Sports

Dont sign on dotted line yet: Sanity on stadiums might yet prevail

Hold the bulldozers: NSW Labor leader Michael Daley speaks to the media outside Allianz Stadium.

Hold the bulldozers: NSW Labor leader Michael Daley speaks to the media outside Allianz Stadium.Credit:AAP

Bloody hell, who saw that coming? I refer to the announcement on Tuesday by the new Opposition Leader, Michael Daley, that when it comes to stopping #StadiumSplurge, he is as serious as a ruptured testicle, and those who dont get it risk receiving one of their own. Or something like that.

Illustration: John Shakespeare

Illustration: John ShakespeareCredit:

Im saying very clearly to the SCG Trust today: do not sign contracts for the demolition of this stadium. Do not demolish this stadium. If you do, you will not get a single cent of free public money from me if I am elected premier in March of next year.

Could he be clearer? I think not. Politically, I believe it very astute. As I have ranted many times, using taxpayer dollars to knock down modern sporting infrastructure and replacing it with state-of-the-art stadiums is an outrageous waste of public resources – and the public strongly agrees. All the reasons given for the move dont amount to a hill of beans, and Daley making clear that the SCG Trust knocks it down at their peril means that sanity might prevail.

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The NSW Government, of course, maintains it does have support, with Sports Minister Stuart Ayres even maintaining that they took it to the last election and therefore have a mandate. Nonsense. And on an issue as important as this, it is an outrage for the government to ram it through. Leave it standing. Let the people decide at the coming election, due early next year.

Greenbergs bluff

As to the threat from NRL CEO Todd Greenberg that they will take the NRL grand final elsewhere if the taxpayers dont cough up … I call bullshit. As someone noted on Twitter, there can be no doubt that the NRL needs Sydney a hell of a lot more than Sydney needs the NRL. And sure, a grand final between the Broncos and Cowboys would go well for the famously parochial Queenslanders north of the Tweed. But say the Melbourne Storm and the Canberra Raiders make the grand final. Who actually thinks youd fill Suncorp Stadium with that line-up? Exactly.

And if I am wrong, and Greenberg does move the grand final to Brissie, so what? The truth is that the TV coverage is so good these days, more and more people prefer to watch it on the box anyway. Besides which, the whole point of calling it the National Rugby League was to highlight that the game was played more widely than NSW.

In sum, the NRL would be crazy to move the grand final away from its biggest market, but even if it did, we in Sydney would somehow manage.

Harry your hero

As noted on Thursday, TFF has brought out a book of my best and most heart-warming TFF yarns of the last coupla decades, called Fair Go, Sport – as an antidote to these ignoble sporting times. For the record, my favourite of the lot is a rugby league yarn from 2004, concerning the seven-year-old Harry Rodgers, who had a severe physical disability, playing for the mighty Kotara Bears under-8 side, up Newcastle way. Despite his limitation, one of my spies saw him having the time of his life. Even more significant was the way the members of his own side and of the opposition treated this courageous little bloke. In just about every set of six, his teams first instinct was to look for him first, and see if they could give him the ball to have a run.

The opposition, obviously aware that he couldnt genuinely compete, and in the true spirit of what junior sport should be about, of course tackled him, but in a manner that was certain not to inflict any harm on this young hero. On one occasion, he even managed to off-load to a teammate who scored a try. The crowd loved it and he received warm applause from everyone.

Following up, I was told by his coach that Harry has a condition known as amyoplasia, which affects the joints and muscles. In Harrys case, it meant he wore splints on his legs and had to adapt as best he could with minimal use of his hands. The other teams co-operated and allowed the coach to go onto the field, because when Harry was tackled he needed some help getting to his feet.

One of the avowed ambitions of his teammates that year was to get Harry over the try line. Alas, with 30 seconds to go in the final game of the season, against a strong Wests team, that ambition had remained unfulfilled. And yet …

And yet, now the ball comes to our Harry, on the left side of the field, about 30 metres out. There is still a chance! With all his teammates forming a kind of protective cocoon around him, the whole team charges for the line with Harry the hero in the middle. The young lads of Wests do their more or less best to break through the cocoon, but one way or another Harry manages to crashes through for a – try, try, TRY! – a try for your life, Ill tell a man it is! Instantly, he is awash in the exhilaration of both teams.

And still Harry isnt done. As the final bell sounds, it is Harry who, having practised his kicking all week, lines up the conversion and slots the … GOAAAL!

He is carried from the field on the shoulders of his teammates, and taken to the cheering crowd, where a lovely woman weeping tears of triumph engulfs him in joyous embrace.

Not sure where you are now, Harry, but good on you, and your mates. In 20 years that was the story that most pleased TFF readers.

Olympic cuts nuts

The biggest news in the sports world is the sudden announcement by the AIS to many Olympic sports – just two years before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics – that their funding will be either totally cut, partially cut or placed in a new “contestable pool.”

Emanating from the Federal Sports Minister Bridget McKenzie, the cuts place many of the Olympic sports in real trouble, blowing holes in their planned budgets. Worst hit is the likes of table tennis, a sport that is growing in popularity especially in Western Sydney, which has been advised its program will be cut altogether. Thats from $220,000 down to $0. Other sports being savaged include athletics, sailing, gymnastics, water polo, volleyball, and tennis.

The Feds need to rethink this. While sports like NRL, AFL cricket and rugby get millions through media rights deals, Olympic sports are run on very tight and modest budgets and any cuts hit hard. Cutting like this two years before the Olympics is madness.

What they said

English prop Kyle Sinckler, on the Wallabies having dropped Kurtley Beale and Adam Ashley-Cooper after senior members of the team had reported them to Michael Cheika for breaking rules by having guests in their room: “Youre all f—ing snitches.”

Snitch sledge: Kyle Sinckler was picked up by the referee's microphone giving it to the Wallabies.

Snitch sledge: Kyle Sinckler was picked up by the referee's microphone giving it to the Wallabies.Credit:AP

Michael Clarke, on the Australian cricket team needing to play with nark: “Australian cricket, I think, needs to stop worrying about being liked and start worrying about being respected. If you try and walk away from it, we might be the most liked team in the world, [but] were not going to win shit.”

Simon Katich in reply to Clarke: “Once again we find someone [Clarke] missing the point. We were caught for blatantly cheating and we have to rectify that as quickly as possible and to earn back the respect of the cricketing public in Australia and worldwide. Our behaviour is a big part of that.”

Glenn Maxwell on being sledged by Indian fans: “Theyre not short of it, but I cant understand any of it.”

Daniel Ricciardo on leaving Red Bull: “I thank the team for the last five years and Red Bull for the last 10. I would have loved to drink out of my shoe and celebrate with the team one last time, but now I close this chapter with thanks and love for everyone in the Red Bull family.”

French tennis player Lucas Pouille on losing the Davis Cup final a year after winning it: “Last year I was crying of joy, this year I was crying because I was sad. Im not going to change my mind about the new format. As far as Im concerned, Im not going to play in the Davis Cup anymore.

Todd Greenberg talking tough if the stadium deals dont happen: “We would have the option to take the grand final to other states. We want this stadiums agreement to proceed. We have already had strong interest from other states wanting to host the grand final.”

Stephanie Gilmour on winning her seventh world surfing title: “Surfing means everything to me, its given me everything. Ill never forget being a young girl and just surfing all day long, its all I could think about. Its still my first love and it gives me so much joy. It challenges you and its just everything, so to come here today and to be able to achieve this is so, so special. Surfing is the best, it really is.”

In his own world: Zlatan Ibrahimovic doesn't suffer any false humility.

In his own world: Zlatan Ibrahimovic doesn't suffer any false humility.Credit:AP

Zlatan Ibrahimovic on Zlatan: “I was like Superman, I was unbreakable and no one could break me, only Zlatan could injure Zlatan … I came from my own planet — Planet Zlatan.” Earth to Zlatan? Earth to Zlatan. Do you read me? Please tell Zlatan he sounds like a dickhead?

Team of the week

Australian womens T20 cricket team. Won yet another T20 World Cup.

Stephanie Gilmore. Won a record-equalling seventh world surfing title, matching the feat of countrywoman Layne Beachley.

Croatia. Reversed the result of the World Cup final to beat France in the Davis Cup final.

Scott McLaughlin. Won his maiden Supercars championship title.

Yasir Shah. Has 195 wickets from 32 Tests. The fastest to 200 is Clarrie Grimmett, who did it in 36.

Adam Ashley-Cooper and Kurtley Beale. If you only read the headlines you might think they were dropped from the Wallabies for after-hours cavorting in Ashley-Coopers room. They werent. Adams sister-in-law came back to his room with two of her friends, had a few drinks, and left. Nothing more to it.

Jessica Fox, Lauren Parker and Liz Ellis. Won Athlete of the Year, Athlete of the Year with a Disability and The Waratah at the NSW Champion of Sport ceremony last Tuesday evening.

Peter FitzSimons is a Herald journalist, columnist and author, based in Sydney. He is also a former Wallabies player.

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