In another life, this would’ve been the morning after the Brownlow Medal, and the build-up to the AFL Grand Final would well and truly be underway.

Anyway, harking back to the Sydney Olympics again, and as for what happened on Friday, September 22, declared by Roy and HG as Finger Lickin’ Friday:

Anthony Ervin and Gary Hall Jr dead-heated for the Gold medal in the 50m freestyle, the very event that Ervin would come back for 16 years later in Rio and win again, becoming the oldest individual Olympic gold medal winner in swimming, at age 35.

As for the Aussies, Michael Klim and Geoff ‘Skippy’ Huegill medalled in the 100m freestyle behind the Swedish Chef Lars Forlander, and the great Andrew Hoy took a Silver in the individual Equestrian aboard Dwizzle In, his fourth Olympic Medal, and the only one of the four that wasn’t a Gold Medal in the Team eventing.

It does seem fitting that what was once Grand Final weekend is still the traditional overdose of sporting events

Round 20 of the NRL

The start of the Australia vs New Zealand Women’s T20Is

Russian Formula 1 Grand Prix

Catalan MotoGP

That other Supercars round at The Bend

The Friday night Moir meeting at The Valley

Some boring Golden Rose meeting at Rosehill Saturday

The Underwood meeting at Caulfield Sunday

And the French Open starts on Sunday evening.

Yes, I will probably pass out due to brain overload.

Today’s Wyong meeting was yet another crazy way to delay a race meeting

You want to know why?

because a police suspect ENTERED the RACECOURSE JUST BEFORE RACE 2.

What an absolute dickhead – “Hm, I’ll hide at a racecourse during a meeting, it won’t be littered with cameras and authority figures!”

Apparently it wasn’t this guy:

At first I thought it was Hugh Bowman, still on the run after that Farnan ride.

So it seems the suspect was loitering around a school, then he did a runner to the Turf Club when the fuzz got involved and wanted him for questioning, and obviously went and hid in a ditch somewhere, because Gary Harley described him as looking “Muddy.”

Anyway, they got Races 2-3-4 done after the Cops arrived on the scene….

THEN HE CAME BACK FOR ROUND 2 JUST BEFORE RACE 5, got on the track at the 600m and fled to the bushes on the turn, where the police gave chase and APPARENTLY finally apprehended him.

Yep, it’s just another day in Wyong.

The last round of the NRL this weekend

This is the perfect time for the NRL to throw caution to the wind and test out new rule changes in an attempt to further speed the game up, which include:

• Referees signalling six again for 10 metre infringements instead of a penalty.
• Scrapping the scrum any time the ball is kicked into touch, to be replaced by a play the ball restart.
• Only players nominated as forwards on the team sheet can pack down in scrums, which will go down like a lead balloon.
• Tries given on-field and not refereed upstairs will be reviewed in the background by The Bunker, while the conversion is being set-up, without stopping the game.
• If The Bunker finds the on-field decision is wrong, they will advise the referee to change their decision.

Super, so we can expect to see kickers rush their conversions if there’s a hit of anything dodgy.

As for the two dead-rubbers to be used as guinea pigs – One is the Warriors vs Manly game on Sunday, which was curiously suggested by Gus Gould on Twitter recently….

And the Broncos vs Cowboys on Thursday night.

FOR GOD’S SAKE, THE BRONCOS-COWBOYS GAME IS NOT A DEAD RUBBER.

THE WOODEN SPOON IS QUITE LITERALLY AT STAKE.

NO INTEGRITY I TELL YOU – NO. INTEGRITY.

Craig Bellamy embracing the Round 20 tank

Impressive.

The AFL Leap Year Premier Coincidence is warrrrrrming up again

I’m gonna blast my own horn and say that I’ve been on to this since last year

2000: Essendon top after Round 1, Premiers

2004: Port Adelaide top after Round 1, Premiers

2008: Hawthorn top after Round 1, Premiers

2012; Sydney top after Round 1, Premiers

2016: Western Bulldogs top after Round 1, Premiers

2020: Port Adelaide top after Round 1 – Never drop from top spot and win minor premiership

Ash Barty winning yet another tournament

Forget about defending a French Open title, there’s bigger fish to fry.

She’s now the women’s champion of Brookwater Golf Club, having lowered her handicap from 10 to 4 in a few months.

What a talent:

A major winning, World No.1 in tennis

A good enough cricketer to play in the Women’s Big Bash League

One of the best amateur women’s golfers in Queensland (This may or may not be correct)

What else could Ashleigh achieve after she inevtably dismantles the WPGA.

Join up with the Rugby 7s team and win an Olympic Gold Medal?

Clean up the AFLW with Richmond?

The Australia vs New Zealand Women’s T20Is and ODIs

Now if my maths are correct, this is the first time the Australian women have played a match since they won the T20 World Cup Final in March, which turned out to be a case of fantastic timing, considering Australian society shut down a week later.

In fact, it’s the first time any of the top-tier nations have played a women’s international since International Women’s Day, if you don’t count Germany and Austria.

It’s also nice to see Channel 7 bother to broadcast the series, despite their payment feud with Cricket Australia, like two divorcing parents coming together for the sake of the kids.

A leak of a leak outside the Miami Tavern Shark Bar…. in 2018.

Unfortunately for Stuart Dew, he is one of more recognisable head coaches in terms of physical build….

 “This is phone footage from two-years ago that was unfortunately shared via a private What’s App group involving a small number of work colleagues. Everyone involved is embarrassed and regrets what happened.”

Still, Stewie continues the fine tradition of AFL personalities randomly taking a piss in public, like Brendan Fevola on Chapel Street, and the fine tradition of sportsmen in Queensland mistaking something for a toilet.

Obviously, this is where I randomly once again bring up Don McKinnon going for a slash on Lang Park during the Broncos inaugural game in 1988 as an example.

Manly-Warringah release Addin Fonua-Blake immediately on compassinate grounds

Quick notes – He’s got a knee injury and probably wouldn’t have played for the Silvertails this weekend, and he’d already signed that contract with the Warriors several hours beforehand.

So the soon to be New Zealand Warriors get another forward, and Manly get $600,000 in Salary Cap space, they don’t even have to give him a farewell party, and they don’t have to associate themselves with this anymore:

“They pushed you out of the ****ing club, you ****ing r****d.”

Super Netball using Jemma Mi Mi, the only Indigenous player in Super Netball, to promote their Indigenous Round, only for Roselle Jencke to leave Mi Mi on the Firebirds bench the entire game.

Geez, it’s more awkward than the Western Bulldogs playing in an Indigenous guernsey when they don’t have any Indigenous players on their list.

Last one – Just look at this perfect punt by ‘our’ Michael Dickson in the Seahawks-Patriots game

Could not get that any better.

It didn’t actually amount to anything, because the Patriots ran out the half, but I just wanted to show it because that’s what you can pull off with the pigskin when you’ve got an Australian Rules background.