Ray Wilson
-
Freo look to their leader to step forward
Last season Fremantle didn't have two goal kickers to rub together.The four leading scorers, Kepler Bradley (25), Chris Mayne (25), Hayden Ballantyne (23) and Matthew Pavlich (21), kicked 94 goals between them.It probably jumped out at Ross Lyon like a...
Mon, March 26, 2012, 3:52 pm WST -
Aged Thorpedo runs out of power
Ian Thorpe's comeback bid divided the sporting world.Some say his decision to get back in the water took the limelight from other Australian swimmers in the build-up to the Olympic trials.Others say a swimmer of Thorpe's standing deserves the right to...
Mon, March 19, 2012, 3:52 pm WST -
Year of the Nat
During most of his AFL 55 games, Nic Naitanui has attracted a band of knockers who believed his great athletic traits wouldn't hold water on the footy field.Even last year the detractors refused to believe that the man with the tea-cosy top would ever...
Sun, March 11, 2012, 3:03 pm WST -
Running a rule over AFL changes
Generally, football rule changes drive supporters to despair.But one NAB Cup rule trial that appeals is the move to separate ruckmen at bounce downs and throw-ins.Under the trial, ruckman must stand 3m apart before the ball leaves the hands of the...
Mon, February 27, 2012, 10:52 am WST -
Nest runs deep among the Eagles
It's early days and NAB Cup games can prompt some premature thoughts and predictions which look quite ridiculous in the middle of the season.But last Sunday's clash between West Coast and Fremantle highlighted the depth of talent on the Eagles list.I'm...
Mon, February 20, 2012, 2:14 pm WST -
Hopes high for Hooker's return to form
Steve Hooker has always lived his sport on the edge.Pole vaulters have little choice. You, a pole and a bar suspended 6m from the ground is not everybody’s cup of tea. It’s a tough discipline physically and mentally....
Wed, February 8, 2012, 4:47 pm WST -
Footy punters on red alert!
It’s getting near to that time of the year when footy bets for the coming season are recorded on beer coasters, the back of shopping dockets or any random bits of scrap paper. You know the ones I mean — the top four in finishing order; the...
Wed, January 11, 2012, 12:13 pm WST -
Cricket the loser amid referral farce
South African skipper Graeme Smith wants it. Michael Clarke is another devotee. And the majority of the cricket world is on the bandwagon.But the Indians have flatly refused to entertain the use of UDRS (Umpires Decision Review System) for the Test...
Mon, December 26, 2011, 4:32 pm WST -
Sailing proves its worth
Two weeks covering the ISAF Sailing World Championships in Fremantle rammed home a point about the Olympic Games. If ever a sport deserved to be at the Olympics, it’s sailing. If ever sports don’t deserve to be there, they are tennis and, in...
Mon, December 19, 2011, 1:26 pm WST -
Clarke showing he's made from the right stuff
From the outset, it was obvious Michael Clarke was not cut from the same cloth as Australian cricketers from previous years. Despite the tatts, the gifted batsmen didn’t fit the man’s man mould which has long been associated with the Aussie...
Tue, December 6, 2011, 11:34 am WST -
Nothing to gain in keeping Ponting in side
It’s an age old question. How much slack do you cut a sporting great before you cut him? That’s the poser set Cricket Australia's new full-time selector John Inverarity this week when he helps pick the squad for the two-Test series...
Sun, November 20, 2011, 12:52 pm WST -
Ross Lyon changing the Freo playbook
It appears Ross Lyon is making quite an impact on the playing group at the Fremantle Dockers.The players might be belting out a different club song after a home win in 2012 but it seems several players are walking to a different beat already.During the...
Wed, November 2, 2011, 10:33 am WST -
Watters faces toughest job of all
Now that the musical chairs have stopped on coaching appointments for the 2012 season, let's play a game called ‘Who'd you rather be?'.Leaving aside Nathan Buckley, who has inherited Collingwood and Ross Lyon who bailed out on the Saints to join...
Wed, October 19, 2011, 1:38 pm WST -
Pies loss a blessing for Bucks
Nathan Buckley was involved integrally in the planning for Collingwood to win back-to-back premierships on Saturday.There is nothing in the world that Buckley would have liked more than being part of another premiership as Mick Malthouse’s...
Sun, October 2, 2011, 1:22 pm WST -
Tears to a great career, Mick!
He’s rewritten history a couple of times.He’s reinvented himself a lot more.But Mick Malthouse should be remembered as one of the all-time great coaches of the AFL.Mick’s never been everybody’s cup of tea. With a knack of...
Mon, September 26, 2011, 10:22 am WST -
Finals free kicks at umpires' fancy
Incredibly, there were 51 free kicks in the West Coast-Carlton thriller on Saturday night at Patersons Stadium.The Eagles were favoured 29 times while the umpires gave the Blues 22 of their kicks for the night....
Mon, September 19, 2011, 3:53 pm WST -
Fans must be prepared for disloyalty
There has been a lot of discussion about loyalty over the last few weeks when Greater Western Sydney started their roll call on recruits.But it appears loyalty is a one-way street.Players are labelled disloyal when then shift clubs but clubs are not...
Wed, September 14, 2011, 10:17 am WST -
Clark can be final piece of Freo jigsaw
The curtains have closed on Fremantle’s season but already the coaching staff and empire builders are peeking through the window towards 2012. For good reason. The Dockers' run of injuries has been detailed ad nauseum as the reason for...
Tue, September 6, 2011, 11:25 am WST -
Feeling the pinch of a festival of football
Is it just me or is the footy season too long? Currently I’m lucky enough to be in Daegu, South Korea, to cover the IAAF World Athletics Championships for The West Australian but I can’t help thinking that the AFL season needs to be...
Mon, August 22, 2011, 4:36 pm WST -
Thin edge of the wedge for AFL sledge
It was entirely appropriate for the AFL and others to take the high moral ground over the Paddy McGinnity-Ricky Petterd brouhaha.There was no other ground to take. We all love our mothers.While nobody can possibly condone what McGinnity said, the Eagles...
Wed, August 17, 2011, 2:58 pm WST
Our choice
Opinion
-
Gary Adshead
May 24, 11:57 amA question of trust and clarityConstruction company boss Gerry Hanssen was quick to shoot the messenger when a report appeared on the front page of The West Australian yesterday ab...
-
Andrew Probyn
May 25, 12:31 pmThomson inquiry in contemptDown in the bowels of Parliament there are remnant reminders of how seriously it takes punishment. In the southern end of the basement there were onc...
-
Ben O'Shea
May 24, 12:32 pmSpam filterFrom: William DouglasSent: Wednesday, 16 May 2012 7:35 PMTo: Ben O’SheaSubject: Attention: Ben O’Shea, Please contact meAttention: Ben O’Shea,I’m Mr ...
ALSO ON THE WEST
'The West Australian' is a trademark of West Australian Newspapers Limited 2012.
All rights reserved.