Thoughts with every sports reporter who’s spent the past 4 years diligently covering second tier sports, only to miss out on a spot at
#Olympics2024Paris
because a news journo or presenter was sent instead. (Who will then ring them at all hours for contacts and to check facts).
Why is Kelli Underwood
#AFL
trending?
I had a lot to do with her when I was
@abcsport
boss.. a more knowledgeable, committed, hard working person you could ever meet.
Importantly, in an industry full of egos and “difficult people”… she is a faaantastic human.
Why the hate?
I had to go to hospital yesterday with a heart thingy. Aside from having to come to terms with being over fifty, the doctors, nurses and hospital staff were AMAZING! Understaffed, overworked, underpaid, but so calm. AND dealing with
#Covid
. God, I respect them. ✊🏻
@Akld_DHB
Looking at this photo, all I see on the world stage is the
#Canada
flag aaaand mainly the Union Jack on the other flag. Surely, like our Canadian mates, it’s time to change the Australian flag?
@Peter_Fitz
#NATO
I watched all the
@Socceroos
games on the international feed, with neutral commentators and no hype.... no talk of “unlucky”...they thought we were tight defensively but ultimately a team of honest pros without a true global star to step up when needed.
@FIFAWorldCup
Impressed by Thurston for asking the"six again" question to Robinson. 👏 A lot of card-carrying TV journos were intimidated and didn't ask the obvious question, sticking to simple "great win Trent", "back to back" and "how good is Cooper Cronk?".
Last month, after chest pains, I went into Auckland hospital. I used every excuse not to. Turns out, artery blocked at 90%. I had stent put in. EVERYONE, from ambulance, to nurses, and specialists, INCREDIBLE. Thank you.✊🏻
If you feel something: don’t be a Craig, get it checked!
When sport boss at
@SkyNewsAust
back in 2000s, I hired young Megan Barnard. Having lived in NZ for a while, I have NO IDEA who
#AFL
reporter Tom Morris is, but I do know Megan is great at her job with
@FOXNRL
, but importantly, a great person. Her character versus his? No contest.
Thought provoking read on Jarryd Hayne from Paul Kent in Saturday’s
@dailytelegraph
. It should serve as a warning to all young people, whatever the sport.
#NRL
(Yes, yes...I know Kenty isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but he’s a great writer and gets to the heart of big issues.)
The
@NZWarriors
did the right thing letting Reece Walsh go.
The culture is rock solid in Auckland, while the
@brisbanebroncos
will have their hands full keeping him in check throughout his
#NRL
career… that’s why “no dickheads” policies work…
@dailytelegraph
Paul Kent nails
#NRL
player behaviour again.
@dailytelegraph
@couriermail
If you don’t agree that Tyrone May’s actions are beyond defending, then something is wrong.
Aside from being an
@Olympics
legend, she is truly a wonderful person.
Seriously. I’ve met many, many sportspeople, and for her stature, she’s sooooooooo nice.
Don’t we all want our heroes to be like her?
@Peter_Fitz
When I was manager of
@abcgrandstand
, we introduced a transgender expert, a gay former women’s captain and many female broadcasters on cricket. Thank God for the
#ABC
. Retweet if you love Australia’s national broadcaster.
#Ashes
Talk about your random rugby league photos. From the
@NewYorker
magazine in the 1960s...U.S model and actress Marisa Berenson scooting away from
@NRL_Dragons
legends Gasnier and Raper...
#NRL
@AndrewVossy
How many dinner parties have I had to sit through in Melbourne, with rusted-on
#AFL
fans telling me that the
#NRL
"rugby" was full of drugs and bad behavior, and their sport was amaaaaazing and above all that.
I almost booked a flight from NZ to Sydney for
#NRLGrandFinal
, but I promised my son years ago that if the
@RaidersCanberra
made it, we’d watch it together. It’s important that my love of Canberra continues with him. (Photo vs
@sydneyroosters
2009)
Been reading tweets to
@PhilGould15
following
#NRLGF
. I’m trying to think what Gus has done to warrant vitriol. No personal drugs or alcohol controversy in long career, decent family man, hard working, successful coach. Some of the stuff is garbage. It’s only a game, people! 🙏🏻
I'm a proud
@RaidersCanberra
supporter (and member) but I've just become a
@NZWarriors
member also... to show them I'm behind them during a tough patch. ✊
#NRL
Buying bags at the supermarket. Am I being cynical in saying we're just paying for something we used to get for free and they're not actually "saving the environment"?
Family pulls up at parking space in Auckland... people inside car eat their McDonalds... when finished, they just dump it out their window.
What is wrong with people???
So… my first
@RaidersCanberra
game in Canberra for almost a decade. Perhaps my last ever with my dad.. (we went to hundreds together growing up)…
And we witnessed a shellacking… *sigh*
#NRLRaidersManly
Real shame, after weeks where rugby league and
@NZWarriors
had some wonderful public support and momentum in New Zealand, all that’s going to be spoken of now in NZ is a shocking forward pass. Game was a non-event after that. Everyone would have gone to bed.
#NRLBroncosWarriors
I’ve notice when
@AFL
player/official does something wrong (drugs,assault,stalking etc), he’s a “troubled soul”,”gone off the rails” or “working through a few problems”. But when
@NRL
player or official does something, it’s portrayed as indicative of entire sport. Discuss.
We have success! After many frustrations, and a few days, thank you to lovely George from
@SparkNZ
, who fixed my elderly neighbour’s phone. Added bonus:he spoke Hindi,so they could converse.
#india
All’s well that ends well. Thank you,
@jolie_hodson
, I know you got involved. 👏🏻✊🏻
A few years ago, when I was
@abcsport
manager, I tried to get Brett Finch to join our
#NRL
coverage just after he retired as a player. He was very, very difficult to pin down and ended up ghosting us. Thank goodness. 😡
I soooooo agree with
@DaveRic1
in the
@dailytelegraph
. Tonight’s
#Origin
game will finish way past midnight in NZ, on a school night. Yes, I know it’s
@NSWBlues
v
@QLDmaroons
, but do they want to push the sport or not? Kiwis v Tonga Test kicked off at family-friendly 5:20pm.
How come whenever there’s a salary cap controversy, players throw hands in the air, and say they have no idea about contracts or what they’re on (“I leave that up to my manager, mate”), but when they want more of the
#NRL
pie, they are experts,and know exactly what they’re worth?
My mate’s father from Dunedin told a great yarn. In the 1960s, his rugby team toured NSW, and played against the Aussie military. Played 5/8 and the opposite number 10 absolutely carved ‘em up. Went back to NZ raving about the bloke in the army side.
Bob Fulton.
@SeaEagles
#NRL
Final nail in my
#bank
“service” coffin.
My son saved $400 (in 5s and 10s) at home.
We took it into an actual
@Westpac
branch to deposit, waited patiently to see a teller, who told us they don’t do that anymore and sent us outside to use the ATM. What’s the point of humans?
I was rejected for years by EVERY radio & TV station in Australia... And I mean EVERYONE. I drove ELEVEN hours to Broken Hill in the middle of nowhere and the manager wasn't there. Turned around and drove home. (I've now been working in media for 3 decades)
#ShareYourRejections
On behalf of all Australians living in New Zealand... the shooting in Christchurch is horrible. This is a beautiful country. I love living here. It is enriched by all races, religions and beliefs.
#peace
Farewell the great Max Rowley. I went to his voice media training academy in the 1990s. Like many people, he set me up for a great career. great bloke, too. Industry legend. Farewell maaaate (in deep, booming voice).
Look, obviously I’m cynical, but do we really believe that Connor Watson took a 450k pay cut to leave
@NRLKnights
and sign with the
@sydneyroosters
? C’mon, are we really meant to swallow that?
#NRL
All this criticism of Ricky Stuart….fair enough, we live in a free country.
Shoot me down, but I’ve known him for a while, and hand on heart, he’s a great bloke. Passionate about the
#NRL
and the
@RaidersCanberra
.
The game is better with him in it.
I just can’t get my head around why so many
#NRL
players are getting “homesick” and want to leave their clubs.
Military, journos, uni students, businesspeople, doctors and nurses travel and live much further than footballers—so why are so many “homesick”? (And yes, I’m cynical)…
Really, really sad to hear of Damien Lovelock’s passing. Rock star, author, commentator,
@SeaEagles
and
@Socceroos
fan, and great mate. Shine on you crazy diamond.
#vale
Here we go again... Melbourne media painting
#AFL
drug story as “good man led astray”... while any
#NRL
or
#aleague
problem is somehow indicative of broader cultural problems with the particular sport. Yeah, yeah. I know....
@nytimes
When Living in London, I once went a whole night without being called a “convict” or had “Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport” sung to me or the Aussie cricket team laughed at. I felt disorientated and afraid.
I tell people until I’m blue in the face… Ricky Stuart is an awesome bloke. He stands up for his players, team, family, mates and city. Don’t we wish more people did that?
@dailytelegraph
@RaidersCanberra
#NRLBroncosRaiders
I really appreciate the athleticism, passion and skill, but American Football is just waaaay too stop-start for the casual sports observer.
#ESPN
#SuperBowl
#NRL
#NFL
Here’s what happened with Isaiah Papali’i.
@NZWarriors
cut him.
@TheParraEels
threw him an
#NRL
lifeline for just 150k. Minimum first grade wage. He backed himself. Played strong, done good,as Jack Gibson would say. Rewarded with big future payday at
@WestsTigers
. He’s earned it.
People in cars who don't thank you when you let them in traffic.
Particularly when it's obvious you've being reaaally accommodating and putting yourself out.
Please explain.
So, an
#NRL
,
#AFL
or
#rugby
player earning,say, 500k, takes a 20% pay cut due to
#coronavirus
. That’s still 400k.Lower end, 150k down to 130k. Hardly the breadline.I get it, but I have mates who have lost jobs completely and will take years to find a new one.20% of zero is zero.
Serious question. Why isn’t Glenn Lazarus top of list to be next
#Immortal
?
He ticks every box. Lifted each side he played with,
@RaidersCanberra
,
@brisbanebroncos
,
@storm
premierships, stellar rep career, and arguably best ever in his position.
#NRL
Very, very sad. My mate in Canberra’s father has died from
#Coronavirus
. Heartbreaking. 💔 It’s really hit home. He was so careful, but still picked it up. Please take care everyone and stick to the rules. If you don’t... you’re an idiot.
Paul Kent’s bit in Saturday’s
@dailytelegraph
is spot on.
Example: New Zealand. A whole country full of kids who will watch
#NRL
if it’s on at a decent time. My excited, footy-mad son was fast asleep by kickoff on Thursday, Auckland time, 10pm, school night. Lost demographic…..
Young people today will never know the soul gripping fear as your landline phone rang the girl’s house whom you’d asked out on a date the day before, after having an actual conversation. And her dad ALWAYS answered… terrifying!
When it clicks, Test rugby is awesome. When it doesn’t, it’s bloody awful, and 80 minutes seems drawn out to 2 hours.
For mighty one-off games, rugby is great. For consistently entertaining, tighter matches, rugby league wins hands down.
#NRL
#SuperLeague
#NZLvARG
#RWC2023
Interesting point from a U.S sports broadcaster I was chatting to this week:
“
#Cricket
… why dilute one sport by splitting it into three? That’s gotta be hard to sell in a packed marketplace with lots of other options.”
A few years ago, at a sports journo meeting at
@SkyNewsAust
, someone suggested a story
@Mel_Mclaughlin
had done on
@TheMatildas
wasn’t worthy. She shot back that it was the national women’s team and demanded attention.
Proud and impressed back then, respect ✊🏻, Mel. She knew!
Rugby can only dream 💭
The Matildas are Australian sport’s most lucrative brand right now – and are about to help the sport kick its TV broadcast deal to $200 million.
The
@SeaEagles
rainbow jersey controversy?
It just makes me respect even more gay people who have the courage to stand in front of loved ones and friends and come out. ✊🏻
#NRL
Whichever side you sit, you have to admire that.
Media is a tough, unfair business.
@nickmcardle_oz
is professional, intelligent and talented. And a really lovely bloke. Fox Sports' loss.
@geerob
@smh
#NRL
Grand Final buildup stories we see every year.
1. Race against clock to shake off injury
2. The veteran’s final shot at glory
3. The young gun with stars in his eyes
4. The contrast of coaching styles
5. The retribution tale
7. The battler on match payments
8. The mega fan
If the NRL want to spread the gospel of rugby league, play the
#NRLGF
one or two hours earlier. If kicked off at twilight, rather than night, it’d be only 7:30pm in NZ and Pacific, 7:30am UK and much of Europe, and, around 10:30pm across West Coast of USA on a Saturday night.
Given the context, I reckon that was one of the
@RaidersCanberra
greatest ever regular season wins. Certainly one of my favourites, and I’ve just about seen ‘em all.
#NRLBroncosRaiders
My son's school doesn't call the big room full of books and desks a "library"... it's the SIC - Student Information Centre.
What was wrong with "library"?
LATEST:
@WestsTigers
poised to pay transfer fee to bring John Bateman back to the
@NRL
to join new-look Tigers pack - plus potential signing of another rep forward.
@telegraph_sport
Central Coast Stadium is one of the most picturesque stadiums on earth and that fact doesn’t get enough credit from the world of football.
@CCMariners
#CCMvWUN
A mate applied for a job (no, this “mate” isn’t me).
He missed out, but what compounded his disappointment was NO ONE GOT BACK TO HIM. What are
#business
“leaders” learning? Hide from tough phone calls??
This has happened to my wife in the past as well…
#leadership
Thoughts?
Just heard that
@RaidersCanberra
great Quentin Pongia has passed on. Let's win tonight's game for him. Great fella, tough player. Cancer sux.
#NRLRaidersrabbitohs
Legitimate question. How much of the $$$
#NRL
clubs make from their special
#ANZAC
jerseys goes to returned services organisations or charities? I know some clubs auction off the match-worn kits, but what of the ones sold in stores? I can’t find the answer anywhere.
Loving all the support for
#SteveSmith
. We’ve come a long way from when another decent man, Kim Hughes, was seen as “weak” and mocked for showing his emotions when he quit as captain in the 1980s. Thank goodness for that.
@CricketAus
Just saw a doco on the “greatest black tennis players of all time”. No mention of this woman: the legendary Evonne Goolagong Cawley. (And my wife’s namesake
@EvonneGeluk
). 7 Grand Slam singles titles. What a magnificent Australian. ✊🏻👏🏻
#Wimbledon
#FrenchOpen
#AustralianOpen
I get that die-hard league and
#NRL
fans are loving troubles with
@wallabies
, but it's terrible for Aussie sport "brand" worldwide. As
@Peter_Fitz
points out, the jersey is a flag, and our players are ambassadors. When the team loses, our overall sporting reputation takes a hit.
Growing tired of people asking me why Canberra is "such an unstable place." For the record... most Canberrans are regular, hardworking Aussies. My dad sold insurance and mum ran the school canteen. Self-centred politicians have nothing real to do with the city I love.
You can have your “Gladiators” trophy, but I reckon this image, in today’s
@dailytelegraph
deserves iconic status.
There is nothing more rugby league than a sacked coach walking his dog in the rain, wearing a hoodie, shorts and thongs. (Missing: form guide)
#NRL
@SSFCRABBITOHS
Can an economist with a bigger brain than mine explain this?
When I lived in Middle East, petrol was really cheap at the pump. I was told because it was plentiful.
Why then is meat, dairy, fruit, vegetables and natural resources expensive in Australia and New Zealand?