The Bench Report - Vlog

A future for women in the AFL?

We hear a lot these days about the decline of the traditional gender defined roles and stereotypes in society. And we can all think of someone that we know in our lives who confirms this trend, whether it be a stay-at-home dad or the lady who drives your bus.

At the moment, highly skilled women in the game are not taken seriously. Events like the Brownlow medal awards ceremony exacerbates the problem, with commentary regarding the best and worst dressed partners of the attending male AFL players appearing in Women’s magazines.

Former Collingwood played turned radio and television commentator, Brian Taylor, made the following remark about women in the sport.

"Now they're there after every bloody game. Why? What's going on here? I'm not sure that's a good thing for footy."

This sort of criticism is concerningly widespread.

Journalist Beverley O'Conner, first female director of the Melbourne Demons club, recently wrote an article on the issue stressing that women should be taken seriously in the game.

“Our involvement is not only as wife or girlfriend, but as physio, trainer, coach, umpire and player. From boardroom to changeroom, the participation of women should not still be up for discussion in 2013.”

Chelsea Roffey: The AFL's first female umpire and goal umpire in the 2012 grand final.
(Source: ABC)

However, a fair question to ponder is whether or not such a physically violent and aggressive sport will ever appeal to many women. After all, it is statistically the most dangerous sport in Australia (according to the Medibank Private Safe Sports Report 2006, based on patient presentations to Australian hospital emergency departments and general medical practices).

So will there be a more publicised AFL competition for women? Like the W-League in the soccer, for example. Currently the AFL Women’s Championships struggles to make a story in any media outlet. The top Google search result for ‘afl women's round 2013’ is the website for the 2013 AFL fixtures (for the male competition). For now it seems that Aussie Rules - like the other four football codes, remains a clearly male-dominated game in almost every aspect.

- Lachlan Lewis

Rugby League - State of Origin My Blues Side Part 2

In my previous blog I named my 1-7 for the NSW Blues for this years State of Origin Series. I have them lining up as follows:

1. Brett Stewart
2. Jarryd Hayne
3. Michael Jennings
4. Blake Ferguson
5. Brett Morris
6. Todd Carney
7. Mitchell Pearce

Today I will reveal my 8-17 as well as my prediction for this years series.

Front Row - Paul Gallen and Aaron Woods

Paul Gallen is normally a backrower however with Blues front row stocks seemingly low I have him playing in the front row. He has won a man of the match reward in the front row and plays in the middle of the park anyway. Aaron Woods is only 22 and playing for the struggling Wests Tigers yet he is the form front rower of the comp. He is in the starting side as history shows its easier for a debutant front rower to get involved if he starts the game.

Hooker - Robbie Farah

The best hooker from NSW. Was named the NSW player of the series last year and if he didn't play for a inconsistent club side he might be known as the best in the comp.

Second Row - Greg Bird and Ryan Hoffman

Greg Bird is in great form and represented Australia last month as well as being an incumbent from last years series. Ryan Hoffman has not played for NSW since 2009, however he has represented Australia in recent times. He was man of the match in the city country fixture and would be the form front rower in the side.

Lock Forward - Luke Lewis

Another incumbent. Although he had a change of clubs in the off season he is still the same player. He has been a cornerstone of the Blues pack for years and that won't be changing anytime soon.

Bench - Kurt Gidley, Anthony Watmough, James Tamou and Trent Merrin

Kurt Gidley nabs the bench utility spot on experience (he is a former blues captain) and versatility  He can cover the whole back line (1-7) and can play hooker and lock forward. Anthony Watmough is a proven performer off the bench for the Blues and will add impact when he is injected into the game. James Tamou made his debut last year, and although he is a Kiwi and changed allegiances to Australia just so he could play State of Origin, he is still a great prop and will deserve his selection. Trent Merrin, along with Aaron Woods beat out Tim Grant, Tim Mannah and Willie Mason for the two free front row spots. Trent Merrin played previously for the Blues under Ricky Stuart. However he was never able to make his mark. He is currently playing better than ever and looks ready to prove his worth in the rep scene.


So here's the team:

1. Brett Stewart
2. Jarryd Hayne
3. Michael Jennings
4. Blake Ferguson
5. Brett Morris
6. Todd Carney
7. Mitchell Pearce
8. Paul Gallen (c)
9. Robbie Farah
10. Aaron Woods
11. Greg Bird
12. Ryan Hoffman
13. Luke Lewis

14. Kurt Gidley
15. Anthony Watmough
16. James Tamou
17. Trent Merrin

And now for my prediction. 2-1 to the Blues. Finally NSW will claim a series, at least that's what my heart says. My brain is still undecided.

-William Le Messurier-

Rugby League - State of Origin My Blues Side

State of Origin, the on and off field pinnacle of our game, is fast approaching. The NSW Blues will be looking to end a 7 year losing streak to the Queensland Maroons. Last year under Ricky Stuart we came closer to a winning series than we had in the previous 6 attempts. Now under the coaching of Laurie Daley we look to improve on that with a series win. The following blog will contain the Blues team I would select and why.

Fullback - Brett Stewart

He is the incumbent from last years series, and although he is not in the same class as the two Maroon fullbacks Billy Slater and Greg Inglis he did a fine job last year and there are no other NSW fullbacks in better form.

Wingers - Jarryd Hayne and Brett Morris

I know I know, no Nathan Merrit again? Yes he is the form winger in the comp but he still does not deserve to be selected ahead of these two. Brett Morris was is the incumbent for both NSW and Australia, did a good job of replacing Akuila Uate in last years series. Whilst Jarryd Hayne is a proven performer for NSW on the wing and has been an institution of the NSW side for many years. Sorry Nathan but to quote the line from Happy Gilmore "Better luck next year".

Centres - Michael Jennings and Blake Ferguson

In the centres I have the incumbent Michael Jennings who is in great form for his new club the Sydney Roosters and has the attacking game which can really trouble the Maroons defence. Whilst my other centre is unlikely to be selected, he should be. Josh Morris, although a great centre, doesn't quite have the x-factor of the Raiders' Ferguson. Blake has been in career best form in a struggling team and paired with Michael Jennings could create the attacking centre pairing NSW has been waiting for,

Five Eighth - Todd Carney

Firstly I'll tell you why his rivals missed out. Josh Reynolds missed the city country game which hurts his chances but also compared to Todd Carney and James Maloney he is too inexperienced in games of this magnitude. He did not set the world on fire during his grand final appearance last year. James Maloney had a shocker in the city country game and has only been able to put his foot forward when his team is running a muck on a low down rival. Todd Carney is the incumbent, and he showed on the weekend in the Sharks golden point win over Newcastle that he is over his injury and he's still got it.

Halfback - Mitchell Pearce

This was a two horse race between Pearce and Adam Reynolds. Mitchell won out due to his experience in the Blues team and his proven combination with both Todd Carney and the hooker (to be revealed in the next blog). Adam although talented needs to prove his worth in a struggling team to be chosen over Pearce who can shine whether his team is up by 20 or down by 40.


Well that's the 1-7 of the Blues team, in the next installment the forward pack, bench and a prediction on this years series will be revealed.

- William Le Messurier -

Expansion - When, Where and How

Let's face it, 10 teams for the A-league is not sufficient.

Yes, the 10 teams we have are competitive and there is no superpower dominating the league a la the norm in Spain, England and Germany. Yes, the salary cap works and is necessary to ensure equality within the league. 

But 10 teams are simply not enough to allow the domestic league be taken seriously as one of the top 20 leagues in the world, let alone Asia.

Simply put, we need more teams. Ideally, for a market like Australia 14-16 teams is the viable amount.

More importantly, we need to make sure that new teams added in are competitive and receive the same treatment and concessions provided to the Western Sydney Wanderers from this season. We need to assist the growth of the game by capturing the minds of new markets and demographics, so be it bandwagoners.

In addition, the administrative body must ensure that no more cases of North Queensland Fury and Gold Coast United are to happen again. That would only set the A-League back 10 steps from the 3 steps it has taken this season.

Expansion should only be conceptualized within the next 5 years if, and that's a big IF (capitalisation and everything), regular season crowd averages are hovering around the 13.5-15k region and the league progresses from the competitiveness that has been seen in the 2012/13 season.

If that is to occur, the most vital element to the success of an expansion club is meaningful community engagement, especially in areas if soccer is not the favoured football code. Meaningful community engagement includes school appearances, local soccer club apperances (especially with the youth), seeking sponsorship from local businesses and etc. This is what separates expansion clubs from being seen as a franchise a la NBA style or establishments seeking integrity and dignity.

A good example that the A-league can follow is the MLS. Similar to the A-league, in America the MLS is influenced by the sporting norms that dominate other American sports. Both A-league and MLS have a finals series popular in other sports. The MLS carefully assesses which markets are viable, looking into the participation levels of soccer within the region and viability for rivalries with other clubs and whether the area have rectangular fields. Two good examples of expansion teams in the MLS are the Portland Timbers and Seattle Sounders, two areas steeped in soccer traditions and with vociferous fanbases.

Without further ado, here are my recommendations for potential expansion.

• Canberra - it perplexes me how the nation's capital has not received a team considering the popularity of the W-league team and the pedigree of Australian soccer stars. The infrastructure is more than available.
• Tasmania - the continued neglect of the AFL to tap into Tassie can be taken advantage of by the FFA. Similar to the NRL's overlooking of Central Coast, the FFA can slowly penetrate Tasmania and provided the team achieved consistent success, Tasmania has the potential for success.
• South Coast/Wollongong - anyone who has followed the NSL prior to the establishment of the A-league can never forget the epic 2000 Grand Final. Down 3-0 at half time, clawing back the lead and eventually winning in one of the longest penalty shootouts I've witnessed. This is another region steeped in soccer history and with legends such as Scott Chipperfield, the South Coast has the potential to be a force.
• Auckland/Christchurch - the FFA could do no wrong by tapping into the North/South Island rivalry that exists. NZ soccer is currently experiencing a golden generation; future prospects such as Marco Rojas and seasoned veterans such as Winston Reid plying their trade in the premier league. The FFA must capitalize on this.
• Another Adelaide team - it is said that many reasons behind the lack of Adelaide United's support lies behind the grudge held by old Adelaide City fans after the demist of the NSL. Adelaide has a proud soccer history in Australia and an Adelaide derby would further fuel interest towards the game.

Stop this scurrilous mongering: Demetriou

The CEO of the AFL, Andrew Demetriou, has today come out in defence for the Essendon Bombers. The embattled club has been at the centre of an investigation by the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) into allegations that its players have been using illegal supplements.

Andrew Demetriou
(Source: afl.com.au)

Media attention has lately been focused on an admission from the club's former sports scientist, Stephen Dark, that players had been given now banned anti-obesity drugs. The club is said to have approved the use of the drug based on a document supposedly from the World Anti-Doping Authority (WADA) which approved of the substance’s usage. The problem is, the drug was never approved and Dark appeared to ignore WADA’s request for him to consult Australia’s own anti-doping authority (ASADA) for more information on the drug.

Even if you haven’t been following the saga, chances are that you have at least heard about it on the news bulletins. The Bombers undefeated start to the season has been mostly overshadowed by the ASADA investigation. However, Demetriou suggests that some of this commentary is in fact being generated by Essendon’s rivals in what appears to be an attempt to further demean the club.

"The sooner some of our clubs, not all, but a small few, stop this sort of scurrilous mongering, the better. Because it's not doing anybody any good at all," he said.

"I remind people, they are fully co-operating. They came forward. They are not running away. They are part of this and they know it's going to take a while and we need to let it run its course."

Listen to the interview on radio 3AW here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=iSDOoPSCdkk

The Bombers are likely to claim their sixth straight victory against winless Western Sydney tomorrow afternoon.

Enjoy the weekend of footy!

-          Lachlan Lewis

Super Rugby 2013 - The Reds Revival Has Arrived!

Many people - including myself - doubted that the Queensland Reds could mount a challenge for this seasons Super Rugby title.

The bar has been set extremely high at the Suncorp Stadium ever since the Reds maiden Super Rugby triumph in 2011 with Reds fans expecting their side to be at the very least in the top 4 sides in the competition and the 2013 season was no exception. However, after losing to both the Brumbies and Force in the opening 5 rounds of the season and recording somewhat unimpressive victories against the Waratahs and Hurricanes many suspected that the 2013 season would be the end of the Reds domination of the Australian conference.

In addition to their struggles on the pitch, the Reds also had to deal with a lot of off field troubles at the start of the season. Quade Cooper was still not 100% fit and his falling out with the ARU was a considerable distraction, captain James Horwill had also been plagued by injuries for almost a whole year and was also not 100% fit, key back rower Scott Higginbotham had left the Reds for the Rebels and there were also hints that key man Will Genia was becoming discontent about how the club was being run.

No Higginbotham? No Problem!

The round 5 loss to the Force in Brisbane ironically marked a turning point in the Reds season thus far. Since round 5 the Reds have been undefeated, recording 4 wins and a draw against the leaders of the Australian conference, The Brumbies. Some may say that 4 wins and a draw is not all that impressive but once you examine the nature of these results one can see that the Reds are truly back on their horse!

To reverse a 24-6 belting they received at the hands of the Brumbies in round 1 to draw 19-19 in Brisbane - a match they were unlucky not to win - was their worse result after all! A first ever clean sweep over the New Zealand conference is the pick of the Reds revival with home wins over the Hurricanes and the Blues and impressive away wins over the defending champions the Chiefs and the Highlanders. Add to that a win at home to the South African conference leading Bulls and there is not much that stands in the way of the Reds repeating their 2011 triumph in this vain of form.

It is not as if the off-field soap opera has stopped at the Reds either. Head coach Ewen McKenzie has officially announced that he will step down at the end of the season and Digby Ioane's future for next season looks like it lies in France, yet these factors were not enough to affect the Reds performances in recent weeks.

So with 37 points seeing them comfortably sitting in 4th spot, a mere 3 points behind the conference leading Brumbies, it looks like the Reds have yet again established themselves as a serious contender for the Super Rugby title in 2013.

- Vladimir Aleksov