Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2016 i Inside Sport

I’ve long thought that an Aussie footy supporter would find the passion of US college football fans far more recognisable than the NFL equivalent. With the Olympics finishing, it was time to get back into footy in a big way. We’ve got all forms of pigskin covered this month: AFL, NRL, union, soccer, NFL, even wheelchair rugby. While we’re getting reacquainted with the finals time of year, this month also brings a new spectacle – the American college football season will begin in Sydney, as the University of California-Berkeley plays the University of Hawaii. With an eye to this game, we tasked long-time contributor and our man in the United States, Rick Weber, with making the case for one side in an eternal debate: NFL or college, which is better?…

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Extra Time As one group of teams starts boarding planes for end of season trips to the Gold Coast, or Bali, or Vegas, for the other half the battle has only just begun. Welcome to the finals, where rules concerning how to separate the best of the best when scores are level are always changing. 1 The Australian Football League and National Rugby League have adopted new rules for resolving tied finals matches, which come into effect in 2016. Curiously, their systems are quite similar – both footy codes will now play ten more minutes if scores are level after regulation. And if it’s deadlocked after that, first score wins. 2 The rules may be new, but not unfamiliar. In the AFL, all finals but one are already decided this…

“It was good to kick a few goals in what was the windiest grand final I played in.” THIRTY YEARS ON, it’s easy to assume Mick Cronin reflects upon Parramatta’s 1986 grand final conquest – still their most recent premiership – as his finest moment. A fourth grand final win in six years stamped the Eels as a rugby league force after more than 30 seasons without a first grade trophy. Yet the star centre points to the day five years earlier that started the run: Parra’s 1981 grand final grounding of the Newtown Jets. A memorable 20-11 victory that breezy afternoon at the Sydney Cricket Ground paved the way for three further blue-’n-gold premierships in the next five years. Taking time out from running his pub in Gerringong, Cronin…

Occupation Footballer Origin Lagny-sur-Marne, in the eastern suburbs of Paris Born March 15, 1993 Height 1.91m Weight 84kg Status Best Young Player 2014 World Cup, 2015 FIFA FIFPro World XI, most expensive transfer in football history LEGS Perhaps his most distinctive trait, which earned him the nickname of il Polpo (“the Octopus”) in Italy. Pogba’s length gives him tremendous defensive range (if not the ideal rigour), and while he has a higher centre of gravity compared to the Messi types, he’s very effective at shielding the ball and keeping it away from defenders while in possession. Those levers also give him an advantage with his long-range shots – Pogba’s highlight reel of goals from in and around the edge of the box is legitimately FIFA-like, and his superb touch on…

For a bloke who supposedly had died, Roger Goodell is, well, surprisingly alive. He doesn’t simply have a pulse – he has a personality. On June 7, the NFL’s Twitter feed contained a shocking snippet of breaking news: “We regret to inform our fans that our commissioner, Roger Goodell, has passed away. He was 57. #RIP.” A hacker group called Peggle Crew claimed this bit of genius, and it took Resurrected Roger only a few hours to post a proof-of-life photo and a pithy, un-Rogerlike response on his own Twitter account: “Man, you leave the office for 1 day of golf w/ @JimKelly1212 & your own network kills you off. #harsh.” He was probably smiling when the NFL told him that his Wikipedia page was briefly changed to announce that…

The peloton departs Montpellier for Stage 12 of the Tour de France, a 178km journey to Mont Ventoux, one of the tour’s most iconic mountain stages. Meanwhile, the craziest fans have already started partying near the stage’s finishing line at Mont Ventoux. By the time defending Tour champ Chris Froome and the pack arrives at the top of the mountain, the fans are very excited to see them. Just kilometres from the stage’s finish, Aussie Riche Porte crashes into the back of a TV crew motorbike, which had nowhere to go because of encroaching spectators. Froome ploughs into the back of them, and another motorbike into him ... In farcical scenes, Britain's superstar then sets off on foot up the slope until a replacement bike is delivered to him by…

“We could separate and form our own competition. It is a genuine option for us. But that’s not what anyone wants.” The story behind Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs chairman Ray Dib’s rise through the official ranks is an interesting one. After representing both the Western Suburbs Magpies and his beloved Bulldogs on the field, Dib, the son of Lebanese migrants, proceeded to a career in the finance industry. While completing his university qualifications, Dib penned his thesis on “Professionalism and Management in Rugby League”. Central to his theory was monetising all aspects of rugby league. A heavy focus was also placed on building strong relationships with the government sector to access grants and investments. It wasn't until the year 2000 that Dib came to prominence through the formation of local grade club…

THE GRADUATE Lachlan Coote NORTH QUEENSLAND COWBOYS In 2015 the world wasn’t just gifted with the most exciting finish to a grand final in rugby league history, we were also finally presented with a magnificent season by North Queensland fullback Lachlan Coote. And this campaign, he’s proved the gift that keeps on giving. Coote’s story prior to his stellar 2015 premiership-winning run with the Cows mirrored any hard luck, injury-riddled career you care to recall. Debuting for Penrith in 2008, as you read this the Windsor product is still to notch even his 130th career NRL game. He missed the second half of 2009 because of a season-ending shoulder injury, most of 2013 after damaging a pectoral, and all of 2014 after tearing an ACL in the Auckland Nines. In…

WHAT’S OFTEN lost in the interminable argument about the relative merits of our two rugby codes is that half the players in either sport are of little use to the other one. Those players – let’s call them “forwards” – perform quite different, specialised tasks. And save for giant All Blacks and Maroons madman Brad Thorn, these people have little cross-over value. Consider the front rows. The South African saying goes that your first-picked player is the tight-head prop; second picked is your reserve tight-head. It’s testament to the value of these squat, pseudo Sumos, these union thugs, these thick-necked Bond henchmen in the tight and dark places of rugby ruck, maul and scrum. The league scrum, meanwhile, is a penis-less joke. Yet the league prop is the greatest bash-man…

 Geez, those Kiwis are a shy, bunch, hey? Members of the New Zealand 2016 Rio Olympics team certainly made a grand entrance at the official welcome and flag-raising ceremony in Brazil. Come up with your own funny caption for this pic to be in the running to win a $150 CANTERBURY GIFT VOUCHER to enjoy shopping at your nearest Canterbury store or online at canterbury.com.au ... AND a pair of new DYNAFLYTE SHOES FROM ASICS worth $220. Bulletproof durability doesn’t have to weigh a ton. FlyteFoam Technology combines with superfibers for a feather-light shoe that’s strong enough to endure your longest runs. (Email your entries to iscomps@insidesport.com.au, or check out our website: www.insidesport.com.au. You can also still post entries to Freeze Frame Comp, Inside Sport, PO Box 5555, St Leonards,…

1 After another riveting grand final, the Queensland Firebirds repeated as victors of netball’s ANZ Championship. The Firebirds’ 69-67 double extra-time win, once again over the NSW Swifts, was the first back-to-back in ANZ Championship history ... and the last, as the trans-Tasman comp is overhauled from next season. 2 Despite what is seemingly the most airtight case for a blanket ban for systematic doping, the IOC doesn’t expel Russia out of the Rio Olympics, instead passing the buck to the various sports federations. Russia’s track and field competitors are among the athletes ousted; the one Russian allowed to compete, in a win for Olympic lechers everywhere, is US-based long jumper/supermodel Darya Klishina. 3 An Aussie rules footballer playing in a Tasmanian league became the 12th player to kick 200…

Wave High The waves at Teahupo’o for the Billabong Pro Tahiti (ends Aug 30) are not only gorgeous to look at, they’re renowned as the most dangerous on the circuit – it stands to reason that last year’s winner, Frenchman Jeremy Flores, surfed while wearing a helmet. With treachery and big scores lurking in equal measure, the contest in French Polynesia often turns into a tactical one, with the contenders moving steadily amid the wipe-outs. And past the midpoint of the season, Tahiti really brings the title race into clearer view – Aussie Matt Wilkinson’s surprise lead, built atop wins at Snapper and Bells, has held up, but the fancied likes of Gabriel Medina and John John Florence have begun their move up the board. Flushing It Be honest: with…

Cyril Rioli (HAWTHORN) The Hawks have gone small up forward in the absence of Jarryd Roughead, with conjurers like Cyril Rioli and Paul Puopolo leading the way. Rioli adds unpredictability to a dauntingly even team with a high collective IQ that upholds efficiency, prevents system failure and maintains output capacity. In such an environment, not many can match up on The Cyzzler. If the greatest player ever to play is judged by his highlights reel, Cyril breathes rarefied air. He doesn’t need volume to be best-on-ground. A 12-possession game is not the sort of sweeping epic Luke Hodge might author; rather a few lines of vivid brilliance, like haiku written by Li Po. What can we expect from him? He’ll do the things that get turnstiles crackling. Elusive and damaging…

“It doesn’t matter what you do, if you’re having a good time in the studio, that vibe goes up through the antenna and out to the people.” MATTY JOHNS draws from the wisdom of a doyen from yesteryear to identify the key piece of advice that guides him in his second career, that of rugby league television host. But it’s not a name you’ll find on any Scanlens footy card or on any list of the game’s great coaches. “There’s an old rule that Doug Mulray used to go by in the old days at Triple M,” the Newcastle Knights premiership winner shares. “Doug, a veteran television and radio presenter, used to say all the time, ‘You know what, it doesn’t matter what you do, if you’re having a good…

One of the most ubiquitous of lunch bag items, the meal in a peel, quick nourishment for workout warriors everywhere. But a lot of misconceptions have built up around bananas recently, so we had Healthy Food Guide’s Brooke Longfield explain just how good they are for you. And one other thing – you can also use them in some really nice recipes ... ONE OF THE biggest food myths going around is that bananas are fattening. They also get a bad rap for being high in sugar. So, should we be saying “no no” to ‘nanas? To start with, bananas are low in fat and kilojoules (calories), like all fruit. A medium banana has about 400kJ (150cal), which is the ideal size for a between-meal snack. They’re also a good…