The View from Shepparton: Don’t moan Clarke, you were out

OK let’s get it over and done with. The Review System did work, don’t moan about Haddin or Clarke, they were out. And though I know that the issue of walking is vexed, and we know all of the arguments, to me to stay when you know that you are out is cheating whether you are the Australian Captain or Stuart Broad. The fact too that even after all of the Tests that have been played using this system Clarke still seems to have no idea how to use it, thus costing his side a right of appeal in the latter case, is just sheer bad captaincy,  nothing more nothing less.  The notion too that a player does not necessarily always know if the ball has been hit particularly in the case of a fine snick like Haddin’s is just rubbish. Mr Whately said on “Offsiders” yesterday words to the effect that anyone who thinks that cricket is pure has to be kidding themselves. He was right bur where are the Adam Gilchrist’s of this world when you need them. Getting back to Broad not walking. The fact that he was so obviously out, whilst giving rise to an emotional debate revolving around his ethical values when it comes to sport is a sideshow. Anyone who doesn’t walk is a cheat no matter what the circumstances.

 

I don’t want the foregoing to take away from the fantastic and exciting debut of Ashton Agar. I guess that Jimmy Anderson deserved the “Man of The Match” award but I would have given it to Agar. Some have downplayed his debut a little by pointing to his “only” making fourteen in the second dig but given his previous effort in this game plus the fact that he got three wickets only two of which counted. How fantastic is it that a bloke comes in at number eleven and makes a world record number eleven score on debut. Have to be pretty unlucky not to get the “gong”. Still on the subject of the game in general, that last wicket partnership in the second dig was plain flat out nail biting as well. This was a great game of cricket and serves to underscore how pathetically piss weak other forms of the game are in comparison.

 

I watched the Netball final for a while. The players in what is also another tough competition at least seem to play the game in a spirit which other sports could well do to emulate. It was a truly exciting game with the final result in the balance until the very end. I must confess to not having followed this sport all that much but I seem to recall that for years the  Queensland  Firebirds were the “easy beats” of the competition. Well , no more, the Adelaide Thunderbirds had to go flat out to win the Grand Final having been down 13 -9 at quarter time. I much prefer to viewing netball to basketball to honest

 

On the footy front, my mob won. Is it the beginning of a last ditch comeback by the Lions this year, some sort of a “Brisbane Lions Spring”. Well at the very least it is better to be winning than losing. I was amazed at how the Kangaroos were overrun in the last quarter. The Brisbane best players list as recorded in today’s Oz has a familiar  look to it, Mayes,(what a find), Hanley, Rockiff, Rich, Adcock, Bewick. We have the third youngest list in the competition as well.

 

Adelaide, as seems to happen quite regularly against Collingwood got off to  flyer but could not maintain their form. Pity of course but have to concede that the Pies were too good. A good effort by the Crows to come back to within 3 points in that last quarter though. Their season is now definitely shot but the Collingwood will certainly be around in September. Krakouer played a ripper for the Pies.

 

I never thought that I would barrack for  Mick Malthouse coached team but I did go for the Blues because I simply could not agree with the St Kilda team selection, which, once again, has been discussed many times. At any rate the Blues got up and in so doing stayed in touch with the eight.

 

Richmond barrackers must have had a collective huge sigh of relief at their getting over the Suns. Hard to play a game at a strange ground with a gale blowing all night but at least such a venue does get the game from the sanitised environment of grounds like Etihad.

 

Geelong thrashed Melbourne and the Swans thrashed the Sprawlers, no surprises there, equally Hawthorn easily beating Port Adelaide was not a particular surprise either.

 

I watched some of the Eagles Freo game (whilst wasting a lot of time trying to get rid of an unwanted “News.Net” intrusion into my system). It was really exciting to watch and was in doubt until the final quarter. Barlow played really well for the Dockers, it is great that in addition to is being a “late starter” he has made such a recovery from the serious injury he sustained last year.

 

The Western Bulldogs pushed Essendon more than most thought likely but when I was viewing the game in the last quarter the Bombers always seemed to be in charge.

 

Highlight: Agar, Who else?

 

Lo Light. The sprinters caught doping.

About Peter Schumacher

Wannabe footy commentator and writer, used to be a wannabe footballer

Comments

  1. Well said Peter. DRS works fine if you’re a captain who uses it for what it was designed for: howlers! If, however, you turn to it time and again in desperate moments – LIKE MICHAEL CLARKE – then of course it won’t work. Clarke has time and again used it on inklings. You need to be sure the decision was a howler. All this injustice stuff is absolute bullshit. And as for criticizing Broad for not walking????? WTF. Haddin didn’t walk last night, and neither did Clarke. Those puritan types who judged Broad should also turn their blowtorch on everyone who doesn’t walk. Their reasoning that his edge was meatier than your usual snick doesn’t make a lick of difference. An edge is an edge, whatever the degree. Finally, as I discussed with a mate this morning, the real shame is that in all this, cricket and sport in general is now lost in a malaise. As much as I’d defend Broad’s right to not walk, wouldn’t have been lovely if he did. As it would have been if Haddin and Clarke had?

  2. Andrew Starkie says

    Exhausted, shattered. And it starts again Thursday. Dig deep.

    Bad day for athletics. No suprise.

  3. “and serves to underscore how pathetically piss weak other forms of the game are in comparison.”

    Brilliant line Peter. How anyone can prefer short form cricket to what we saw over the last 5 days is stupefying. What is going on in South Africa, West Indies, India, Sri Lanka, New Zealland etc etc etc????? No one goes to the Tests there anymore and its just heartbreaking watching real cricket dying. At least we “get it” here in Australia, as do the Poms.

  4. Andrew Starkie says

    North? No belief.

  5. Andrew

    Thought of you jotting that last Brisbane goal in your record on Saturday .. haunting image

  6. Agree with Whately re the purity of cricket — although my own DRS (watching a taped recording of ‘Offsiders’) suggested there was more than a thick edge of moral vanity as the program went on.

    In relation to Milne (who has been booed by supporters of every club for the best part of his career), sport has, and will always have villains in black hats who will be booed. Sport is entertainment, we reduce people/teams to good and evil.

    Suggesting the general sporting public look at it in a deeper contextual and philosophical milieu is a nonsense.

  7. Andrew Starkie says

    nice to know you’re thinking of me TB.

  8. Well it’s your Malcolm Blight footy card that’s in my minds eye, Andrew. You’ll always be that footy card to me!

  9. Andrew Starkie says

    the 70s were about 2 things: ABBA and Blighty

  10. Well he always was a bit of a Dancing queen. (Get it, ABBA, Dancing queen .. ha ha!)

    Can’t forgive Blightly for all the pummeling’s he dished out to Footscray. He seemed to save his most gluttonous moods for the Dogs. Like he just kicked shitloads against us.

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