Dynasty. The talk has begun. Much like the Broncos of the 90′s, the Bulldogs and Eels of the 80′s. They’ve been able to get to four grand finals in a row, but most importantly they have converted two of them into premierships. I absolutely love it. For those not in the know, the Melbourne Storm took out the 2009 premiership downing the Parramatta Eels 23-16. Who would have thought that in this era of the salary cap, that a team could be so consistently successful? Especially after you have a look at the amount of talent that they have lost over the years, it’s miraculous that they are even competitors at all. The players and coaches may have put in all the hard work, but my hat goes off to the management more so than anyone. Making the right choices when it comes to player deals and being able to pick upcoming talent is an art form in itself, and these days is vital to the success of the team. The fact that they have been able to shuffle players around and give the team every opportunity to complete in the grand final for four years running is nothing short of amazing. Melbourne are the team which the others should be striving to emulate. Kudos Melbourne, kudos.

Now, on to the team by team drive-by summary:

Storm – Can they do it again? Five straight GF appearances would be nothing short of a miracle and going back to back is a goal that they have yet to achieve which will no doubt cement their place in folklore. One has to start to wonder though when that salary cap will rear its ugly head and will begin the team’s eventual fall from grace.

Eels – It’s hard to believe that this team was equal second last mid way through the season and didn’t reach the top 8 until the second last round. Then began that impressive run which got them all the way to the grand final, but just fell short. As much as I love underdog stories, I was really happy to see them lose, I mean, they are the Eels after all.

Bulldogs – A surprising year to say the least and a massive turn around from last year. However, this team is completely different to last year, with a new coach and new players in key positions. The management has done well with the off season trades. It was surprising that they were able to gel together as quickly as they did. Also the last season for El Masri, a true legend in every aspect of the game. It was a shame he didn’t have the chance to go out with a premiership. (And I won’t even mention the stripping of 2 points or the robbing of victory at the St George game… oops I just did)

Broncos – At one point of the season we were left thinking that they wouldn’t even make the top 8, as the representative season hit them much harder as usual. They were able to have a good run into the finals, knocking out their former coach. Losing Wallace was a massive blow and they eventually got knocked out themselves by the Storm.

Dragons – After looking a Wayne Bennett’s finals stats of late, someone should probably teach him the Heimlich Manoeuvre. By far the strongest and most consistent team all year but lost that all important momentum at the most crucial time of the season. At least they’ll have the minor premiership title.

Titans – After looking so promising during the season, they too, lost their momentum and bowed out early. However, making the finals for the first time in their 3 years in the competition, I have no doubt that they will continue to build from this success.

Sea Eagles – Eliminated in the first round, they never really were the strong force they have been in previous years, and they had the worse possible start with the Brett Stewart drama and the consecutive losses. To come back as strongly as they did is an achievement in itself.

Knights – Despite finishing the season in 7th, they never really looked like contenders and with the mounting injuries they were no match for the Bulldogs even without Kimmorley.

Sharks – They really couldn’t catch a break this season. With all the off field drama its hard to believe that they didn’t finish last! The financial problems, the group sex scandal, Reni Maitua’s drug ban and the CEO’s assault. Next season can only be better, you can’t get any worse than that.

Roosters – Suck it.

Just a couple of side notes for the season:

All the NSW selectors should be sacked. They have absolutely no idea what they are doing, having only put in Kimmorley and Ennis for the 3rd game, oh and would you look at that, they won. I mean Farah and Wallace? Seriously? They’ve done fuck all to deserve a spot in the NSW team this season, and then they tried bringing back Barrett which didn’t work with Wallace. I still reckon Mullen with his form should have been brought in, and also where the hell was Hindmarsh? Speaking of which, I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but here it goes… Kimmorley played outstanding football and probably has had his best season in his career. Especially after his call up to Origin and winning, that is definitely what you would call redemption. Having said all of that, if you look at the Qld team, I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a strong team line up. They had Hunt and Hannant coming off the bench! It was practically the Australian team; NSW had their work cut out for them from the start.

I think the 2 referee system was by in large a success, which sped up the game and didn’t have us being referred to the video ref every 2 seconds. It also improved officiating decisions with more eyes on the ruck.

I also want to give a quick congrats to Derek who won our inaugural footy tipping competition. You better watch your back next year because I’m gonna win!

I think I’m done.

Finally. Kobe’s elusive 4th ring. Jackson’s 10th championship title. Just take a moment to ponder that. He has won it all in 10 of the last 18 seasons in which he has coached. That’s a championship rate of 55% over an incredibly long period. He is not only the most successful coach in the NBA but also one of the most successful coaches in the history of professional sport.

Now lets revisit the man of the hour, Kobe Bryant. Well what do you know, he actually did it without Shaq. He did however need Derek Fisher and Phil Jackson to come back do it again. In a way, its kind of fitting that he wasn’t able to do it again until now. He is a much more mature player, with an improved attitude towards the game and his team. As a result he is a much better leader and player. You can tell he definitely appreciates it more now than ever. Undoubtedly he will be ecstatic to finally have a Finals MVP under his belt and deservedly so.

Congratulations to Bryant, Jackson and the entire Lakers cast – closing out the 2009 NBA finals and the 15th championship for the franchise.

Once again, I’ll just add some comments on other aspects of this year’s playoffs:

Orlando Magic – Personally I think they had the toughest run through the playoffs, beating the Celtics and the Cavs before falling short. Just to get where they did was a massive achievement in itself, but in the end their lack of experience was their downfall as the Lakers capitalised on mistakes made in key plays towards the end of each game in the finals. I really hope they learn from this and Dwight Howard has another opportunity to win a ring.

Cleveland Cavaliers – An extremely incredible season record, only losing 2 games at home. LeBron James finally gets MVP. They then swept through the first round and the Eastern Conference Semi Finals, but despite their never say die attitude, they fall short to a determined Magic. Seriously, LeBron must be asking himself, what else is there left to do to win? I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, he needs a better supporting cast if they are any chance of going all the way.

Detroit Pistons – Much like the city, everyone has left.

Atlanta Hawks – The first .500+ season in 10 years. I’m sure they were happy making the playoffs as the forth seed, let alone beating Miami and advancing.

Houston Rockets – Well they finally passed the first round, only to meet the Lakers, who they stretched to 7 games before falling to them. Of course it was always going to be difficult without Tracy McGrady.

San Antonio Spurs – The season finished off just as badly as it started. Eliminated in the first round for the first time in the Duncan era and ending the odd year streak of championships. To be honest they were never really contenders, especially after losing Manu Ginobili to injury.

Denver Nuggets – Even with Chauncey Billups and Carmelo Anthony on fire, they were still no match for Kobe’s crew.

New Orleans Hornets – Chris Paul had somewhat of a quiet year, which is disappointing after the impressive previous year. I fully expected them to build on that, but to no avail.

Boston Celtics vs Chicago Bulls – Best. Playoff. Series. Ever. Seven games. Seven overtime periods. So many clutch plays. It was the series you just didn’t want to end. Of course the Celtics were severely missing Kevin Garnett which probably helped even things up, but the Bulls will take a lot away from the intensity of this series. Especially the potential behind the likes of Ben Gordon and Derrick Rose.

With the decade done and dusted, one can surely say that it belonged to the Lakers and the Spurs, winning 7 championships between them over the past 10 years. What is impressive is how the Lakers have rebuilt themselves and returned as champions within the same decade. The scary part about this is that Phil Jackson tends to win championships in ‘three-peat’ blocks. Provided he will still be there, could the Lakers do it all again next year?

Well I better write up my usual season review before it’s too late. First I want to congratulate the Manly Sea Eagles for winning the premiership. It was well earned and in no better way than through an absolute thrashing of Melbourne in the Grand Final. I guess they got their sweet revenge after all.

I’ll just do my usual drive-by summary of the top 8 teams:

Storm – In the final for the third year running, but they have only converted
that to one premiership which must be disappointing to them. Extremely strong team, but they showed nothing of the domination they had in 2007. Can they make it again next year? Seems to be it might be the start of the decline, due to that brilliant salary cap of course.

Sea Eagles – They have clearly spent the past couple of years building strong foundations, and that has eventually paid off which is good to see. They’ll be around for a while yet if management continue to build on the strength of the team. You have to feel sorry for Matt Orford when it comes to representative duties. He is one of the most underrated players in league at the moment.

Sharks – Choked. Yet again.

Roosters – Looks like all those purchases paid off and got them a top 4 spot, but buying players can only get you so far.

Broncos – A regular sight in the top 8, they were always going to struggle with Lockyer’s fitness in question, and they did.

Raiders – This team was a surprise to most, as at the beginning of the year they were heavy favourites to take the wooden spoon. I guess after exceeding expectations by making it this far, who cares about winning right?

Dragons – Probably the biggest underachievers in the competition in recent times, they hoped bringing Sailor back would change their fortune. It didn’t.

Warriors – By far the surprise stand out of the final series, first taking down number 1 Melbourne in a thriller and then beating the Roosters which was probably the best part of the whole season. Unfortunately they couldn’t continue their fairytale run but it was good while it lasted.

Aside from the results, what an eventful year it has been, with all the player movement (especially one person in particular), all the off the field drama with players, coaches, media and NRL CEOs. I have already written something about this (which I have finally got around to posting here, note that it was written before the SBW saga). Suffice to say that maybe the walkout was a good thing to happen to the game only if some changes come about. At this point in time I think it’s fair to say that there has been nothing done but defence of the current system which clearly isn’t working.

I know I have been harping on this issue for some time now (like many others) so I’ll leave it at that.

That’s a wrap.

Well I think it is about time I wrote up my review of the NBA season for 2008. It seems like only yesterday I was celebrating another Spurs championship, but alas, this year belongs to the Celtics. Congratulations are in order.

I think this time I will go through the contenders one by one starting with the East:

Atlanta Hawks – Who would have thought they would push the Celtics to 7 games? No one.

Cleveland Cavaliers – Another team to take the Celtics to 7 games, except this time, a lot more people expected it. LeBron James is in desperate need of some support if they are any chance to become a champion side.

Orlando Magic – They had an awesome season and I was hoping they would pull a miracle and win the East, as Dwight Howard is simply awesome. However they succumbed to the Pistons, thus ending my interest in this Conference.

Detroit Pistons – Were always going to be difficult to beat, with all their playoff experience but somehow the Celtics managed to do it. Not only that, but the Pistons were the first team to let the Celtics win away from home, which brought about their downfall (and a smile to my face).

Now on to the West which was extremely competitive and provided some fancy first round match ups:

Dallas Mavericks – Well what can you say about them? Leaving in the first round again. *cough* Choke *cough* I now understand why they are called the Mavericks. It’s because they refuse to play by the concepts other teams choose to play by. You see, other teams enter the playoffs to win where as they do the exact opposite. I hope Rick Carlisle knows how to perform the Heimlich Manoeuvre.

Phoenix Suns – Tim Duncan + 3 pointer = End of season. What happened to all that talk of revenge for last season? They had the perfect opportunity here, but it looks like the Spurs were once again too good, even with the addition of old man Shaq.

Houston Rockets – Everyone will remember their longest streak this season but it was nothing more than a schedule in which they played weak teams for a lengthy period of time and had a couple of wins against some stronger teams. This goes to show in that they couldn’t even get past the first round.

San Antonio Spurs – Well they just can’t seem to do it, they can’t win back to back. This time they got the closest to the back to back prize out of all their attempts but the Lakers stood in the way (and possibly the NBA? I mean Lakers and Celtics in the Final? Coincidence?) I laughed when I read Brent Barry’s comment in response to the NBA recognising that he was fouled by Derek Fisher in the dying seconds. “That’s awesome,” Barry said, “because Doc Brown is waiting for me outside, and we’re going to get in the DeLorean and fire up the flux capacitor and we’re going to go back and shoot a couple of free throws.”

New Orleans Hornets – They were the team that kind of flew under the radar, at least for me until I noticed them approaching the playoffs with Chris Paul totally dominating the floor in their games and becoming a MVP candidate.

Those teams which I have omitted, well, I did say I would cover ‘contenders’.
And now for the Finals breakdown:

Los Angeles Lakers – Guess what Kobe, Shaq’s rap, as hilarious as it is, is true. Never have I smiled as much as I did to see the Lakers go down to the Celtics. Maybe if Kobe concentrated on basketball instead of jumping over cars or snakes or whatever it is he does, they might have been a better chance.

Boston Celtics – Surprise, surprise they did what everyone thought they would do at the start of the season and won the championship. Congratulations to the managers who pulled off a miracle in obtaining Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to matchup with Paul Pierce which almost ensured their 17th title. All credit to them though, they achieved so much, with Pierce getting Finals MVP, the biggest turnaround in NBA history and the absolute ownage of the Lakers in the final game which was just the icing on the cake.

Now looking towards next season, it’s hard to see anyone taking down the Celtics in the East, but it all depends on those off season trades. The West will always be competitive. With the extra experience under Chris Paul’s belt, the Hornets will be stronger than ever and the Lakers will continue on their way. The Rockets will be in a better position with a healthy Ming and McGrady and the Spurs will remain a contender even though they are aging. Let’s not forget that next year is an odd number.

Let’s face it, the pokies tax has hit the leagues clubs very hard. So hard, that they can no longer support their own rugby league teams as well as they used to. Obviously they need to find new ways of obtaining that money. Now I have no idea on how they will do this, but I have a feeling some teams will be bought out and there will be a few more privately owned clubs similar to Manly and Souths.

Something that people may not know is that News Corp owns half of the NRL. That is, half of the governing body of the competition are News Corp executives. This was all part of the deal from the Super League war. Now, another interesting fact is that News Corp also owns the Storm, over half of the Broncos and until recently the Cowboys. These have also been some of the most successful teams in the modern era. Not implying that there is anything going on, but it appears to be a bit of a conflict of interest. Needless to say, these clubs are not affected by this tax and have access to money some clubs could only dream about. This brings me on to my next point, the fact that the game is playing second fiddle to News Corp’s interests. For example, the grand final start time moving from its traditional 3pm kick off to the night. Thankfully they have met the public halfway and are changing the kick off time to 5pm this year but the fact they cant change it back to 3pm because of ‘lower rating numbers’ is disheartening. For me to regain any kind of respect for this competition, the governing body needs to be independent of any of the interests of the clubs which play in it.

On to my next point, which is a big one, is that of the salary cap. Based on my previous points, they can’t simply just increase the cap, clubs simply can’t afford it, and the ones that can will buy all the best players defeating its purpose. But something definitely needs to be done about all the players changing teams and going overseas. Seriously, I checked NRL.com the other day and the top 5 stories were about player movements. That’s just ridiculous. As a fan, it is very disappointing when midway through the season players are being traded for next year. If this is not possible to prevent, there should be some kind of player trade lockout deadline in which contracts cannot be negotiated until the end of the season. However, you definitely can’t blame a player for changing teams because of an increase in salary. These players rely on this to live. It’s a promotion in a way. Gone are the days when football players were working jobs and relying on the game as a second source of income, they now play football full time.

One thing which definitely needs to go is the inclusion of third party payments in the salary cap. This means, for example, if Sonny Bill Williams were to get offered money to become the face of, say, Gatorade that money would be included under the salary cap. The NRL claim these payments are allowed for the team’s top 10 players up to a value of $150,000. A quick calculation allows for $15,000 for each top 10 player. That amount is insignificant. I can understand the reason behind it, because if the good players were to get third party payments (as they definitely would) then that would free them up to play at the club which they choose (as their salary becomes irrelevant), and the NRL are scared they will all go to the same club to win premierships together. I don’t see this to be the case; they are overlooking one important factor – loyalty. I’m sure that there are a lot of players which would rather be playing at another club but cant, whether it’s an issue of money, family, friends, experience or whatever.

To add to this, there should really be a better loyalty clause in the cap to allow clubs to offer more money (even if it goes over the cap) to encourage players who have been with that club for years to continue to play with the same club. Their currently exists one, but once again that clearly is not working. I suggest an optional exponential percentage increase which adds to a player’s salary each year they are with the club, regardless of the cap. One of the most important aspects in the game from a fan’s point of view is player loyalty to the club which does not exist anymore. I think that is part of why State of Origin is so successful. There is no chance of a player swapping sides and people of each state can come together to support the one team. There is a massive sense of pride and unity whilst watching that game which no longer exists in the competition.

On a side note, State of Origin games being held in Melbourne? WTF??? Organisers have threatened that unless ANZ Stadium in Sydney is not going to be sold out as it is in Brisbane, games will move to Melbourne. I tell you what, how about you decrease the prices so that more people can afford to go to the damn game!!! Ticket prices in Brisbane are almost a third cheaper than the Sydney equivalent. Also, ANZ Stadium can hold more double the amount of people! It doesn’t make any sense! Man that pisses me off…

Well I think I’ve written just about enough on the topic. Hopefully something can be done before this competition really does die, and hopefully soon enough as to resurrect my interest in the game as it once was.

Having said that, I also have some more things to add:

It must be said, the salary cap is an absolute joke! In theory it is a good idea, but something needs to be done to fix this broken system. One only has to look at all the players going overseas at the end of the season. If something isn’t done, all our top players will move away to get paid more. Also, players are changing teams more often than Prince can change his name. What has happened to team loyalty? Its one thing that has died from the game. All the player movement is great for clubs with poor management, because all they have to do is buy their players. The teams that suffer are the ones who choose the best prospects, train them up, turn potential into talent, only to have another team offer to pay them more money and poach them. That pisses me off! While there is no easy fix, and I by no means have the answers, there are a large number of suggestions. One of course is to raise the cap. Two is to give the players incentives (cash or something) to stay with the club, or at least with the NRL.

Now this is a more personal opinion, but the cap is probably resulted in the fact that different teams have won the premiership over the past decade. No dynasties. No Parramatta/Bulldogs of the 80′s. No St George with 11 straight premierships. I hate the fact that there is no dominant force. There is no more passion any more. Dynasties are good because the supporters of that team love it, and every other supporter joins forces to hate that team and rally for that team to lose, creating passion. Melbourne have been to the grand final twice now… can they go back to back premiers? Can they create a dynasty?

Another thing I must say, is the officiating of the game. It has got to be one of the most poorly officiated games around. Mainly because a poor decision can lead directly to a try, or even decide a game! It so frustrating to be a fan and see obvious mistakes made by referees, and I’m not talking about viewing after the replay, I’m talking about the simple stuff that can be picked up at normal speed. They miss the most obvious calls. Seriously guys, pick up your game! My solution is to enable the refs on the field to change calls at the discretion of the video ref. Only seems fair doesn’t it? The technology is there, why can’t we use it? Oh and another thing that shits me with penalties is that players will try to milk it for all its worth by staying down or trying to quick play the ball. To you I say this, kicking your legs like a fucking retard whilst being tackled DOES NOT entitle you to a penalty. I reckon refs should be able to call penalties to the defending team on situations like that.

Johnathan Thurston – did anyone see him play against the Sea Eagles? Questioning every decision the refs made and throwing his weight around. Who the hell does he think he is? Man, that guy is so up himself…

On a different note, I must mention the Rabbitohs, everyone’s favourite underdog! Well done on a great season! Hopefully you guys will be back there next year.

And I can’t finish without mentioning my team, the Bulldogs. So depressing, they were never really in it and played pretty poorly all year. I think the club needs to rethink its strategy. All these ‘faster’ teams are winning more than the slow Bulldogs who only have a really good forward pack going for them. I think this article covers it pretty well.

Lastly, congrats to the Storm. It would be good to see them at the end again in 08. Only if they don’t suffer from the curse of the premiership and get injured out of contention. In recent years, the team defending their premiership have had a shocking run of injuries. Just ask the Broncos, or the Bulldogs. In any case I look forward to the 2008 premiership season, which also marks the 100 year anniversary of Rugby League in Australia. Hopefully its bigger and better than ever.

Well just in case you haven’t noticed, this author is a close follower of the NBA and an even closer follower of the San Antonio Spurs (made obvious by the top corner pic). In any case the point of this post is to say SPURS FOR 2007!!! NBA CHAMPIONS!!! w00t!! hahaha! Now that I have that out of my system, I have a couple of things to add:

Dallas Mavericks – enough said…

Phoenix Suns – unfortunate event in the Spurs series with Stoudemire and Diaw both suspended for a game, but in my opinion you can’t put an asterisk against the 2007 Champions because it wasn’t their fault that they left the bench. Rules are rules, and I appreciate the fact that the NBA didn’t give any leniency towards the matter. For all of you who think that my opinion is biased, I would say the same if it were the other way around. I would blame the stupid players for not adhering to the most simplest of rules. I would ask those players, what is achieved by leaving the bench? Nothing. Let the refs handle the situation. That is why they should have been sidelined and Stern etc made the right decision. I also don’t condone the hard foul Horry gave Nash, but he was suspended for 2 games, and probably would only have been 1 if such a big deal wasn’t made out of it.

On to the final and boy, did LeBron James (or LeBroom) struggle. I have to admit though, I really love the guy. I love his no excuses, tell it like it is mentality. However it’s easy to blame it on one man but his cast struggled too. Red hot Gibson went cold, and the big Z went small. The good news for Cleveland is that they will learn from this experience and, provided they can get a better supporting cast for James, will be back in the finals in the future years to come.

Take nothing away from the Spurs though, they did what they do every year. They coast through the regular season, under the radar, putting all the heat on Suns and Mavs (no pun intended) and then when it comes to May/June for the playoffs, they step up big time. In my opinion, they are a back to back championship away from a dynasty. 4 championships from 9 years is an achievement but I mean come on! That’s only a 44% championship conversion rate. That’s only a description of a very successful team. Compare that to the Celtics of the 60′s, or even the Bulls of the 90′s. Now those are dynasties. That is why I will be hoping more than ever for a 2008 championship ring too. Hopefully they can break the voodoo and win in an even numbered year. Then the Suns and Steve Nash can win as many rings as they want, because they’ll never take away the dynasty of this decade, the dynasty of the Spurs.

This title would have been a more appropriate name for what was the World Cup. What an absolute joke! Where do I start? The bad organisation? Bad weather? Out of form teams? Poor results? The length of the tournament? Does anybody even remember when this thing started? 13 March. That’s right, almost a month and a half before the final! Way too long. The reason being the sponsors and broadcasters didn’t want games to overlap so they could show all of them, therefore making only one game a day possible. I also have to mention the unfortunate death of Bob Woolmer which is a tragedy that overshadowed much of the tournament. On to the final, what a shocker. Playing cricket in darkness, absolutely ridiculous! Isn’t there rules for situations like that? Oh right, incompetent umpires to blame there. Despite all the negativity, congrats to Australia, clearly the best team in the tournament once again. It’s turning a bit into the Rugby League World Cup in that we already know who is going to win. Wow so exciting! I hope that the next Cup turns out to be better. Here’s a list of things which need to be fixed:

• Eliminate the teams not on the ICC ODI Championship Table – Their inclusion is and always has been a waste of time. People say “Oh Ireland/Bangladesh made the Super 8″ I hardly call beating Pakistan only once an achievement. Every team has an off day. I recall Australia getting beat by Bangladesh too. It was just unfortunate in this case it was in the World Cup

• Similarly, there should really only be a Super 6 as in previous tournaments – Did Ireland and Bangladesh get beat by practically every team?

• Reduce the time frame of the whole thing – Play multiple games in one day, broadcast the game most interesting to each respective country. Stop the media from being hell bent on milking as much money as possible and ruining a good tournament

• Organise well in advance – Choose a time of year/location where weather will not have such an influence on the tournament

• Get rid of Rudi Koertzen – Worst. Umpire. Ever. Followed closely by Aleem Dar

• Exclude Australia from competing in the World Cup – Time to give the other teams a chance…

Stay tuned for the first edition released on Monday

Update: OK so I got lazy… just wait I’ll do it sometime soon

Update 2: OK maybe never… lol

UPDATE: OMG! I just found a whole collection so you can laugh till you wet yourself…

http://gifdump.com/search/Zidane/

The game…

And for the clip…

All due credit to the creators