The Weekly A-Z

Posted on June 12, 2020 | Posted by Digby Beacham

A – ABSENT ANSWERS

Geelong resisted the urge to select Jack Steven for tonight’s match against Hawthorn, believing he hadn’t ticked enough boxes condition-wise after being stabbed during the lay-off. That the public doesn’t have a full grasp of what actually transpired leading up to the incident leads to more questions than answers. It hasn’t been the Cats’ or AFL’s finest hour.

B – BENNELL’S BACK

Harley Bennell’s career looked over when he was de-listed by Fremantle at the end of last year. Enter Melbourne. The Demons boldly gambled on the ridiculously gifted, injury-prone midfielder/forward and he ticked every box required after round one. The reward? A berth against Carlton tomorrow.

C – CATCH UP

West Australians will adopt Catch A Thief as a Sandgroper should he win a fifth successive race at Cannington tomorrow night in the Winter Cup final. The interstate raider hasn’t put a paw wrong during his WA stint and it is little wonder he is the short-priced favourite for the feature.

D – DARLING VIEW

Congrats to Brent Atwell, his family and all involved at Darling View Thoroughbreds for acquiring Playing God. A dual Group 1 winner on the track, he is following in the footsteps of his late father, Blackfriars, in the breeding barn. It was imperative for the local breeding industry that he remained in WA.

E – EXTENSION

Channel 7 will remain the AFL’s free-to-air partner until the end of 2024 after agreeing to an extension in the lead-up to last night’s battle between Richmond and Collingwood. It makes perfect sense and precedes what will be an interesting negotiation between the league and the AFLPA.

F – FEEL GOOD STORY

To have Jack Higgins running around last night, a year after he underwent brain surgery, was just fantastic. An effervescent individual who is much loved at Punt Road, Higgins made his presence felt and will make the Tigers an even better team again in 2020.

G – GOING NOWHERE

St George Illawarra coach Paul McGregor remains in his post … for now. There was speculation earlier this week that he would be sacked after the terrible loss to Canterbury on Monday, but the Dragons’ board held its nerve. One wonders how long that will remain the case.

H – HYPERION

The Group 3 Hyperion Stakes (1600m) headlines another solid Belmont Park card. Both weight-for-age features — the Roma Cup and Belmont Sprint — have created enormous interest, as does tomorrow’s $160,000 feature.

I – IMMINENT

It seems it is only a matter of time before Fremantle turn to Jesse Hogan to bolster their forward line. That might not cause much of a ripple to many in the football community, but given Hogan’s health battles in his time with the Dockers, it will be inclusion that brings a lot of joy to many at the club.

J – JACKED

Australian star Ben Simmons has seemingly resided full-time in the gymnasium during the COVID-19 break. Photos this week of the Philadelphia 76er sporting muscles on muscles resonated throughout the US and Down Under. He shapes as a more daunting one-on-one prospect when the league resumes.

K – KAY CEE

It would be remiss of us not to give a shout-out to the Neville Parnham-trained filly after her outstanding return in the Listed Raconteur Stakes (1400m) last weekend. Not sure how they beat her in the Listed Belmont Guineas (1600m) next weekend.

L – LONG WAY TO GO

It’s not Covent Garden’s fault she is Winx’s little half-sister. The daughter of Exceed And Excel made her debut at Canterbury on Wednesday and ran an inglorious sixth of seven in a two-year-old race. Sent for a spell by Chris Waller, she is long way removed from her famous sibling.

M – MOONEE VALLEY

It is a circuit that polarises the opinions of punters more than any other track in Victoria. We get back there tomorrow for the first time since March 20. Good luck if you are having an investment and I look forward to some of the commentary on social media about how the track plays.

N – NOVAK NOT KEEN

Serbian superstar Novak Djokovic caused quite the stir this week when he said he was leaning towards missing the US Open later this year because of the “extreme” restrictions put in place to combat the COVID-19 outbreak. Here’s hoping he reconsiders his stance.

O – OH OLLIE

What was Ollie Wines thinking? Not a great deal, it seems. The decision by the Port Adelaide midfielder to conduct a television interview at his property and breach the protocols in place to protect the AFL players, indeed the entire competition, was madness. The one-match suspension was just.

P – PEARLY GATES

We have been fortunate to witness some high-quality action in all three codes in this State and that extends to tonight’s 2YO Pearl Classic final at Gloucester Park. Pinny Tiger, Star Of Willoughby, Lavra Joe, Mighty Ronaldo and Jett Star all have claims. Just who runs the gate will be intriguing.

Q – QUEEN-FREE

Royal Ascot will command plenty of attention next week as it does each and every year, but it will be completely different as to what we have become accustomed to. Why? There will be no horse and cart transporting Queen Elizabeth and members of the Royal Family because of COVID-19.

R – ROBBED

It might seem a bit dramatic, but that was the overriding emotion watching last night’s blockbuster between the Tigers and Magpies. The quarters of 16 minutes, plus time-on, just doesn’t cut it. The sooner we can get back to 20 minutes and time-on, the better for everyone. It’s a great product. More is better.

S – SWEET SCIENCE

The chatter this week of a Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder trilogy fight in Australia on Boxing Day had fans of boxing excited, as did the confirmation of a two-bout, all-British battle between Fury and Anthony Joshua in 2021 provided they take care of business in the meantime. The heavyweight division is alive and well again.

T – TOYS OUT OF THE COT

The response from the Melbourne Racing Club to Racing Victoria’s decision to keep the Caulfield Cup carnival in its current position was pathetic. Childish is a word that springs to mind. Importantly, our TABtouch Masters has some certainty about its dates as a result of RV’s stance.

U – UGLY

It is a simple, yet accurate word that best describes the position Brisbane Broncos coach Anthony Seibold finds himself in. Horrible in the opening two weeks of the resumption in the NRL, the Broncos coughed up an 18-0 lead to lose 20-18 last night to Manly.

V – VINDICTIVE

We all know the Lance Armstrong story. The recent screening of LANCE on ESPN only reinforced the many flaws of the former pin-up boy for cycling. His attitude towards Floyd Landis and the media for their reporting on fallen German star Jan Ulrich smacked of a person out of touch with reality.

W – WINDSTORM

He had his colours lowered when resuming a fortnight ago behind Indian Pacific, but he didn’t lose any admirers. His ability to peel off a 33.43sec., sectional for his final 600m on a soft 7 surface was terrific. Don’t drop off him tomorrow at Belmont Park.

X – XANDER SCHAUFFELE

The American was among the quality US PGA Tour field that teed off last night, our time, in the Charles Schwab Challenge in Texas. There has been a but of hit and giggle golf of late, therefore it was great to see the competitive juices flowing again in an official tournament. Schauffele is well placed following a first-round 65.

Y – YUCK

The ongoing dispute between Heritier Lumumba and Collingwood over racist allegations is something that needs to be sorted out … and quickly. It is a stain on the game that has lingered for far too long now.

Z – ZERO (again)

The amount of sense it made to see Collingwood and Richmond players give teammates fist-bumps during last night’s match. Last time I checked, all AFL players were being held to a higher level of COVID-19 testing than most of society and faced regular temperature tests.