AFL TAS

With the 2010 football season under way, I thought I would recap on the happenings at the top-level in Tasmanian footy.

Tasmania AFL bid

Andrew Demetriou talks about the future of the AFL and the outlook past the Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney and that future expansion is almost a certainty.

He stated:

You could be talking about Tasmania being entrenched in the competition and another team in Western Australia. I just know that it (the AFL) won’t look like it does today.

This statement was in relation to the AFL circa 2030. Read the article – Further expansion potential ‘limitless’: Demetriou

Hawks in Tasmania

Hawk’s great Robert DiPierdomenico has called on the Hawthorn football club to extend its deal with the Tasmanian government saying it’s a win/win for both the state and club.

He also stated that the AFL is keeping a close eye on how state football was working.  Read the Article – Hawks great wants Tassie deal to continue

The Hawks might have to look out as Essendon’s chief executive officer and managing director and also Tasmanian born Ian Robson has stated that Essendon would welcome an opportunity to play games in Tasmania.  Robson who was with Hawthorn last year and has seen the opportunities in the Tasmanian market.  Read article – Essendon sees state as lucrative football market

The Wizz and Wacko Jacko

A  faction from the Kermandie football club recruited ex-AFL players Mark “Wacko Jacko” Jackson and Warwick Capper in effort to save the club from the wilderness and make sure the clubs 127 year history continues.

Even with the two high-profile signing the club was still not able to draw enough players to training to field two team in the upcoming 2010 season.  Martin Flanagan wrote an article for the Sydney Morning Herald

TSL Board -V- Clubs

The 10 Tasmanian Statewide Clubs were not represented on the AFL Tasmania board, so to get some representation at the top-level, they have empowered ex Tasmanian premier Paul Lennon to represent them at the board level.

This came about by the board wanting to scrap the reserves competition from the state-wide format and have the clubs run that competition themselves.  Having no representation at the top-level meant that decisions were being made without input from the clubs, who were being effected directly.

In conclusion a lot has happened in the months leading up to this years season, probably more so than any other year.  Stepping stone, pathways and clubs need to be preserved in our state.  Players need to develop but it seems if you are not in elite company when you are a 15-17 year old then you might find it hard to find a  way to progress.

The Teams are as follows:

ACA Johnnie Walker Four-day Team of the Year in batting order is:
Ed Cowan (TAS), Phillip Hughes (NSW), Michael Klinger (SA - vice-captain), George Bailey (TAS - Captain), Usman Khawaja (NSW), Steven Smith (NSW), Chris Hartley (QLD), John Hastings (VIC), Ben Cutting (QLD), Trent Copeland (NSW), Peter George (SA), 12th man: David Hussey (VIC)

George Bailey  has had a fantastic year in his first year as the Tigers captain and was rewarded by being made captain of both the four-day and one day teams.  He was also selected to tour with the National team in New Zealand in the absence of Michael Clarke.

In Ed Cowans  first year as a Tiger, he cemented his spot in the starting 11 with some high scores including a huge 225 against South Australia and finishing the season proper on top of the leading run scorer list for the series.

ACA Johnnie Walker One-day Team of the Year in batting order is:
Michael Klinger (SA), Phillip Jaques (NSW), Bradley Hodge (VIC - vice-captain), George Bailey (TAS - Captain), Lee Carseldine (QLD), Travis Birt (TAS), Matthew Wade (VIC), John Hastings (VIC), Xavier Doherty (TAS), Ben Cutting (QLD), Nathan Rimmington (QLD), 12th man: Daniel Christian (SA)

On top of his four-day form George Bailey also excelled in the one-day version by finishing the season as the second highest run scorer and by captaining the successful Tigers team in the Ford Ranger Cup.

Travis Birt finished the season the fifth highest run scorer with the second best average for the season.  He also made his international Twenty20 debut against  Pakistan.

Finishing the season with 20 wickets Xavier Doherty ended up with the most wickets for the Ford Ranger Cup series. 

ACA Johnnie Walker Interstate Twenty20 Team of the Year in batting order is:
Shaun Marsh (WA), David Warner (NSW), Bradley Hodge (VIC - Captain), Tim Paine (TAS), Kieron Pollard (SA), James Hopes (QLD), Chris Simpson (QLD - vice-captain), Daniel Christian (SA), Aaron Heal (WA), John Hastings (VIC), Shaun Tait (SA), 12th man Brad Knowles (WA)

Tim Paine was the sole Tiger in the Twenty20 team with a series strike rate of 207.  A solid season for Tasmania in all forms of the game.   Australian one-day representative and centurian and a match defining century in the Ford Ranger Cup final would have made this season one to remember for Paine. 

As for individual awards go, Brad Hodge won the Ford Ranger Cup Player of the Series award with 24 points followed by the Tasmanian duo of George Bailey (20) & Travis Birt (16).  Pakistani import Rana Naved was only two points off the winners of the Twenty20 Big Bash Player of the Series award which was shared between South Australian import Kieron Pollard & David Warner from New South Wales who polled 12 votes each.

George Bailey

Tasmanian Cricket captain George Bailey was chosen to replace the embattled Michael Clarke for the rest of the Chappell-Hadlee series being played in New Zealand.

Bailey who was in preparation for the Tigers last shield game of the season when he got the call up, has not played at international level but is prepared to take any opportunity with both hands.

The call up comes off the back of a terrific Ford Ranger cup season. 538 runs at an average of 59.78 which includes one century and five half centuries. Bailey’s form had a lot to do with the Tigers capturing their fourth Ford Ranger Cup championship, it was also Bailey’s first year as Captain.

George Bailey media conference on the Cricket Australia website

The timing is a little bit off for the Tasmanian as the last ODI against New Zealand will be played on Saturday the 13th of March with Bailey’s Deccan Chargers playing their first IPL game for season 2010 less than 24 hours later.

Image by addynapper

Travis Birt

Birt’s inclusion came due to his heavy hitting and good performances in the Australian domestic Twenty20 competition, playing a total of 22 games at an average of 23.25 and with a strike rate of 132.48. 

Andrew Keyte wrote an article for the SportsAustralia web site stating that we are seeded below Bangledesh for the upcoming world cup and that was due to playing our one-day squad in Twenty20 matches when more enthuses should be placed on playing specialists. Tim Paine was the only Tasmanian to make his hypothetical team. 

The popularity of this form of the game has forced us to start picking specialist players. The dollars, the Indian dominance over world cricket affairs and sportsbetting will rule in the end. 

Birt has now had a chance and was dismissed for one, let hope he gets another go and makes the squad for the upcoming World cup.

The games to be played are as follows: 

1.  Thursday 28 January- 7pm
2.  Saturday 30 January- 5pm
3.  Sunday 31 January- 7pm

Hockey Australia Chief Executive Mark Anderson stated the reason’s behind offer the three game series to Tasmania: 

One of our key objectives is to ensure the exposure of our sport across Australia. It is important that Tasmania has exposure to our elite teams and we are aware that it has been a long time since the State had the opportunity to host the Kookaburras. These Test matches offer sports lovers in Tasmania a tremendous opportunity to see one of Australia’s most successful sporting teams live and we would encourage spectators to make the most of the series. 

This test series will give  Beijing Olympian, Tasmanian Eddie Ockenden his first international on home soil. Ockenden’s profile has soared after being chosen last month in the World Hockey All Star team.  

Ticket prices:(no concessions) 

Daily tickets available at the gate on the night or available from the Tasmanian Hockey Center or Golding and Son Jeweller in Hobart (cnr Mall & Liverpool St)

 

Seat $15 – Seat seasons pass $40

Adult daily $10 – Adult seasons pass $20

Child daily $5 – Child seasons pass $10

Family daily $25 – Family seasons pass $60

 

 

 The Hero Honda Hockey world Cup starts February 28th in New Dehli. 

Eddie Ockenden

Photo by Will Ockenden. 

Tassie Sports

This weeks Tasmanian related sports news:

• Women rally in support of McGrath Foundation – Rally Sport
• Wesley Sulzberger attacked with Cadel Evans – Road.cc
• Kookaburras three-Test series against Korea in Tasmania – Daily Teleghraph
• Rana and Geeves get KFC Big Bash Hatricks – ESPN Star
• Lucas Wilson to ride at Tasmanian Rodeo’s – Warwick Daily News
• Ambrose makes top 10 Australian sports earners – The Mercury
• Tasmanian opposition government pledge $1.5m for Kingston sports complex – ABC News
• Ponting rises 13 spots in the ICC Test rankings after Hobart Test – Sportal
• Hilfy doubtful for tour of New Zealand – Cricinfo

Burnie Tennis Club

The McDonald’s Burnie International Tennis Tournament starts on the 30th January and will feature Alicia Molik, Jarmilla Groth, Brydan Klein & Bernard Tomic.   

The Burnie International Tennis Tournament is the only Challenger level event in Australia and will feature prize money of $50,000 for the men & $25,000 for the women.  The Challenger level is part of the ATP world tour and is the secondary professional Tennis circuit used by young up & coming tennis players as a stepping stone. 

The world’s number 1 ranked 17-year-old Tennis player Bernard Tomic will feature after loosing a second round, five set marathon against world number 14 Marin Cilic at the Australian Open.  

The game finished at 2:09 am in the morning and had Tomic complaining that it was ridiculous for a 17-year-old to have been scheduled to play at that time. Insisting that if it was scheduled during the day, that the result would have been different. 

Qualifying sessions are schedules for Saturday 30th and Sunday 31st of January with the main draw starting the 1st of February with the final being played on the 7th February. 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=omg8GYlUibg

The dropped catch was what Ponting needed to get some luck going his way, as he took the opportunity to turn his form and to reply to the suggestions from the media and ex-cricketers that he should retire or should bat down the order to prolong his career.  

Ponting’s test form this season on home soil has been ordinary, scoring a total of 353 runs at an average of 44 and a high score 137 not out which could be built on today.  He was also just named Player of the Decade which is voted by a jury comprising former and current players and cricket writers.

At the close of play on day one Ponting finished the day on 137 not out and shared a partnership of 231 with Michael Clarke who is 111 not out. The partnership broke Australia’s fourth-wicket record against Pakistan, set by Greg Chappell and Graham Yallop in Faisalabad 30 years ago.

Mike Gatting better known in Australia as the Englishman who was at the strikers end when Shane Warne bowled the ball of the century (See the ball of the century here on you tube) has recently stated that Ponting should retire on his terms, that he risked playing one season to many and that he needed to seriously self-evaluate his exit from the game.

I would imagine that all Englishmen would like to see Rick Ponting retire and to me retiring on your own terms would not come from pressure from the media but with consultation with family, friends & team mates.  He has speculated in this article that he would consider batting down the order if a better candidate for the number three spot was available.

Ricky Ponting

 Image:

The latest news about this match is:

Pakistan coach Intikhab Alam has dropped Kamran Akmal as wicketkeeper after a disappointing Sydney test, dropping Mike Hussey three times. Hussey went on to score an unbeaten 134.
Akmal will be replaced by Sarfraz Ahmed & did not rule out Kamran Akmal being in the squad as a specialist batsman.

Today in an effort to prove his fitness and get back into the side, Simon Katich took part in two stints of batting practise in the nets, fielding practise and also bowled his wrist spin.
After todays efforts all signs seem positive for his return, which will mean future star Phil Hughes will more than likley miss the third test, especially after out of form Marcus North has been backed in to play through his dry spell by both Captain Ricky ponting and coach Tim Nielson.

Ex Pakistani coach and former Australian pacemen Geoff Lawson has said that the Psychological impact suffered on the Pakistan team due to the dissapointment from the Sydney Test will be enough for Australia to inflict a heavy defeat on them during the third test.

Bellerive Oval

Ricky Ponting

It seems that a lot of Criticism is being thrown at Ricky Ponting at the moment, especially from Rodney Hogg in an article he recently wrote.
Hogg has called for Ponting to be replaced by Simon Katich & pointed out six Ricky Ponting captaincy blunders:

1. WINNING the toss and batting in the second Test at Edgbaston in 2005, after losing Glenn McGrath to injury half an hour before the game.
2. IN THE second Test in Nagpur in 2008 when Australia had India 6-166 in its second innings, Ponting chose to bowl Mike Hussey when concerned about the over rate.
3. IN THE second Test of the 2008-09 Australia-South Africa series at the MCG, having no obvious plan to dismiss tailender Dale Steyn (76) and refusing to bowl Simon Katich, preferring an injured Andrew Symonds.
4. IN THIS year’s Ashes series choosing not to bowl Ben Hilfenhaus in the first Test at Cardiff when Australia needed one wicket to win.
5. BOWLING Peter Siddle for 10 straight overs in the first innings against the West Indies in Adelaide when the speedster should be used in five or six-over bursts.
6. NOT picking Nathan Hauritz in the Ashes decider at The Oval when English spinner Graeme Swann took eight wickets.

On top of this, Ponting has also fallen out of the top 10 batsmen in the world for the first time since 2002. The most recent figures released by the International Cricket Council have Ponting sitting 12th.
He has been the number one batsman on three occasions, in 2003, 2005 & 2006.
Pontingis Australia’s 42nd skipper and took over from Steve Waugh, inheriting a great team.

From the squad that first toured Sri Lanka under the captaincy of Ponting (R T Ponting, A C Gilchrist, M L Hayden, J L Langer, D R Martyn, D S Lehmann, A Symonds, S K Warne, M S Kasprowicz, J N Gillespie, S C G MacGill), all have retired or are not playing first class cricket.

Right or wrong, Hogg is entitled to his opinion. Pontingis not going to have the success that Steve Waugh had & comparing the two is unfair as Waugh was an attacking captain, but he could afford to be with his side.

I have complied a table of statistic from the last three test captains to compare, so draw your own conclusion.