The Weekly A-Z

Posted on July 2, 2021July 2, 2021 | Posted by Digby Beacham

A – ASTRONAUGHT

Many kids have grown up over the past few decades wanting to emulate Neil Armstrong. It’s fair to assume many kids right now and into the future are going to want to emulate Aaron Naughton. The WA young gun doesn’t get as high as Armstrong once did, but boy oh boy he launches at the footy. His contested marking and vice-like hands make him a rare and valuable commodity in the AFL. The Western Bulldogs have got themselves a keeper.

B – BLUE-PER

Talk about a moment of madness. The decision by Zac Williams to drag Adelaide midfielder Ben Keays away from a scrimmage and push his head down on to the artificial turf at Marvel Stadium last Sunday was another undisciplined act by the high-priced recruit, resulting in a one-match suspension. Williams’ reckless move came moments after Sam Docherty was involved in a push and shove which led to him injuring an ankle so badly it needed surgery on Wednesday, potentially ending his season. It’s been that sort of year for Carlton.

C – CRY ME A RIVER

Ross Lyon was so outraged at his name being linked to the coaching roles at Collingwood and Carlton this week that he felt compelled to lash out in trademark Ross Lyon speak on Channel 9. Please. We all know Ross that you care very little for others in the coaching space, despite your rhetoric suggesting otherwise. When you say you are willing to speak to both clubs out of respect for the process, it is inevitable the dots will be joined. Might be time to nip the fake outrage in the bud Ross.

D – DU DID WHAT

Josh Dugan and authority have never really seen eye to eye. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Cronulla Sharks veteran would breach the NRL’s COVID-19 restrictions implemented to help the game navigate some turbulent waters. But it does at the same time, if that makes sense. After a host of Canterbury Bulldogs players defied the league’s instructions not to attend restaurants, pubs or bars, Dugan decided it would be smart to eat out late last week in Potts Point, just hours before the suburb was plunged into lockdown. He was fined $25,000 his brain fade and forced into isolation for a fortnight. Some of the NRL boys just don’t get it.

E – EUROS EMOTION

We have now reached the quarter-final stage of the European Championships and if the upcoming four matches are anything like we witnessed in the round of 16, soccer fans everywhere on the planet are in for a real treat. Switzerland’s penalty shoot-out victory over France, England’s emotional 2-0 win against arch enemy Germany and Ukraine’s extra-time dagger to the heart of Sweden were just three of the absorbing storylines that followed the round-robin stage.

F – FINAL FRONTIER

Chris Paul, the ultra-competitive, ageless point guard, has had his wish granted. He is into the NBA Finals after donning his Superman cape to guide the Phoenix Suns to a 130-103 victory over the LA Clippers in game six of their Western Conference Finals series. CP3 had 41 points, including 31 in the second half, eight assists, four rebounds and no turnovers to oust his former team and advance to the biggest of dances after 16 seasons in the NBA. Play-off basketball hasn’t been kind to Paul previously and nobody could begrudge him achieving the ultimate against either Milwaukee or Atlanta later this month.

G – GEE-LONG TIME BETWEEN DRINKS

West Coast head to Geelong on Sunday morning looking to right their wrongs from a week earlier. And in doing so, chalk up their first win at the regional venue since 2006 when they overcame the Cats by three points having trailed by 54 points in the third term. Adam Simpson called out his players after their insipid effort against Geelong down the highway earlier this year. Fortunately, they are playing Sydney on this visit, not the locals. Will that prove the difference? The Eagles’ faithful will certainly be hoping so.

H – HURRY UP ALREADY

Who feels the same as yours truly in already wanting to see what the foal of a match made in heaven — I Am Invincible and Arcadia Queen — looks like? The former WA mare, a multiple Group 1 winner for Grant and Alana Williams, was acquired by Arrowfield Stud for $3.2 million recently and it was initially thought she might be covered by resident stallion Dundeel. But the news that she would travel nearby to Yarraman Park to be served by the game-changing I Am Invincible had breeding enthusiasts in a spin. And rightly so. Let’s hope we see the resultant foal develop into a lovely yearling and then be offered at a public auction, where we could witness all manner of records being broken.

I – IN THE GUTTER

That is where Richmond’s premiership defence finds itself. Back-to-back losses to St Kilda and Gold Coast, on top of the fadeout against West Coast last month, leaves them with a tenuous grip on eighth spot. So much so that if other results go against them this weekend, they will wake up Monday morning outside the top eight. Even if Damien Hardwick can engineer a form turnaround that assures them a berth in September, surely they cannot claim the premiership given they are going to have to win four successive finals.

J – JAMIE’S JOURNEY

We are inside the final month of the Australian racing season and so many of the headlines are justifiably going to centre around Jamie Kah. She will not only win the Melbourne metropolitan premiership, but is on track to become the first jockey in Victoria to ride 100 winners in town in a season. Kah has booted home 97 winners and given how she dominates the landscape, it wouldn’t be a shock if she achieved the feat on Flemington Finals Day this afternoon. Consider the following. Kah has ridden 35 more metropolitan winners than Damian Lane and 50 more than Damien Oliver, who sit second and third on the premiership respectively.

K – KING OF THE KIDS

Aiden De Campo is the gift that keeps on giving. His outstanding season as a trainer of two-year-olds continued at Gloucester Park last Friday night when he claimed the $100,000 Group 1 Westbred Classic for colts and geldings with Rock On Top. He was one of three runners De Campo prepared for the race, the same three — The Miki Taker, Floewriter and Rock On Top, who claimed the trifecta in the Group 1 Pearl Classic a fortnight earlier. With the success he is having with his juveniles, it would take a brave person to suggest De Campo won’t be front and centre again in the closing stages of the Group 1 Golden Slipper next Friday night.

L – LANGER’S LEARNINGS

Australian white-ball skipper Aaron Finch said this week that he was proud of how Justin Langer had approached concerns of certain players over his coaching style. To be fair, did Langer have any other choice? His intense and hands-on approach was troubling for several individuals, who expressed their issues during an end-of-season review. Langer addressed the findings prior to the Australian squad flying out to the Caribbean this week and said he would alter his leadership style, while entrusting Finch and Test captain Tim Paine with greater responsibility. It would have been career suicide had he not done so.

M – MCG

Fremantle woke up on Sunday morning expecting to play their round-16 match against Carlton at Optus Stadium. Then came the news that there was a community case of COVID-19 in the northern suburbs. That led the Dockers to head to Melbourne (on the same plane as their good mates at West Coast), with the contest opposed to the Blues expected to take place in Launceston. The Tasmanian Government told the AFL to tell Fremantle to stay away. The league then prepared to send Fremantle and Carlton down the highway to Geelong before finally deciding to slate the match for the MCG, ensuring the home of football plays host to a double-header for the first time since 1986. Talk about being flexible.

N – NAUGHTY BUT NICE

There was universal goodwill directed towards Jason Miller immediately in the aftermath of last Saturday’s Group 3 Strickland Stakes (2000m) at Belmont Park. Miller’s ultra-consistent mare Naughty By Nature was given a beautiful ride from an economical barrier by Clint Johnston-Porter to take out the feature, ending a frustrating run of five black-type placings previously. Rising five, the daughter of Trade Fair is now in the paddock enjoying a well-earned spell before no doubt being aimed up at some bigger riches later this year.

O – ORIGIN ONSLAUGHT

First things first, Queensland’s State of Origin campaign has been disjointed to put it mildly. But even if things had gone according to plan for Paul Green, it’s debatable whether he would have been able to orchestrate an approach capable of slowing down the NSW juggernaut. The Blues monstered the Maroons 50-6 in game one up in Townsville early last month before securing the series with a 26-0 shellacking at Suncorp Stadium last Sunday night. Regardless of where game three is played, a clean sweep is on the cards.

P – PLAY IT AGAIN

There were more than a handful of racing lovers who did a double take watching last Saturday’s Tattersall’s Tiara (1400m) at Eagle Farm. Craig Williams and the Mike Moroney-trained Tofane combined again to sweep down the middle of the track, just as they did a fortnight earlier to triumph in the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m). While Williams was able to have Tofane a little closer this time around, he positioned her in the best ground, much to the delight of punters Australia-wide who launched her into outright favouritism by jump time.

Q – QUINTET’S QUEST

Five Australians — Nick Kyrgios, Jordan Thompson, James Duckworth, Ash Barty and Ajla Tomljanovic — will fly the flag in the third round at Wimbledon tonight, continuing our country’s good record at the grass-court major. Thirteen Aussies reached the main draw and that we still have a quintet in action when our top two ranked men, Alex De Minaur and John Millman were sent packing in round one, is a terrific result. Barty already boasts one grand slam title and her side of the draw has been split wide open, raising hopes of becoming our first Wimbledon ladies champion since her childhood hero Evonne Goolagong Cawley in 1980.

R – RARE AIR

There are two nicknames in Australian sport that are just so apt. Former Wallabies captain John Eales was dubbed “Nobody” by his teammates because in their eyes, Nobody’s perfect. The other is Silk, the moniker afforded to Hawthorn superstar Shaun Burgoyne, who will tomorrow night play his 400th AFL game, joining Brent Harvey (432), Michael Tuck (426), Kevin Bartlett (403) and Dustin Fletcher (400) in the illustrious VFL-AFL club. Burgoyne is approaching his 40th birthday and is not as supple as he once was, but his highlight reel will never fade.

S – STANDING OVATION

It was awesome to see Wimbledon back in full swing this week and not just because there is something very special about grass-court tennis at an event Australians have enjoyed wonderful success at. The centre court crowd’s impromptu decision to provide a standing ovation to Dame Sarah Gilbert, one of the UK scientists behind the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine is a moment that will long live in the tournament’s prestigious history.

T – THANKS, BUT NO THANKS

Ben Simmons delivered the news this week to Boomers coach Brian Goorjian that many expected, yet feared at the same time … he was unavailable for the Olympic Games in Tokyo, preferring to work on his personal development rather than match motors with the world’s best on the international stage. The response to Simmons’ snub was predictable. Many were incensed, others non-plussed. But the mature reaction from Paddy Mills, who bleeds green and gold, was what we should take most notice of. “No matter what he does, myself and the team will continue to support him because this is a safe place — everyone needs to know and understand that now more than ever, we need to support Ben on his journey,” Mills said. All class from a classy individual.

U – UNIQUE

There are probably many other words that could be best used to describe the feelings of many Perth Wildcats people this week. Having been taking down 3-0 by Melbourne United in the grand final series after injuries struck at the worst time, the Wildcats were acquired for $8.5 million from Jack Bendat by the Sports Entertainment Group, better known as SEN, which just so happens to have a 25 per cent share in United. On a brighter note, lion-hearted guard Mitch Norton has elected to remain with the Wildcats for three more seasons, rejecting the advances of the Tasmania JackJumpers.

V – VFL

The Australian Rules landscape resembled the old VFL this week — and didn’t those throughout the State just love it — when West Coast, Fremantle, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Adelaide and Port Adelaide joined Sydney and GWS in Melbourne to avoid being caught up in any lockdowns and ensure the AFL season could continue with minimal disruptions. When you consider the struggles Victorians experienced during a nightmare 2020, incorporating more than 100 days of lockdown in the metropolitan area, few could begrudge them feeling very good about themselves right now.

W – WITH A BULLET

Nobody in their right mind could have foreshadowed Incentivise’s stunning progression during the Queensland winter carnival. It matters little. Let’s just enjoy it. The four-year-old was beaten 16 lengths when eighth of 10 in an 1850m maiden at Toowoomba on March 27. Since then he has peeled off six consecutive victories by a combined total of 42 lengths. Last Saturday he careered away to claim the Group 3 Tatt’s Cup (2400m) by 12 lengths. Unsurprisingly, Incentivise is now at the pointy end of the markets with TABtouch for both the Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup.

X – X-RAY VISION

Wouldn’t Serena Williams love to boast some to see what was around the corner. For nothing else other than to discover whether she was going to be able to finally snare the one grand slam singles title she covets more than anything else — No.24 which would see her draw level with Margaret Court at the top of the pops. Williams withdrew from Wimbledon this week after she slipped early in her opening-round match. The 39-year-old — she turns 40 in September — last won a grand slam championship at the Australian Open in 2017. The clock is most definitely ticking.

Y – YEARNING FOR YOUNG

Atlanta Hawks fans will have toes, fingers and everything else crossed hoping Trae Young can return in time to save their side’s NBA season. Young, who has been electric throughout the post-season, has missed the past two games of the Eastern Conference Finals because of bone bruising in his right foot, an injury he suffered when stepping on the foot of referee Sean Wright in the second half of game three against the Milwaukee Bucks. The Hawks trail the Bucks 3-2 in the best-of-seven series, with game six set down for Sunday morning in Atlanta.

Z – ZERAFA STAYS PUT

Michael Zerafa desperately wanted to fight Tim Tszyu. He assured us that was the case. Until this week when he claimed complications caused by COVID-19 made it impossible for the bout to progress. This was a fight all boxing fans wanted to see. Zerafa has effectively spat in their face and at the same time, seriously damaged his brand and future earning capacity. The loud-mouthed Victorian should never be afforded the opportunity to occupy the same ring as Tszyu.