The Weekly A-Z

Posted on February 26, 2021February 26, 2021 | Posted by Digby Beacham

A – AUSTRALIA’S DAY

If the IOC is to be believed (and that’s not always a fait accompli), Brisbane looks poised to become the third Australian city to host the Olympic Games. The IOC is keen to see the Games head Down Under in 2032, following on from Tokyo (this year), Paris in 2024 and Los Angeles four years after that. Queensland (Brisbane/Gold Coast) will look to replicate the wildly successful Games in Melbourne in 1956 and Sydney in 2000. It would be a wonderful tonic for the country and a huge boost to so many people in South-East Queensland.

B – BOYS BEHAVING BADLY

New year, same old boofhead behaviour from certain players in and around the NRL space. Payne Haas quite rightly received a maximum $50,000 fine for intimidating police on a night out recently, the Canberra Raiders were filthy at two of their players facing drink-driving charges over the festive season, Corey Norman is in the gun for a street fight and Jamil Hopoate this week pleaded guilty to assaulting his partner. Oh, and to top it all off Sam Burgess is facing allegations he tested positive to cocaine while driving to pick up his children on Monday afternoon. As you do.

C – C’MON

Lleyton Hewitt this week turned 40 and had double cause for celebration when it was revealed he would be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame later this year. A world No.1 at the tender age of 20, Hewitt, who regularly shouted “C’mon” during key moments on court, won the 2011 US Open and the following year’s Wimbledon crown when outclassing Argentinian David Nalbandian. It is an honour he richly deserves.

D – DAGGER

It’s remarkable to think Luka Doncic is still only 21. The Slovenian superstar was at it again earlier this week when he donned the Superman cape and lifted the Dallas Mavericks to a pulsating 110-107 victory over the Boston Celtics. Doncic hit two towering triples inside the final 20 seconds, with the winner coming as time expired from a spot on the court that was eerily similar to the three-pointer he drained to beat the LA Clippers in overtime during last season’s play-offs. The daggers in the hearts of both the Celtics and Clippers will be accompanied by many more in what will be a Hall of Fame career.

E – ESPERANCE’S TIME TO SHINE

It is just over 48 hours before the running of yet another Esperance Cup. The timing of the race, with the public holiday Monday, is ideal and will no doubt again be the social event on the calendar for those in the region. The spacious surrounds of the track and ongoing support from Kalgoorlie trainers, not to mention Adam Durrant and last year’s Cup-winning trainer Ashley Maley closer to the metropolitan region, only enhances the product. Best of luck to everyone.

F – FLUCTUATING FORTUNES

Victorians have ridden a rollercoaster over the past 12 months with Premier Daniel Andrews’ response to the COVID-19 situation. There have been lockdowns, rays of hope and uncertainty. After enduring another minor lockdown earlier this month, Andrews today announced that restrictions would be relaxed from midnight. From a sporting perspective, it means there can be 50,000 fans at the MCG for the Carlton-Richmond season opener next month and attendance figures of nearly 30,000 at Marvel Stadium. Fingers crossed there are no further wrinkles from here on.

G – GROSSLY UNFAIR

The wicket provided for the day-night Test at Ahmedabad was, well … interesting. There is no getting away from the fact some players from both sides were guilty of atrocious batting that led to their dismissals. But the pink ball was going through the top on day one and offering prodigious turn to assist the spinners, also from very early in proceedings. The result? A 10-wicket victory to India inside two days. Surely the ICC will rate the deck as poor, even if it means upsetting the BCCI, which effectively runs the game.

H – HEAD-TO-HEAD

It’s not quite at the level we witnessed many moons ago in the Satinover v Pure Steel match race, but tonight’s battle between Mighty Ronaldo and Lavra Joe in the Group 2 APG Colts and Geldings Sales Classic at Gloucester Park will be one to cherish. The three-year-olds are high class and will deservedly carry a large percentage of the market at start time. With the advantage of barrier one, it isn’t a shock that Mighty Ronaldo ($1.70) holds favouritism over Lavra Joe (barrier eight, $2.70).

I – INTEREST LEVELS

Extremely high. That is in regard to tomorrow’s Group 1 Surround Stakes (1400m) at Randwick. The Chipping Norton Stakes (1600m) at WFA level features proven performers and is the headline act, yet marrying up the form of the fillies in the other feature requires hours of video replays and data assessment. For the record, I’m thinking La Mexicana is a chance of taking her Melbourne form to Sydney and upstaging the locals.

J – JUST DO IT

The message to AFL players is simple. Stand still when you are manning the mark. If you move, you will be penalised 50m. It is harsh, no question. Is it what we want to see? Probably not. But the league wants the game to be more open than we have seen in recent times and this is the lever it has pulled given the 6-6-6 rule hasn’t led to an easing of congestion. For those who are fearful of a splurge of 50m penalties, just pump the brakes. If the players don’t heed the warnings, their coaches will sit them down. The next step is to omit them from the 22. It’s pretty straightforward.

K – KEEPING COUNT

In Naomi Osaka, are we witnessing a player ready to charge into the top 10 of the grand slam singles titles leaderboard? It certainly looks that way. Osaka’s pummeling of Jennifer Brady in last Saturday night’s Australian Open final gave her four grand slam crowns and it would take a brave person to suggest she won’t at least double that figure before her career is finished. The next step for her is to conquer her demons on clay and grass. She is a weapon on the hard courts of Melbourne Park and Flushing Meadows and is the premier female player in the world.

L – LONG LIVE THE KING

We have given Jamie Kah her deserved plaudits during a wonderful season in the ultra-competitive Melbourne riding ranks. It is time (some might claim overdue) to do the same for Rachel King. The Sydney jockeys’ scene is possibly deeper than the southern State and King more than holds her own. The Englishwoman, like Kah, possesses soft hands and has punched home 46 metropolitan winners to sit third on the premiership behind James McDonald and Tommy Berry, despite not riding for the powerful Chris Waller stable. Her lofty standing was undeniably aided by four winners at Rosehill last weekend.

M – MUST-WATCH TV

In an era when so many of us basketball fans here in Australia are besotted with the NBA, the NBL is often left behind even though it is a league dripping in elite talent. At the top of the pops is Perth Wildcats guard Bryce Cotton. The American who wants to be an Australian so he can play in Japan is without doubt the greatest player in Wildcats history. His 29-point haul against Melbourne United was bettered by 30 points in the midweek victory over the Sydney Kings, despite being in serious doubt in the lead-up because of illness. Small in stature, Cotton is head and shoulders above the next best player in the NBL at present.

N – NOVAK’S NIGHT

Another Australian Open men’s final, another Novak Djokovic triumph. Djokovic isn’t the most popular man to have reigned supreme in Melbourne, but nine singles crowns at the year’s opening major from as many visits to the decider illustrates his complete and utter dominance on hard court. The latest victory over Daniil Medvedev was his 18th and it seems inevitable that the Serb will leave Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in his wake by the time the Big Three have hung up their racquets.

O – ON TARGET

Dom To Shoot lost no admirers when he ran third behind Truly Great and Inspirational Girl in last December’s Group 1 Kingston Town Classic (1800m). Ditto with his fifth in the Group 3 CS Hayes Stakes (1400m) at Flemington. The Shooting To Win gelding peaked about 150m out when it looked like he was ready to run top three. He gets a chance to atone and deliver father-son training combination Sean and Jake Casey their first Group 1 win in the Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington tomorrow. In William Pike, they have the right man aboard to enhance their prospects.

P – PUZZLE SOLVED

Trainer David Harrison was only too happy to declare Cryptic Love as over the odds heading into last Sunday’s Listed Pinjarra Classic (1300m). And for good measure, he said stablemate Gemma’s Son was a false favourite. Harrison was bang on, with unheralded mare Cryptic Love darting up the inside for Jason Whiting to pip Western Temple on the line. She doesn’t possess the profile of some other Listed-winning sprinters, but eight wins and more than $500,000 in prizemoney and bonuses more than makes up for that. There is no mystery here … she is a very good racehorse.

Q – QUEEN VICTORIA

Grant and Alana Williams unleashed the Queen “sisters” last weekend and emerged from the day’s action extremely content. And so they should have. Arcadia Queen was outstanding when running second over 1400m in the Group 1 Futurity Stakes. It was the perfect tune-up to the $5 million All Star Mile given she only arrived on the eastern seaboard earlier in the week. As for Celebrity Queen, she shared Group 1 spoils with Portland Sky in the Oakleigh Plate (1100m) at her maiden Melbourne outing. It will be harder for her in the Group 1 Newmarket Handicap (1200m), but it would be a major shock if she ran poorly. Genuine as the day is long.

R – ROLLING OUT THE ARTILLERY

Talking of the cerise and white horses, Bob and Sandra Peters are leaving nothing to chance in tomorrow’s Listed 1000 Guineas (1800m) at Ascot. Testing Love, Fashion Queen, Real Passion, Spritely Star and Pure Devotion form half the field for the $100,000 feature en route to the Group 3 WA Oaks (2400m) next month. Many in WA racing circles are waiting for the next three-year-old “star” out of Grant and Alana Williams’ stable to emerge. The picture could well become clearer tomorrow afternoon.

S – SEISMIC

It was the first word that sprang to mind when we awoke this week to the news Tiger Woods had been involved in a car accident in Los Angeles and was rushed to hospital to undergo significant surgery on his legs. Woods is one of a handful of athletes known to everyone on all parts of the planet and seeing vision of his car badly damaged on an embankment brought back memories of the tragic passing of Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gigi and others in a helicopter crash 13 months earlier. We now wait to hear Woods’ version of events and just how long away from the game he is facing after having a rod inserted into his right leg.

T – THROW THE FIRST PUNCH

Aaron Finch is under increasing pressure to remain as captain of the Australian T20 and one-day sides. You just hope the speculation over his role isn’t clouding his judgment. The decision by Finch to bowl in game two of the five-match series at Dunedin after winning the toss was baffling. Australia butchered their run chase in a heavy loss in the series opener and had an opportunity to boss the contest on a postage stamp-sized oval ingame two. Instead, they were unable to contain the hosts when they batted first and despite the heroics from Marcus Stoinis and Daniel Sams, came up short. Surely Finch won’t make the same mistake again if the coin lands in Australia’s favour in game three.

U – UNSETTLING

Reading reports this week of a coroner’s findings into the death of Danny Frawley wasn’t for the fainthearted. Frawley was battling mental health issues in the lead-up to his 2019 passing and was posthumously diagnosed with a chronic case of CTE, the cause of which was repeated concussions during his illustrious playing career with St Kilda. It was estimated by Victoria Police that Frawley was travelling at 132km/h when his car slammed into a tree east of Ballarat. Extremely sad.

V – VISITING THE VALLEY

The Swan Valley will take centre stage again on Sunday when the APG Standardbred Yearling Sale is held at the Magic Millions complex. Fresh off a successful thoroughbred auction there last week, 102 lots (62 colts and 40 fillies) will go under the hammer, with all of them eligible for the WA Sales Classics and APG Gold Bullion Series.

W – WESTERN DERBY I

Granted, it is an unofficial scratch match between West Coast and Fremantle this weekend — they lock horns in an AFL-sanctioned contest next Sunday — but there will still be many rusted-on fans from both clubs genuinely interested in proceedings. And so they should be. The match will take place behind closed doors at Mineral Resources Park tomorrow and in this truncated pre-season, there is little time to waste for both clubs. We are now less than a month before the season opener between Carlton and Richmond at the MCG. Every second counts.

X – XENA WARRIOR PRINCESS

Kiara Bowers is affectionately known in AFLW circles as “Turbo”. She should be afforded many other flattering monikers for her efforts in helping Fremantle remain unbeaten during last season and again this year. Bowers’ uncompromising approach to the game sets a ridiculously high standard for her Dockers teammates. Her relentless tackling is stuff of legend and it is little wonder coach Trent Cooper smiles and shakes his head in admiration every time Bowers’ name is mentioned.

Y – YOU GUESSED IT

It must be a feature race day in Sydney. Why? Because the weather in the Harbour City has been inclement in the build-up to tomorrow’s Chipping Norton Stakes card at Randwick where some of the valuable horseflesh in NSW will go about their business. Randwick was rated a soft 7 this morning after some clear skies and could improve to a soft 6 provided there isn’t a great deal more rain in the eastern suburbs over the next 24 hours.

Z – ZACK ATTACK

We have become accustomed to Tommy Shelby flying the WA flag during his successful stint across the Nullarbor for Steve Withers. The “People’s Dog” will be at it again at The Meadows tomorrow night when he contests the Group 1 Australian Cup Final (525m). He will leaves the boxes approximately 25 minutes after fellow Sandgroper Zack Monelli chases elite level glory in the Fanta Bale Super Stayers Final (725m). He might not be a genuine stayer, but with 21 wins and 11 placings from 42 starts, he is a flat-out star. Go you good things.