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Page 11
March 1 - 2012
Ton of Praise for Clarke
Soccer: The Gold Coast is Toast It is rare to demand more from a man who gives $6 million dollars a year to something, racks up an $18 million deficit, and has brought professional soccer to a region that otherwise wouldn’t have it, but such is the curious case of Clive Palmer. He is the oil tycoon — or, as they say, ‘magnate’ — who once promised to bring Australia’s cover superpower to the Gold Coast. He got off to a good start, signing Jason Culina and Shane Schmeltz, two accomplished and well known World Cup representatives, and in his first season enjoyed a lengthy run atop the table. Though when the crowds didn’t turn up, Palmer shut them out. Capping the stadium to 5,000 — reducing his losses but also reducing atmosphere. Where it was thought Clive Palmer would be Australia’s answer to Roman Abramovic, he instead came something closer to ‘Uncle Scrooge’. Now, Gold Coast United languish at the bottom of the ladder as the laughingstock of the league, and have been robbed of all grace by a bitter Palmer, who has torn strips off Football Australia, from the head honcho Ben Buckley to the budding youth of our game, calling the sport a “joke”. And when the Football Australia condemned Palmer for it, he went one further and branded his players with “Freedom of Speech” slapped across their strip for the Melbourne Victory match, as well as signs draped throughout Skilled Stadium bearing the same slogan. Palmer may go, and Gold United may go with it, but he will not go quietly. Palmer can at least be proud of ensuring the Melbourne Victory will face a similar fate this season, the Gold Coast United’s pair of one-all draws against the star studded Victory robbing the team of momentum on both occasions. The Victory, with Jim Magilton or not, will be back next year. Gold Coast United, “Freedom of Speech” be damned, may not. While Football Australia will be disappointed by yet another failed venture in Queensland, after the North Queensland Fury lasted a mere season, it is unlikely that they will miss Clive Palmer.
AFL: With Injury, Collingwood Machine Wobbles
Nathan Buckley knew that being a head coach in the AFL would be a challenge. But as Andrew Krakouer went down with a season-ending knee injury last weekend, just as Brent Macaffer did before him, the rubik’s cube on how to assemble a premiership team got a whole lot tougher. Making it all the more irritating is that with Macaffer went the money that Leon Davis would have made, and with Krakouer, went the position that Leon Davis used to play. Irishmen Marty Clarke returns to the Collingwood lineup, and will play the ‘sweeper’ position that Davis made his own, albeit briefly, last year. But with Krakouer going down, the importance of Alan Didak is vital. The South Australian struggled with injury and form throughout 2011, with many pundits writing off the 28-year-old’s career. His spark, especially at the feet of twin towers Travis Cloke and Chris Dawes, will need to be rediscovered if the Collingwood attack is to function in the absence of Krakouer and Macaffer. The rise of Alex Fasolo, who must now be projected as an every-week starter, is also critical. With this injury, the 29-year-old Krakouer career is seemingly up in the air. It is something that may push him to go for the left-of-centre LARS surgery — a risky proposition that could offer Krakouer the ability to come back within of three months. This would allow Buckley to reintroduce him by round ten of the AFL season. The Collingwood game plan is expected to be tinkered under Buckley, who has made fleeting comments of a more possession-friendly style, and perhaps some of it will be seen this weekend against the Melbourne Demons. Interestingly, it is a match pitting another new coach Mark Neeld, a member of the Mick Malthouse brain trust that snared the 2010 premiership, against the side he helped model. Even in a preseason match, Neeld will be keen to get one-up on his former colleague — especially after the Demons sluggish performance in the NAB Cup last week, netting a win over the Brisbane Lions after a loss to the Gold Coast Suns. Buckley has a lot to think about. But if he can pull it off the way the chips, and troops, have fallen will certainly ensure nobody can claim he simply ‘inherited’ Malthouse’s side. Buckley’s Collingwood is bound to be something different. Although Collingwood still enjoy favouritism for the 2012 premiership, many rivals will believe that the race is now wide open. And perhaps even those pesky Geelong Cats, looking for their first set of a back-toback flags and a fourth premiership in six years, can lick the wounded Magpies once more.
SE LL OF APPROVAL BEST BU YS
broken up. Victims of Reds Face Cuts: The band is being Queensland Reds are their own outstanding success, the a host of their star facing budget cuts would could claim much maligned Quade players. Eight Wallabies, from the , to the popular Faingaa Cooper, the instrumental Will Genia nzie will need a McKe Ewen ct. contra of out twins, are all eld or cost saving variety. stroke of genius — either of the on-fi agent Ricky Nixon’s Agent Zero: Disgraced former player his awkward “How did humiliation knows no bounds. After the 16-year-old ‘St. Kilda that happen?” underwear pose with e, totaling his car drink Schoolgirl’ after a mountain of cocain e, Nixon is at it again. driving and being stripped of his licens s from his apartment, Drunk and throwing his partner’s clothe in a public place. he has been arrested for being drunk now is the time to stick Thorpedo Again Off Target: It seems se it looks well and a fork in Ian Thorpe’s comeback, becau less than a month away, truly done. With the Olympic trials mances at a small meet in Thorpe turned in two subpar perfor the 400-metre freestyle, an Zurich. The lowlight of which was in, where he posted a time event is twice Olympic champion nal best. 20 seconds slower than his perso
Ways: In an interview with Thurston to Curb his Cowboy Jonathon Thurston has Queensland’s The Sunday Mail, coach Mal Meninga told how Queensland State of Origin after a tumultuous helped put his career back on track “selfish” player. The North couple of years where he was a “There are a lot of things Queensland Cowboy captain said: of in my career. But I’m 29 in my career which I am not proud in the game. I want to make this year, I’ve got a few years left be stuffing up.” the most out of it. I don’t want to star Derrick Rose has inked Deal Sweet as Rose: NBA super clothing giant Adidas, a $260 million, 14-year contract with to an earning stratosphere which elevates the reigning MVP ding — the likes of the on par — or perhaps even excee the LA Lakers’ Kobe Bryant. Miami Heat’s LeBron James and ne Wade said of Rose, “That kid right there,” the Heat’s Dway e for many years to “he’s going to be a star in this leagu .” come. He’s an unbelievable talent Coast Suns’ Jaeger Footy from the Future: The Gold who cannot see AFL O’Meara, the 17-year-old phenom was lively for the Suns regular season action until 2013, Saturday night. The against the Melbourne Demons on -from-nowhere smother midfield speedster, provided a come an Josh Fraser against that set up a goal for veteran ruckm fans a tantalizing taste the Melbourne Demons, giving Suns of what is to come next year.
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As was expected, Michael Clarke took out his third Allan Border medal on Monday night after a standout year — in which he reinvented the Australian side; captained the team through a year which they didn’t lose a series; and brought shades of Don Bradman to the SCG with his epic 329 not out in the fourth test against India. Clarke took the captaincy seamlessly from Ricky Ponting, one of the most successful captains in Australia’s history, and is beginning to forge a side in his own image. The perception of Clarke himself has also brought about one of the most remarkable turnarounds. Gone are the party boy days and tabloid dramas of the Lara Bingle affair, as the 30-year-old has gone from pinup boy to role model in the blink of an eye. The ultimate goal for Clarke, and perhaps the defining series of his career, will be the 2013 Ashes held in England — which it seems everything Australia is doing is geared towards. Toppling England there would not only see Australia secure the iconic urn, but it would also likely return Australia to the top of the cricket’s world rankings. In the same year, England will visit Australia in the summer in a back-to-back set of Ashes series aimed at preventing the anticipated rivalry taking place directly before the World Cup. It remains to be seen what the make up of the team will be for these series’, especially the veteran like of Ponting and Michael Hussey, but you can be sure it will be a team Clarke will be leading. Hopefully to further acclaim.