Rarely, if ever, has a single football match had such a binary set of outcomes for one footballer. I refer, of course, to Mitchell Pearce being parachuted into Origin III.
There is no doubt Pearce is a fabulous footballer with a storied career, but equally no doubt that as it stands at the moment a part of his epitaph will read: failed at State of Origin level.
With 18 Origins under his belt, hes been a member of the winning side five times. Hes played in seven Origin IIIs and never won a single one. Not for nothing would Johnathan Thurston give the famous sledge in 2015 after yet another losing game at Suncorp: “He should probably get a photo with Wallys statue because thats the closest he is going to get to holding the shield.”
But all that might change on Wednesday night!
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With that background we have two basic storylines just aching to be written. If, say, NSW wins 21-20, cue the headline: PEARCE TRIUMPHS IN THE END, with the narrative that after a long struggle, with many twists and turns in the road, Pearce finally got what he had long deserved, which was an Origin triumph at the age of 30. He showed em all!
Mitchell Pearce can rewrite his Origin history with a Blues victory on Wednesday.Credit:Wolter Peeters
Two points the other way, though? Maloneys conversion from the sidelines hits the posts, bounces back and the Blues lose 20-19?
Cue the headline: PEARCE SCREWS UP AGAIN, with the narrative that the halfback proved once and for all that he just couldnt cut it at this level, he was off his game, and failed to drive the team the way they needed.
Friends, the difference in those possible narratives to sum up an entire career is absurd. But thats how it is, and for his sake lets hope the Blues do indeed win the brute!
Eva's late nights
Musta been, what, about five yonks by now? In any case, for a very long time down Merriwa way, up on Bettington St and outside the pharmacy, every Friday morning since Adam lost a sprinting race to Eve, youve been able to see community icon Eva Towler selling raffle tickets. Swimming, athletics, scouts, junior league, whatever you like, Eva will sell you a ticket and raise a bit more for whatever shes spruiking that day.
Jess Jonassen took two wickets and was also at the crease at the death during Australia's second Women's Ashes win.Credit:PA Wire
She just so happens to be the best bloody ticket seller in Merriwa, though her favourite cause has always been the local junior cricket club. And if shes been a little bit bleary-eyed lately its because shes been up all night watching her granddaughter Jess Jonassen steer the Aussies to victory against England in game two of the Ashes!
No-brainer
Stand by for action, sports fans.
The news broke this week that three legal firms have announced that “Thunderbirds are Go!” and on behalf of former rugby league players they will launch class actions against the NRL over the handling of head knocks and …
Those who played in my era and before will have, in my view, little legal claim.
And thank you, yes, youre damn right this is precisely what I always said would happen and we aint seen nothing yet. Following the NFL playbook all the football codes, but particularly the NRL, will now be held to account for their approach to concussion over the last decades.
Those who played in my era and before will have, in my view, little legal claim. In my case, for example, I was knocked cold in the first two minutes of a Test match in 1990 and was allowed and encouraged to play on. If I develop early dementia, who do I sue? At that time, neither I, nor the team doctor, nor the coach had the first clue that there was a connection between mere football concussions and brain problems later on. We were naive enough to think that only happened to boxers.
In the past two decades, and in particular the last one, it has been obvious and well known that footballers brains are just as vulnerable to repeated concussions. Most at risk, thus, are those clubs and coaches who, knowing those risks, STILL send players back out there.
For years I have been banging on about the moral corruption and legal insanity of seeing clearly poleaxed players, obviously concussed, being given nominal Head Injury Assessments only to be allowed to play on. My refrain has been, “Gee, if it wasnt concussion, what was it, FREAKING FLU?”
If any of those players go on to develop brain problems that footage will be legal dynamite and we will likely see coaches put in the dock. As they say in the classics, “Lawyer up, you bastards.” Theyre coming.
Weighing it up
Meantime, the next frontier is junior football. The Tele yesterday ran a photo of the nine-year old daughter of Matt Bowen, Diaz, playing rugby league in Townsville. She is bravely standing in front of a fellow who must have been three times her weight whom she has clearly just tackled. Its in many ways an inspirational picture, and I admire her.
But the headline below, on a separate story, reads CONCUSSION CASE DEAL, and therein lies the troubling echo of the photo above. You may or may not think it is a good idea to have kids of desperately disparate weights playing against each other. But at least know that the medical fraternity – particularly within the leading concussion cabal – are ever more firmly against it, and the leading concussion awareness advocate in the States, Christopher Nowinski, maintains there should be no contact sport at all before the age of 12, because the brains of young kids are so vulnerable.
Knowing what they know now, the next question the football codes will have to wrestle with is: can we continue to grade our kids teams by age, and not by weight? Entirely irrespective of genders, will we be found legally culpable for facilitating 30kg kids being on the same field and expected to stop kids three times their size?
Rugby is at least making a move to match by weight, and not by age. Other countries and codes are well ahead of us in the realms of the vulnerability of kids to concussion. In NZ rugby, there is no tackling in the under-8s, while in England it is under-9s. In the US, in soccer you have to be 11 to head the ball.
Worthy causes
Truly devoted TFF readers – hello Auntie Rod! – will remember a story from 15 years ago about young Ben Watt who one fine day played his first game of “Walla Rugby” – non-contact tag. That night, when his Mum went to check on him in the bath she noticed he hadnt washed his dirty bloodstained knees.
When told to give them a scrub, he explained: “I cant, Im taking them in for show and tell in the morning.” Well, he turned into a fine young man and with several mates from Oranges Kinross is doing dry July, and running 500km for Beyond Blue. Theyve already raised $2800 and are going for $7500.
Yes, yes, I know its not a REALLY worthy cause, like making Australia safe to vilify gays, but give them a go anyway? Head here.
Team of the week
Ashleigh Barty. Let the #BartyParty roll on! She has cruised through the first two rounds at Wimbledon and looks set for a big final week at SW19.
Mitchell Pearce. Selected to play for the Blues again in Wednesdays deciding Origin III at the age of 30.
James Graham. Longtime TFF readers will be aware of our contretemps several months ago on the subject of his repeated concussions, and my view that he was too blasé about it. He was infuriated. But to his eternal credit he has pursued his inquiries, and laRead More – Source
Rarely, if ever, has a single football match had such a binary set of outcomes for one footballer. I refer, of course, to Mitchell Pearce being parachuted into Origin III.
There is no doubt Pearce is a fabulous footballer with a storied career, but equally no doubt that as it stands at the moment a part of his epitaph will read: failed at State of Origin level.
With 18 Origins under his belt, hes been a member of the winning side five times. Hes played in seven Origin IIIs and never won a single one. Not for nothing would Johnathan Thurston give the famous sledge in 2015 after yet another losing game at Suncorp: “He should probably get a photo with Wallys statue because thats the closest he is going to get to holding the shield.”
But all that might change on Wednesday night!
Advertisement
With that background we have two basic storylines just aching to be written. If, say, NSW wins 21-20, cue the headline: PEARCE TRIUMPHS IN THE END, with the narrative that after a long struggle, with many twists and turns in the road, Pearce finally got what he had long deserved, which was an Origin triumph at the age of 30. He showed em all!
Mitchell Pearce can rewrite his Origin history with a Blues victory on Wednesday.Credit:Wolter Peeters
Two points the other way, though? Maloneys conversion from the sidelines hits the posts, bounces back and the Blues lose 20-19?
Cue the headline: PEARCE SCREWS UP AGAIN, with the narrative that the halfback proved once and for all that he just couldnt cut it at this level, he was off his game, and failed to drive the team the way they needed.
Friends, the difference in those possible narratives to sum up an entire career is absurd. But thats how it is, and for his sake lets hope the Blues do indeed win the brute!
Eva's late nights
Musta been, what, about five yonks by now? In any case, for a very long time down Merriwa way, up on Bettington St and outside the pharmacy, every Friday morning since Adam lost a sprinting race to Eve, youve been able to see community icon Eva Towler selling raffle tickets. Swimming, athletics, scouts, junior league, whatever you like, Eva will sell you a ticket and raise a bit more for whatever shes spruiking that day.
Jess Jonassen took two wickets and was also at the crease at the death during Australia's second Women's Ashes win.Credit:PA Wire
She just so happens to be the best bloody ticket seller in Merriwa, though her favourite cause has always been the local junior cricket club. And if shes been a little bit bleary-eyed lately its because shes been up all night watching her granddaughter Jess Jonassen steer the Aussies to victory against England in game two of the Ashes!
No-brainer
Stand by for action, sports fans.
The news broke this week that three legal firms have announced that “Thunderbirds are Go!” and on behalf of former rugby league players they will launch class actions against the NRL over the handling of head knocks and …
Those who played in my era and before will have, in my view, little legal claim.
And thank you, yes, youre damn right this is precisely what I always said would happen and we aint seen nothing yet. Following the NFL playbook all the football codes, but particularly the NRL, will now be held to account for their approach to concussion over the last decades.
Those who played in my era and before will have, in my view, little legal claim. In my case, for example, I was knocked cold in the first two minutes of a Test match in 1990 and was allowed and encouraged to play on. If I develop early dementia, who do I sue? At that time, neither I, nor the team doctor, nor the coach had the first clue that there was a connection between mere football concussions and brain problems later on. We were naive enough to think that only happened to boxers.
In the past two decades, and in particular the last one, it has been obvious and well known that footballers brains are just as vulnerable to repeated concussions. Most at risk, thus, are those clubs and coaches who, knowing those risks, STILL send players back out there.
For years I have been banging on about the moral corruption and legal insanity of seeing clearly poleaxed players, obviously concussed, being given nominal Head Injury Assessments only to be allowed to play on. My refrain has been, “Gee, if it wasnt concussion, what was it, FREAKING FLU?”
If any of those players go on to develop brain problems that footage will be legal dynamite and we will likely see coaches put in the dock. As they say in the classics, “Lawyer up, you bastards.” Theyre coming.
Weighing it up
Meantime, the next frontier is junior football. The Tele yesterday ran a photo of the nine-year old daughter of Matt Bowen, Diaz, playing rugby league in Townsville. She is bravely standing in front of a fellow who must have been three times her weight whom she has clearly just tackled. Its in many ways an inspirational picture, and I admire her.
But the headline below, on a separate story, reads CONCUSSION CASE DEAL, and therein lies the troubling echo of the photo above. You may or may not think it is a good idea to have kids of desperately disparate weights playing against each other. But at least know that the medical fraternity – particularly within the leading concussion cabal – are ever more firmly against it, and the leading concussion awareness advocate in the States, Christopher Nowinski, maintains there should be no contact sport at all before the age of 12, because the brains of young kids are so vulnerable.
Knowing what they know now, the next question the football codes will have to wrestle with is: can we continue to grade our kids teams by age, and not by weight? Entirely irrespective of genders, will we be found legally culpable for facilitating 30kg kids being on the same field and expected to stop kids three times their size?
Rugby is at least making a move to match by weight, and not by age. Other countries and codes are well ahead of us in the realms of the vulnerability of kids to concussion. In NZ rugby, there is no tackling in the under-8s, while in England it is under-9s. In the US, in soccer you have to be 11 to head the ball.
Worthy causes
Truly devoted TFF readers – hello Auntie Rod! – will remember a story from 15 years ago about young Ben Watt who one fine day played his first game of “Walla Rugby” – non-contact tag. That night, when his Mum went to check on him in the bath she noticed he hadnt washed his dirty bloodstained knees.
When told to give them a scrub, he explained: “I cant, Im taking them in for show and tell in the morning.” Well, he turned into a fine young man and with several mates from Oranges Kinross is doing dry July, and running 500km for Beyond Blue. Theyve already raised $2800 and are going for $7500.
Yes, yes, I know its not a REALLY worthy cause, like making Australia safe to vilify gays, but give them a go anyway? Head here.
Team of the week
Ashleigh Barty. Let the #BartyParty roll on! She has cruised through the first two rounds at Wimbledon and looks set for a big final week at SW19.
Mitchell Pearce. Selected to play for the Blues again in Wednesdays deciding Origin III at the age of 30.
James Graham. Longtime TFF readers will be aware of our contretemps several months ago on the subject of his repeated concussions, and my view that he was too blasé about it. He was infuriated. But to his eternal credit he has pursued his inquiries, and laRead More – Source
