Shane Watson dropped from the Australian Test team

After Australia’s shock loss to England in the first test of this year’s Ashes series, the Australian selectors have finally made their move on the heavily scrutinised all-rounder Shane Watson.

Shane Watson is unlikely to play in Australian whites again.

It is safe to say that Watson did not reach expectations in a cricket match of the highest stakes with 0 wickets for both innings and two LBW dismissals (not to mention his countless failed DRS reviews) on 19 and 30 in the first and second innings respectively.

As a result, the Australian selectors are set to drop the 34-year-old for the second test, and ultimately for the rest of his career wearing whites.

Over the years Watson has been one of Cricket Australia’s most protected species, but the Australian selectors are almost entirely to blame for Watson’s ongoing victimisation of ridicule.

Nearly all successful Australian cricketers have been dropped at some stage of their career, and giving them the chance to go back and work on deficiencies in their game.

But Watson was never dropped, wasn’t he?

He is, like all players, in a form slump but instead of being dropped to sort it out, our selectors kept picking him and along came the abuse.

Watto wasn’t the one who kept picking himself regardless of his form, which is why the selectors of the past decade have failed Australian cricket and its cricketers.

We have just become rank one in the world for Test cricket, but all of a sudden could be on the verge of returning serve and become the laughing stock of world cricket.

Our illustrious wicketkeeper Brad Haddin is now gone, and now Watson is too.

Why couldn’t the selectors nutt up and make the tough decisions before this tour?

Australia had the perfect opportunity to blood some new guys when we played against a shambolic West Indies outfit.

Shane Watson has become the perfect scapegoat for the loss in Cardiff against the Poms.

But what did newcomer Adam Voges or even Michael Clarke do?

Give the guy some credit and show a little respect.

He was one of the best players in the team for a number of years, but clearly Aussie sporting fans are quick to turn on their former heroes.

People forget he was, or might, still be one of the best limited overs players players in the world.

He was the Indian Premier League inaugural best player, has won multiple World Cups, and clinched the prestigious Allan Border medal twice.

The only problem is in International Tests over the years, he was kept in the team for too long on what he could've done rather than what he actually did.

Let’s not forget, Shane Watson is a better cricketer than any of us will or would have ever been.

Young flyer Mitchell Marsh is likely to come in for Watson with plenty of praise coming from Aussie cricket fans on the decision – and it looks to be a right one according to a notable few.

Former Australian cricket captain Steve Waugh made the most important point earlier this week that Marsh is the future of Australian Cricket.

Marsh is said to, in time, win test matches in his own for this country and has the potential to become one of the greatest all rounders the game has seen.

No doubt all eyes will be on the West Australian over the next four days in the second Ashes test at Lords.

State of Origin 2015: The decider

NSW Blues forward David Klemmer will be expecting a hostile reception next week.

We are five days away from one of the most anticipated sporting fixtures left on the 2015 calendar. 

The State of Origin series will conclude next Wednesday night at Suncorp Stadium, or ‘The Cauldron’ to some, with the stakes higher than ever in a decider.

Game One brought us a classic arm wrestle not quite typically played in the normal fast-paced tempo and mongrel that we usually affiliate an Origin match with.

The Maroons had Cooper Cronk to thank in a man of the match performance, despite hooker Cameron Smith receiving the official award, for steering his side to a second half comeback.

Cronk slotted the winning field goal that was ultimately the difference giving the Maroons a one-point 11-10 win and series lead heading south to Melbourne for Game Two.

It was far from the reason for the Maroons’ loss, but the absence of the Melbourne halfback at the Melbourne Cricket Ground was evident with stand-in halfback Daly Cherry-Evans failing to deputise Cronk sufficiently.

Game Two also saw both the Morris brothers return to the field together for the first time this year in a Blues jersey.

With the likes of Josh Dugan, Michael Jennings, and two Morris brothers on the same team let alone the same field, points were not going to be an issue down in Melbourne for the Blues – and it showed with three of those four players scoring tries in the 26-18 win.

Fast forward to next Wednesday and we have Cronk back in the picture but superstar Billy Slater ruled out for the rest of the NRL season.

There is no doubt that the Storm fullback will be missed, but Mal Meninga’s small reshuffle shouldn’t affect a Maroons squad that still well and truly has its core players available.

Greg Inglis is set to move into the vacancy left at fullback, where he has played club footy for years, while Newcastle Knights centre Dane Gagai has proved he is ready to be blooded into the Queensland side with a debut call-up.

On the other side of the park, the only position the Blues will have to worry about is the uncertainty of Robbie Farah’s right hand that now contains a plate and a screw as a result of an injury incurred against Penrith Panthers last week.

The seriousness of Farah’s situation is certainly clear with Michael Ennis, Josh Reynolds, Ryan Hinchcliffe on standby in the Blues camp in Coffs Harbour.

So let’s take a look at some of the key match-ups to expect next week in Brisbane to wrap-up this year's Series.

KEY MATCH-UPS

 

Josh Papalii v David Klemmer

Brace yourselves for this duel. When Queensland named Canberra Raiders front-rower Papalii into the line-up, I am pretty sure that every Queenslander licked its lips in satisfaction. With the recent outbursts of Klemmer in the media, Papalii has been labelled as the Maroons ‘hit man’ to put Klemmer back in his place. Klemmer’s energy and agility for a big man has made a huge impact for NSW this series and if he performs again in ‘The Cauldron’ then the Blues will go a long way to winning this one. 

Cooper Cronk v Trent Hodkinson 

 

The battle of the halves is nearly always a certainty in any game. Cronk will be looking to emulate what he did in Sydney for Game One while we are finally seeing what Hodkinson is capable of with a commendable performance for the Bulldogs last weekend. The kicking game of these two will be crucial just as Johnathan Thurston’s and Mitchell Pearce’s will be. I just get that the feeling that if Hodkinson can keep his nerve with thousands of Maroons booing him in the crowds, the Blues will get up. But if we see the Cronk from Game One coupled with the magic of Thurston, it could get nasty for NSW.

Robbie Farah v Cameron Smith

After watching Melbourne Storm get dominated in all aspects against the Bulldogs at Belmore Oval last Monday night, Smith would have been keen as ever to escape the disappointment surrounding his club. Smith tried his hardest to spark his team last week but even the best hooker in the world could not find the creativity for points. We know what Farah can be capable of but what we don't know is how handicapped he will be until kick-off. There wiis bound to be a crosshair on his back, just like Slater in Melbourne due to his shoulder. The telling point between these two will be whether who can have the most influence over the full 90 minutes - if they last.

Josh Dugan v Greg Inglis

 

 

 

 

The New South Welshman needs to put in a big shift if his team are to get a result away from home. Dugan is on a great run of form and coach Laurie Dailey will be confident the Dragons fullback can cope with the unfriendly playing atmosphere coming his way. At the opposite end, Inglis does not necessarily have to play brilliantly for Queensland to win. However we can be sure that if he does, it's game over for the Blues. With Inglis' shift to number one, the Souths player will be guaranteed numerous opportunities to run with the ball from the kick-return. We have seen it time and time again that it only takes a split second for GI to break through. The Blues will not claim victory if they cannot manage to contain the running giant.

 

QLD line-up: 1. Greg Inglis, 2. Darius Boyd, 3. Will Chambers, 4. Justin Hodges, 5. Dane Gagai, 6. Johnathon Thurston, 7. Cooper Cronk, 8. Matt Scott, 9. Cameron Smith, 10. Nate Myles, 11. Aidan Guerra, 12. Sam Thaiday, 13. Corey Parker, 14. Michael Morgan, 15. Josh Papalii, 16. Matt Gillett, 17. Jacob Lillyman. 18th man - Edrick Lee

NSW line-up: 1. Josh Dugan, 2. Will Hopoate, 3. Michael Jennings, 4. Josh Morris, 5. Brett Morris, 6. Mitchell Pearce, 7. Trent Hodkinson, 8. Aaron Woods, 9. Robbie Farah, 10. James Tamou, 11. Beau Scott, 12. Ryan Hoffman, 13. Paul Gallen, 14. Trent Merrin, 15. Boyd Cordner, 16. David Klemmer, 17. Josh Jackson. Emergencies - Josh Reynolds, Michael Ennis, and Ryan Hinchcliffe.

It's time for women to be noticed on the Australian sporting field.

Matildas have made Australian sport history in 2015.

An unbelievable women’s netball final, a football team with the potential to be the Australian sporting story of the year, the best cricket team in the world, and the second best basketball team in the world.

Yet the question still remains: why is women's sport in Australia not fully professionalised yet?

Most will reply with that there's not a big enough market for professional sports in Australia.

Maybe that was the case five years ago but women's sport has totally taken off, and it's only going to get better.

Would you not watch our national women’s football team the Matilda's in the quarter-finals of the 2015 FIFA World Cup? What if the female cricket test Ashes series was on?

It is clear that there is no market for the highest men’s basketball competition in the country, the NBL, yet they are all professional athletes allowed to do what they love on a full-time basis. But can our women?

Essentially the total market is too small with all of the dollars soaked up by men's sport simply because that's where sponsors get the best return.

This leaves no money left for women's sport and that is unfortunately the reality.

But that is now based on ignorance from the public simply because haven't had the exposure. People have to spend money to make money and so far women's sport hasn't had anywhere near the help and infrastructure to appeal to potential sponsors.

Supporting men's sport is the status quo, but I have no doubt that everyone's reaction to last weekend's game of the netball on the weekend in the ANZ Championship final showed that people are ready to get around women's sport just as much as men's - certainly on a national level at the very least.

By incentivising the national teams making them fully professional, it presents a more viable option for young upcoming girls when it comes to the time in their lives when they must choose to completely commit to their chosen sport.

Currently none of the Matildas, Opals or Southern Stars players are full-time professional athletes.

But if they became so, it would give the opportunity for people to invest hard into their chosen sport thus improving the standard of the entire competition and watch it grow exponentially.

Then it would only be a matter of time before sponsors and broadcasters alike cotton onto the absolute untapped potential.

It's 2015 and there is no way that the discrepancy in payday is matched by a discrepancy in standard anymore.

Sally Pearson has been the most closely followed Australian athlete of the last 10 years because she's filled the void left by a lack of Australian successful male athletes.

But the Southern Stars, for example, have not received the same exposure for their success.

Therefore it's not fair to compare audiences across both genders.

Women's sport hasn't had the opportunity to have a similar audience because it isn't publicised anywhere near the same amount as their counterparts.

We are lucky enough in Australia that we can follow nearly every major elite male sport competition in the world.

However if someone wanted to follow women's cricket, football, basketball, etc., they would have to go out of their way to find a way how.

People are always going to be sucked into whatever sport is most accessible but the vicious cycle isn't necessarily reflective of a lack of interest.

I will admit that I have been guilty in the past of ignoring or struggling to find interest in some of the amazing accomplishments of our women’s sporting teams, but 2015 has certainly provided a necessary wake-up call.