also provide a sufficient base to continue to improve in an effort to retain SL status.

The new structure means that the team in 12th has to pull their finger out and keep improving to retain their place in SL.

Cheers mate. Just been off the site listening to the 5 episodes of Ken Bruce’s Pop Master. I will wait until I have finished the book and look at the link you sent me.

Just looked it up on Google unfortunately it said that no episodes were available. Damn.

I have lived in the same house here in Adelaide for 16 years and never used the bath! The house we live in is twice as big as the one we had back in Cas - cue for witty comments from posters- but the bath is only two thirds the size than back in blighty. So the bath has only been used by the dogs we have had. Every house I have visited over here either just has a shower or a bath of similar proportion to ours. P.S. We do have showers in the house in case you thought I was a typical Cas lad

Well, to bring the high brow reading booklist down to National League North Division 7 I am reading ‘Travels with Boogie’ by Mark Wallington - wasn’t he Leicester City’s goalie in the 70’s? The book comprises two journeys by Mark and his dog of unknown breed called Boogie. The first journey ‘500 Mile Walkies’ which I have just finished is about walking the south east coastal route. I read the book back in the 1980’s and I enjoyed it again. I have just started reading ‘Boogie up the River’ describing their monumental journey to find the source of the Thames. However, I hope that by reading ‘The Future of Humanity’ by Michio Kaku earlier this year at least promotes me to Third Division (North) status!

Great news. By working smartly and in collaboration with other organisations - along with being aware of funding rounds that are available to apply to - the cost of providing such facilities can be greatly reduced.

As one or two have pointed, and I agree, the current action by the PL is a minimalist and token offer. If PL clubs were so concerned about the impact of gambling then they could have banned gambling completely from the game and set a precedent that other sports would have been compelled to follow. So why didn’t they? We are talking about a League that attracts a billion quid plus each year from sponsorship so why do they need to retain gambling sponsorship on sleeves and pitch side advertising? P.S. Why didn’t the PL also ban players from wearing their socks above their knees …….. now that does irritate me!

Enjoyed every minute of all SL games. Thought Catalans v Warrington was the best game I have seen so far this season.

I played football for my local pub for many years. I thought it downright disgusting that the money that the Premier League received was not shared equally amongst all clubs, including ours. It hurt knowing that the likes of Man Ure splashed out millions on players and let their stadium fall into disrepair when our pub could have had a carvery and improvements to the beer garden.