Cronulla break hoodoo to secure first NRL Premiership

The Cronulla Sharks proved that fairytales do indeed come true as they overcame modern league’s most storied franchise, the Melbourne Storm, to secure their first ever NRL premiership in their 49-year-history.

Having lost three previous grand finals, the Sharks were determined to finally break their drought this time around. Led by inspirational captain Paul Gallen, the Sydney side dominated the majority of the game and survived a Melbourne fightback to secure a 14-12 victory in front of capacity crowd at ANZ Stadium.

Cronulla proved that they were ready for the occasion right from the kickoff, as they immediately applied the pressure on the Storm. Tensions flared early after Melbourne winger Marika Koroibete made a dangerous high tackle on Sharks halfback Chad Townsend. The resulting penalty saw former-Warrior James Moloney give the home side the lead from the tee after seven minutes.

The Sharks continued to press their opponents, and a line-break by Moloney set-up teammate Luke Lewis for an almost certain try, only for him to be pulled down inches from the line.

Cronulla remained focused, with a superb move from the back of the scrum barely a minute later seeing fullback Ben Barba charge through for the first try of the game on the fifteen minute mark. 

Moloney successfully converted to see the Sharks shoot out to an early 8-0 lead.

The Storm were struggling to discover their rhythm and found themselves bunched in the middle of the park unable to break down the opposition. They were not the only ones feeling the pressure of the occasion, as sideline reporter Darren Lockyear was repeatedly probed for comments by the legendary Ray ‘Rabs’ Warren.

The Sharks continued to dominate the game for the remainder of the first half, and could have pulled away even further had it not been for some staunch Melbourne defence.

The second half started much the same way as the first had ended, as another Cronulla attack saw Melbourne stuck on their own goal line for the opening minutes.

However, against the run of play, the Storm advanced down the field and scored their first try of the final through Kiwi prop Jesse Bromwich. Experienced skipper Cameron Smith kicked the conversion and suddenly Melbourne found themselves right back in the contest.

It was a tale of two sides as Melbourne continued to soak up wave after wave of pressure from the ever-probing Cronulla side.

But it was Melbourne who struck again in the 63^rd minute after a great set was capped off by a strong finish from centre Will Chambers. Smith again converted to give the Storm an unlikely 12-8 lead.

The Sharks were staring down the barrel of defeat, but remained composed and again pushed forward in numbers. A charging run by Sosaia Feki could not be stopped this time by the tiring Storm defence, and after Moloney converted once more, the Sharks were ahead 14-12 with twelve minutes left to play.

It was a nerve-wracking final period for the home supporters, as the Storm threatened to break their hearts twice in the closing stages, and advanced nearly 100 metres in the final set.

But the Cronulla defence held on to secure the win, leaving both players and supporters in tears. Having failed to perform on the big stage in the past, the Sharks thoroughly deserved the victory this time around.

Guardiola proving that the EPL is nothing special

All too often the media portray the English Premier League as the toughest in the world, and that a player or manager’s career is not totally fulfilled if they do not prove themselves on a cold, rainy night in Stoke. Having won all eight competitive games so far, including five in the EPL, Pep Guardiola and Manchester City have proved that it may not be that hard after all.

Prior to the season there was plenty of hype and excitement surrounding the managerial arrivals of both Guardiola and ‘the special one’ Jose Mourinho to Manchester. The dream had finally happened for the EPL and its supporters as arguably the two greatest managers currently in football were about to go head to head with two of the best clubs in Europe, and in the same city no less. The excitement intensified following some big money moves that secured the names of Paul Pogba, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Ilkay Gundogan, and John Stones for the respective sides. It seemed like the two teams would be deadlocked all season at the top, and while such circumstances could still happen, Guardiola has been a step ahead of his rival thus far.

The Manchester derby two weeks ago was a prime example. Playing in the daunting Old Trafford, Manchester City tore apart Manchester United in the first half, led by the irresistible play of Kevin De Bruyne. The final 2-1 score line did not represent what viewers had just witnessed. Suddenly Manchester City looked increasingly formidable, an image they have continued to impose since. Having fielded plenty of criticism for his failure to win the Champions League with Bayern Munich, Guardiola silenced his critics on this occasion. The derby was reminiscent of a certain 2010 Barcelona – Real Madrid match up, where Guardiola’s Catalan side rampaged Mourinho’s Madrid at the Nou Camp, walking away with a 5-0 victory. There, Guardiola’s brilliance from the sidelines was shunned in favour of the genius of Lionel Messi. This time there was no Messi, yet the dominant performance remained.

Guardiola has already had a defining impact on several members of his squad. Raheem Sterling, a £50 million purchase last season, has been reinvigorated under his new manager. His performances in the previous campaign left much to be desired, however, he has already bagged three goals and two assists in Manchester City’s first five games. Likewise, Brazilian midfielder Fernandinho has become a far more reliable holding midfielder under Guardiola, and played a crucial role in the derby victory as he kept United’s Paul Pogba in check. Overall, the squad looks like it has come out of the shell it was stuck in last season, and are undoubtedly playing the most attractive football in England.

Meanwhile, the red side of Manchester still looks worryingly timid. Despite a £150 million spending spree in the summer, there continues to be a lack of incisiveness and urgency in the final third of the park. The midfield combination of Pogba, Marouane Fellaini and Wayne Rooney has been underwhelming, while the defence is shakier than it was last year. After embarrassing losses to Feyenoord and Watford, Mourinho has it all to do to revive his side and produce the results that the fans expect.

There is a long, long way to go in the season, but from the evidence we have so far, Pep Guardiola could be forming a formidable Manchester City side to dominate both England and Europe in the years to come. For all the talk of adjusting to the Premier League and being able to prove himself in the world’s ‘toughest competition’, Guardiola has shown his worth already. Although a cold, rainy night in Stoke awaits, one does not feel that the Spanish mastermind will be bothered in the slightest.

The Blackcaps should stop persevering with Martin Guptill

The Blackcaps start their tour of India this week, hoping to improve on their disappointing performance in South Africa last month. They will play three tests and five ODIs over the next five weeks, before coming home to prepare for another long summer of cricket. Coach Mike Hesson has said that it is likely that Martin Guptill, one of the prime underperformers against the Proteas, will open up in the first test on Thursday. Considering Guptill has a dismal test average of 29.59 after 44 tests, it is hard to understand how such a decision can be justified.

On their recent tour of Zimbabwe and South Africa, the Blackcaps included Auckland opener Jeet Raval in the test squad. From afar, it seemed like a positive move, giving the young batsman an opportunity to find his feet in international cricket against a lacklustre Zimbabwean side, as well the chance for a big learning curve against the South African bowling attack, arguably the best in the world. Yet, against both sides, the selectors stuck with Guptill like he was a piece of gum on the sole of their shoes. One could argue that a stick of gum could have performed better.

He started off well against the timid Zimbabwean attack, scoring 40 and 87 in two of his three innings. But when the frontline bowlers are bowling 120kmph half volleys at you, such performances are not a true indicator of form nor talent. This proved true as Guptill got completely found out against the South African pace trio of Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander and Kagiso Rabada. His scores of 7, 8 and 0 show that he was well out of his depth. Would Raval have fared any better? Perhaps not, but the amount he would have learnt from the experience would have been worth the gamble. Guptill, 29, should be at the peak of his powers and is past the point where major improvements are likely to be made.

Those that have watched Martin Guptill bat over the years would have noted his severe weaknesses against swing and seam bowling. While he has a very robust technique, he has tendencies to either follow the moving ball or play down the wrong line. At test level, these deficiencies are unacceptable, no matter how difficult it is to correct such a flaw. Aside from these issues he is actually a very competent batsman, as proven in the shorter form of the game, where the ball is not as prone to move in the air. However, his success in white ball cricket should not give him any leniency when it comes to selection in the longer format.

New Zealand needs to follow the example set by other nations in picking players that suit the type of cricket being played. Australia and England have begun to have separate teams for the three different formats in recent years. Players that succeed in the international shorter format still have to prove themselves in first class cricket before becoming a part of the test side. For example, well-known players Glenn Maxwell, George Bailey, Jos Buttler and Jason Roy all have prestigious short-form resumes, but have not proved themselves to be good enough for test match cricket. Likewise, Alistair Cook, England’s test captain, was dropped from the one day side before last year’s World Cup and has since failed to retake his place. The Blackcap selectors need to identify each player’s skillset and judge whether they have the ability to play across all three formats, or whether they only suit a certain style. Sometimes ruthlessness can bring results, and in this case I believe that New Zealand Cricket would certainly benefit from it.

For now though we will watch the test series in India through our hands, as Guptill tries his best to give first slip some catching practice. Raval has not been included in the squad for the tour of India, which means that the Blackcaps could be in crisis very quickly if Guptill fails to improve. Hesson has stated that 35-year-old Luke Ronchi could replace Guptill at the top of the order if required, despite Ronchi having only played one test and being known as a lower order slogger in the shorter form. I’m not a selector, but surely they can see that neither player should be opening the batting in test cricket. Furthermore, how are youngsters supposed to get into this side if their first class performances are ignored for a bunch of has-beens? Who knows, but hopefully after another Guptill masterclass, the selectors will realise what needs to be done to progress this side to the next level.

New faces, same results. When will the Warriors change?

This was supposed to be the year that the Warriors finally turned it around and made a serious push at not only the playoffs, but also at the NRL title. Yet, following the conclusion of their embarrassing 40-18 loss to Parramatta last weekend, the Warriors found themselves out of the playoffs for the fifth consecutive year.

It was the same old story this season. Despite the new faces of Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Issac Luke, the Warriors got off to another shocking start, losing their first three games. Things went from bad to worse when Tuivasa-Sheck suffered a season-ending ACL injury in round seven, and the writing began to appear on the wall. The team never clicked into gear on the field and were embroiled in controversy off it, frustrating their hopeful and expectant fanbase.

In the end, it finished much the same way as it did in the last few seasons, in utter disappointment. Is anyone surprised? I think by now we have seen that Andrew McFadden is a shit coach, Manu Vatuvei, despite his years of loyal service, is done, while a bunch of half-decent teenagers could create a better defensive line than this lot did this year. But when will the narrative change?

As has become the norm, the only positive was the development of the youth players. Centre Solomone Kata and winger David Fusitua had breakthrough seasons, while promise was also shown by Albert Vete, Jazz Tevaga, and Toa Sipley. However, there is reason to believe that the Warriors struggle to continuously develop after their first couple of seasons. Take a look at Shaun Johnson and now-former Warrior Konrad Hurrell, who both exploded onto the NRL stage, but have failed to progress their game to the next level since. Even Tui Lolohea, the 2015 NRL Rookie of the Year, struggled to replicate his debut season this time around.

Whether this is a fundamental problem with the training staff and management, or simply bad luck, it is unknown. But something has to change. Johnson, arguably the most talented player in the NRL, struggled with niggling injuries all season, and consequently failed to find the form that has made him such a valuable commodity. After the season-ending loss to Parramatta, Johnson said that his team’s performances were “frustrating” and he was “over it”. His thoughts replicate those of the supporters, who had dreams of a possible Warriors dynasty when the young superstar broke onto the scene in 2011. Alas, it has not come to be.

Once again the upcoming offseason will raise more questions than answers for the Warriors. What moves need to be made? Should McFadden continue on as coach? Will any major changes actually make any difference? Who knows. But something has to happen to reinvigorate this franchise and the passionate league fanbase in this country. For now, nothing can be done except to hope for a brighter future.

Has the All Blacks dominance made international rugby less exciting?

Former England footballer Gary Lineker once said “Football is a simple game. Twenty-two men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans always win.”

Applied to the All Blacks, Lineker’s quote fits like a glove. I’m sure plenty of opposition have walked off the park feeling the same way. Since Steve Hansen took over in 2011, the All Blacks have lost three times in fifty-nine games. That’s one every 18 months. I therefore wonder why fans and media of their opposition get down when they lose. It’s virtually inevitable.

I don’t really understand why the Wallabies have been getting so much stick from everyone, particularly their own media. Did anyone really expect a different result than what happened in both Sydney and Wellington? Perhaps the Aussies could have shown a bit more fight, but to be honest the results were a foregone conclusion.

It has been a pattern over the last few years, and I for one have mixed emotions about the situation. On one hand it’s great that the All Blacks have conquered all of their rivals and can walk away with an easy victory even when they don’t play that well. The back-to-back World Cups have shown that the All Blacks are no longer an all-talk, no product team that plagued the country for years. Also, the way that new talent filters through into the side and immediately acclimatises and produces quality performances is superb.

But on the other hand, I take the success with a grain of salt. When was the last time the All Blacks were actually in a contest? It’s certainly been a while since I watched them play a memorably tense game. In the last couple of years I can only think of two – the World Cup semi-final against South Africa last year where they held on to win 20-18, and the 2014 end of year Bledisloe Test against Australia where a last minute converted try snuck a one point victory in Brisbane.

It just seems that the tension and drama of international rugby has been lost. I don’t blame the All Blacks because they are obviously a huge step ahead of everyone, with their free-flowing attacking brand of rugby unmatched by any other nation. But until the rest of the world catches up, I’ll watch the All Blacks wipe the floor with their opposition. Like everyone else, I’ll be mightily impressed. But I won’t be surprised, nor will I be particularly excited.

When the Lions toured in 2005 with a fantastic team, no one expected the All Blacks to dominate the series like they did. Therefore, when Dan Carter took over the second test in Wellington and blew away the formidable Lions side, he sent New Zealand into raptures. The atmosphere at those games was electric, as the crowd was buoyed by the tension of the game and the unknowing result that waited at the conclusion of 80 minutes. A similar scene was set when the All Blacks barely hung on against France to secure the long-awaited World Cup five years ago.

Those are the days and games that I miss, even if my heart did beat at twice the speed and the nerves gave me the shakes. That’s the beauty of watching sport. Unfortunately, that seems to have been lost recently, simply because the All Blacks have become so good that no one can compete with them. I now watch the games expecting a show, rather than hoping for a win. The latter is inevitable, and therefore the former becomes the priority. Like the Harlem Globetrotters, the All Blacks have become more of a spectacle than a sports team. Whether that’s a good or bad thing, I am unsure.

Katinka Hosszu’s rise to the top: reality or a façade?

It’s been a thrilling first few days in the pool at this year’s Olympic Games, highlighted by the stunning performances of 27-year-old Hungarian Katinka Hosszu. Competing in her fourth Olympics, Hosszu has dominated the field and hauled in three gold medals, her first ever medals at the Olympics, and has set two Olympic records and one world record in the process. It’s hardly a surprise. Hosszu has been consistently brilliant since 2013, setting multiple world and championship records since. But how has someone who should be well past her best become such a revelation?

It is extremely unusual for a female swimmer to peak so late in their careers. History tells us that the best of the best often break onto the scene in their teens and peak either side of twenty. While male swimmers can often continue to perform at the highest level through to their late twenties, such a scenario is exceedingly uncommon for women. Taking a look at some of the greatest female swimmers in history, there is a common denominator: age. Dawn Fraser was 18 when she won her first gold medal in Melbourne in 1956; Shane Gould was 15 when she got three golds in 1972; Janet Evans had just turned 17 when she did the same in 1988; the list goes on and on. Even today, Katie Ledecky has transformed women’s freestyle despite only being 19. But none of the aforementioned swimmers (apart from Ledecky who is still an unknown) lasted at the top for a significant period of time. Fraser won her last gold in Rome having just turned 27, Gould retired at the age of 17, while Evans retired after failing to win any medals at the 1996 Games at the age of 25. It therefore seems hard to believe that someone who has not always been considered one of the world’s top swimmers, has suddenly become such a dominant force in her mid-twenties.

Until this week, Hosszu had failed to deliver the goods at the Olympic Games. Four years ago, Hosszu finished fourth in the 400m individual medley, eighth in the 200m individual medley, and ninth in the 200m butterfly. Realistically, such a disappointing performance should have been the end of her career. However, she persevered. The first change she made was her coach, appointing her boyfriend Shane Tusup as her trainer and motivator. Tusup has already made a splash of his own during these Olympics, with his excessive emotion and passion in the stands raising many eyebrows. According to those close to the pair, Tusup is an extremely tough trainer, who apparently is borderline inappropriate in his coaching of Hosszu. Together the pair decided to enter Hosszu in more events to lessen the pressure on her to win.

It worked. At the 2013 World Championships, Hosszu won both the 400m and 200m individual medley, and also gained a bronze in the 200m butterfly. In the following World Cup, she destroyed the rest of the field, breaking eight world records and scoring 840 points over the eight meets. The next best scored 288. In just over twelve months, Hosszu had gone from a competitor barely making finals, to a multiple world-record holder and world champion.

She has not let up her performances since. As the world watched in awe as she lowered the 400m individual medley world record by two seconds, she barely broke a sweat. This was the end product of a four-year training effort. Yet, in this day and age, one feels like such performances are too good to be true. The record she broke had been formerly held by Chinese teenager Ye Shiwen, whose rapid swim in London four years ago has since been deemed as likely to have been fuelled by performance-enhancing drugs. By not just beating, but annihilating that record, Hosszu is cast under the same shadow.

Of course, this is not the first time that such a rise has occurred. History has a way of repeating itself. In 1996 Irish swimmer Michelle Smith had a disturbingly similar rise. Having failed to medal in either of her first two Olympics, Smith romped through the field in Atlanta, winning three golds and a bronze, including two golds in the individual medley events, the same as Hosszu this time around. Smith was 26 in Atlanta and like Hosszu, had only started to ascend to the top at a late age and after a fairly mediocre career. To cap off their similarities, Smith was also coached by her husband in Atlanta. While Smith never tested positive during the Games, there remained a great deal of suspicion around her rapid rise to the top. Two years later, she was banned from swimming after she was caught manipulating a drug test. She kept her medals from Atlanta, but it is now assumed that she was probably using PEDs in the build-up to those games.

At this stage there is obviously no proof that Hosszu has taken any kind of performance enhancing drugs, nor that she is alone in doing so. However, her ascension is virtually unprecedented, especially at her age. For now, we have to assume that her hard work has paid off, but time will tell if what we saw was reality or simply a façade. 

Three Olympic events you need to watch

The 2016 Rio Olympics are underway! It may be the most controversial games in history. But let’s forget that for a moment and focus on the actual events and athletes taking part. Of course, there are some events that are must-watch television. However, instead of rattling off some obvious ones (like the 100m final), here’s three spectacles that you just can’t miss.

 Mens 200m Butterfly

It was tough for me to choose just one swimming event, but I feel like this one could be the most exciting, due to its competitiveness. There are a number of swimmers that have the ability to win gold, none less than Michael Phelps, a two-time winner of the event. The 31-year-old is competing in his final Olympics, and of his four events, this will be his toughest. His competition includes South African Chad Le Clos, whose long fingers denied Phelps of a third consecutive gold in the event in 2012; and long-time rival Lazlo Cseh of Hungary. It wouldn’t surprise me if the medal placings were decided by a matter of milliseconds. Let me put it this way. I’ve watched all of the swimming at the Olympics for twelve years, and this will probably be the closest race since the 200m freestyle in 2004, which was dubbed the ‘Race of the Century’.

Handball

No I’m not talking about that game you played in year four on the hard courts. This version is far more intense and extreme. Having seen the game briefly a few times, I liken it to futsal but with your hands. It’s fast, chaotic, skilful, and at times, pretty amusing. This is because you get to watch people doing 360 spins, behind the back throws, and seemingly never-ending chains of alleyoops that finally end in a goal. Also, countries like Qatar are good at it (who knew?). Honestly, I couldn’t tell you the rules, because like the rest of you, I have no idea what is going on. But I do know that France are the two-time defending champions, so they must be alright. It looks like a hell of a good time and something that we Kiwis could play if we really put our mind to it. If you like a whole combination of crazy shit, this sport is for you.

4x100m Relay (Men and Women)

The relays are always a good watch, however, the London Games took things to the next level. The world record was not just broken, but demolished in both the male and female events. One should expect much of the same this time as Jamaica and the USA battle it out for the gold medal once again. Both of the male teams are virtually the same as last time, featuring superstars Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake (Jamaica), and Justin Gatlin and Tyson Gay (USA). However, the women feature some new faces. Only Tianna Bartoletta remains from the USA team that broke the 27-year-old record in London, while the Jamaicans feature just two - the experienced Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Veronica Campbell-Brown - from the same event four years ago. Of course, never rule out an upset, especially when the baton change is involved. Both races will be amazing, as will the atmosphere inside the stadium. Don’t miss the experience.