Resource Non-AFL General Chat

[Paracleet]

You bite everytime I bring up my NSW bias theories.

I'm not disputing that they're great bowlers. But when you've bowled 90% of our national team's deliveries as a collective, over a period of 10 years, there's a pretty good chance you'll have lots of wickets.

Piggy this is absurd. Starc has nearly 400 test wickets and Hazelwood has 280 odd at sub 25 and Cummins the same at 22.5 (the 10th best ever for bowlers with over 200 wickets. And the 10 is including a bunch of saffers with inflated records because they played their entire home career on greentops).

You are suggesting if we had stuck any old shield bowler in they'd have done just as well? A seam attack of Boland, Nesser and Jackson Bird over the last 7, 8 years is winning one or two tests less I reckon.

 

[serial_thrilla]

Yep almost six years ago. The bloke averaged 100+ when he got his shot then got dropped on shield so he certainly wasn't disgraced at that level.

Oddly enough, there have only been 10 debutants since Kurtis. It shows how stable the team has been in the last few years. Aside from Pucovski and the usual subcontinent spinner lotto - all are still in Test consideration.

The players:

• Jhye Richardson (WA)
• Cameron Green (WA)
• Will Pucovski (Vic)
• Alex Carey (SA)
• Michael Neser (Qld)
• Scott Boland (Vic)
• Mitchell Swepson (Qld)
• Todd Murphy (Vic)
• Matthew Kuhnemann (Qld)
• Nathan McSweeney (Qld/SA)

 

[Paracleet]

Oddly enough, there have only been 10 debutants since Kurtis. It shows how stable the team has been in the last few years. Aside from Pucovski and the usual subcontinent spinner lotto - all are still in Test consideration.

The players:

• Jhye Richardson (WA)
• Cameron Green (WA)
• Will Pucovski (Vic)
• Alex Carey (SA)
• Michael Neser (Qld)
• Scott Boland (Vic)
• Mitchell Swepson (Qld)
• Todd Murphy (Vic)
• Matthew Kuhnemann (Qld)
• Nathan McSweeney (Qld/SA)

And none from NSW. Not even one that had moved to another state to get a first class start..

 

[serial_thrilla]

And none from NSW. Not even one that had moved to another state to get a first class start..

Sean Abbott and Ollie Davies are probably the two that were in Test conversation at times but haven't been picked.
Maddinson and Patterson obviously had a crack but haven't returned.
And Dan Hughes was probably unlucky that his best coincided with Warner and Khawaja at their prime.

 

[Docker82]

And none from NSW. Not even one that had moved to another state to get a first class start..

Todd Murphy is either from NSW or from the opposite side of the Murray River (so very close).

 

[Paracleet]

Todd Murphy is either from NSW or from the opposite side of the Murray River (so very close).

Born in Victoria, grew up just over the border and came through the Victorian system so I think we fairly call him Victorian.

 

[Nodgey]

In an alternate universe Phil Hughes and Will Pucovski are our openers and Warner and Usi were banished years ago.

McSweeney has been harshly dealt with. Talk about thrown to the wolves. Perhaps we should have stuck with Smith opening. Or tried Marnus? McSweeney might well be a long term test player, but not as opener, so why set him up to fail like this? I’d understand if he’s feeling a little disillusioned right now.

 

[Paracleet]

Sean Abbott and Ollie Davies are probably the two that were in Test conversation at times but haven't been picked.
Maddinson and Patterson obviously had a crack but haven't returned.
And Dan Hughes was probably unlucky that his best coincided with Warner and Khawaja at their prime.

Davies will get a crack at some point if he makes runs over the next year or two I expect.

Might see him in the ODI team first.

 

[Piggy Smalls]

Piggy this is absurd. Starc has nearly 400 test wickets and Hazelwood has 280 odd at sub 25 and Cummins the same at 22.5 (the 10th best ever for bowlers with over 200 wickets. And the 10 is including a bunch of saffers with inflated records because they played their entire home career on greentops).

You are suggesting if we had stuck any old shield bowler in they'd have done just as well? A seam attack of Boland, Nesser and Jackson Bird over the last 7, 8 years is winning one or two tests less I reckon.

I am shit stirring a little bit. Especially with the NSW bias thing.

Both you and Docker82 are right in that they are great bowlers. I accept that.

I suppose its the whole 'incumbent' thing that annoys me a bit. Plenty of good bowlers and batsmen have come in and done enough to keep their spot, only to have to give it back to a 30-something year old incumbent who holds a mortgage on their position and tells the selectors when they want to stop playing. I have no doubt it will happen with these three too.

 

[Paracleet]

In an alternate universe Phil Hughes and Will Pucovski are our openers and Warner and Usi were banished years ago.

McSweeney has been harshly dealt with. Talk about thrown to the wolves. Perhaps we should have stuck with Smith opening. Or tried Marnus? McSweeney might well be a long term test player, but not as opener, so why set him up to fail like this? I’d understand if he’s feeling a little disillusioned right now.

In this alternate universe Phil turned 36 three weeks ago* so unfortunately he would also be creating a problem not solving one.

*A sad reminder of just how young he was..

 

[Paracleet]

I am shit stirring a little bit. Especially with the NSW bias thing.

Both you and Docker82 are right in that they are great bowlers. I accept that.

I suppose its the whole 'incumbent' thing that annoys me a bit. Plenty of good bowlers and batsmen have come in and done enough to keep their spot, only to have to give it back to a 30-something year old incumbent who holds a mortgage on their position and tells the selectors when they want to stop playing. I have no doubt it will happen with these three too.

I figured you were stirring a bit but my policy on BigFooty is to play a straight bat. Many members are mad and trying to guess their meanings and intent would cause you to join them in the end.

 

[Paracleet]

I am shit stirring a little bit. Especially with the NSW bias thing.

Both you and Docker82 are right in that they are great bowlers. I accept that.

I suppose its the whole 'incumbent' thing that annoys me a bit. Plenty of good bowlers and batsmen have come in and done enough to keep their spot, only to have to give it back to a 30-something year old incumbent who holds a mortgage on their position and tells the selectors when they want to stop playing. I have no doubt it will happen with these three too.

BTW I don't mind the bowling incumbency so much. Holding onto the batters has now created a problem in that if bad form syncs you create a circle that can't be squared. Drop one you really should drop them all.

 

[Piggy Smalls]

BTW I don't mind the bowling incumbency so much. Holding onto the batters has now created a problem in that if bad form syncs you create a circle that can't be squared. Drop one you really should drop them all.

Perfect example would be Smith deciding he is now an opener last summer. It weakened our top order and our middle order, and benefited nobody but Smithy himself. I know that stocks were slim, but against perceived weaker opponents we could have at least tried to find a diamond in the rough.

 

[Docker82]

Perfect example would be Smith deciding he is now an opener last summer. It weakened our top order and our middle order, and benefited nobody but Smithy himself. I know that stocks were slim, but against perceived weaker opponents we could have at least tried to find a diamond in the rough.

I’d argue it didn’t even benefit Smith tbh.

As I’ve said a few times, I genuinely think that the ‘specialist’ openers at shield level are a long way off being good enough, especially up until Konstas came along. The selectors weren’t going to be successful unless they thought outside the box, which didn’t work either but at least they tried. If you pick a specialist opener you end up rotating between Harris, Bancroft, Renshaw and similar types for 2-3 games at a time until someone like Konstas comes along.

Katich, Langer and Khawaja weren’t really openers until they did it at test level. All spent a lot of time at No.3 at shield and even test level though - like McSweeney did before being picked. It’s worked before and will work again just not for every player they try.

 

[freo84]

If all else fails Warner said he'd come out of retirement.....

Not sure what would be worse, Seeing him open again or listening to his commentary.....

 

[Paracleet]

I would actually send Smith to 6 in the absence of a test quality all rounder (we shouldn't play one for the sake of it). Just like Border and Steve Waugh did (and Ponting should have done).

I don't like Marsh at 6. In my view your 6 needs to be able to defend if you are 4 for 40 and Marsh can't. Having a hitter at 6 unbalances the side when 5 and 7 are also hitters. 6 should be a player that can do both.

 

[Paracleet]

If all else fails Warner said he'd come out of retirement.....

Not sure what would be worse, Seeing him open again or listening to his commentary.....

In fairness his actual analysis is not bad. But his delivery is, awkward. Plus his general chat is a combination of gibberish and mean carping.

 

[freo84]

In fairness his actual analysis is not bad. But his delivery is, awkward. Plus his general chat is a combination of gibberish and mean carping.

I don't mind when a former player has a cheeky swipe at his old team mates when it's done with a bit of humour. But he comes across as quite nasty.

 

[greatgatsby]

You might consider Brendon Julian and Warner as two ends of a spectrum as commentators. While its definitely soporific I prefer the Julian end.

 

[freo84]

You might consider Brendon Julian and Warner as two ends of a spectrum as commentators. While its definitely soporific I prefer the Julian end.

Ohh nice use of soporific.

 

[DQ 4EVER]

Sorry to get back to TV commercials, but I was hoping that diabolical "I'm a Pseudo-Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here" was almost over, when I noticed it is not STARTING until late next month. Aaaargh. Amazon Prime do your stuff.
And on those soporific (I'll continue the use of that great word) ads, is anybody else at all disturbed by the sight of Steve Irwin's kid pretending to electrocute someone, given how his dad's life ended?

 

[Taylor]

Stabbed in the heart with a stingray barb?

Usually that show is advertised heavily during the tennis isn't it, then beginning after?

 

[freo84]

Stabbed in the heart with a stingray barb?

Usually that show is advertised heavily during the tennis isn't it, then beginning after?

It was shown every break during the big bash when the big bash was on channel 10....I dont miss seeing the ads.

 

[Piggy Smalls]

Why Lions were surprised at late Ashcroft bid as father-son sets eyes on first AFL season

“We can't control what other clubs think.”

www.sen.com.au

Seriously, why has this not been investigated? I said it at the time and I'll say it again, it is dodgy AF.

 

[freo84]

Why Lions were surprised at late Ashcroft bid as father-son sets eyes on first AFL season

“We can't control what other clubs think.”

www.sen.com.au

Seriously, why has this not been investigated? I said it at the time and I'll say it again, it is dodgy AF.

It's almost like they were told not to....