NRL Season Overview

Another exciting yet controversial season in the NRL comes to a close. 2016 has seen many tight matches, player injuries and both on field and off field incidents.

Round 1 started the season off with excitement as new teams were announced and players were tested in their new clubs. Predominant moves included Kieran Foran moving to the Parramatta Eels. The Eels and Foran's playing ability were tested when they lost their game to the Queensland Broncos at the Pirtek Stadium.

The Canberra Raiders however, had a very successful start to the season, unlike the Parramatta Eels. Shaun Fensom who plays as a lock, lead the Canberra Raiders to victory by scoring against the Panthers. Meanwhile, the South Sydney Rabbitohs defeated the Sydney Roosters and the Melbourne Storm (who would later go on to lose the Grand Final) defeated the dragons.

Round  5 marked the middle of the NRL season and by this stage competition was still very tight. The Queensland Broncos were tied for first place with the Melbourne Storm and the Canberra Raiders came in at second place with 7 points on the ladder. 6 teams were tied for 3rd place at this stage of the competition. 

The season concluded with the Cronulla Sharks winning the Premiership. 

Nick Kyrgios: Tennis Player Profile

The upcoming Aussie tennis player Nick Kyrgios has recently taken over the sports news headlines with his aggressive and unprofessional behaviour during the ATP Tour, resulting with him receiving an eight week ban and a $32,900  fine. He is taking a break at the moment, working on both himself physically and emotionally.

Nick's biggest achievements to date were his win of the boy's singles event in the 2013 Australian open, his reaching of the quarterfinals in the 2014 Wimbledon Championships and of course his win over ATP number 1 tennis super star Rafael Nadal. Born in Canberra Australia, Kyrgios has been playing tennis and representing Australia ever since a child, winning his first ITF junior tour title in Fiji (June, 2010). Ever since then he has been competing in numerous tournaments, allowing him to reach rank 14 in the tennis world as of the 10.10.16.

Nick will not be playing professionally during the remainder of 2016 due to his ban, which ends the day before the 2017 Australian Open, allowing for the opportunity for him to compete at Melbourne Park. According to many pro's, he has a lot of potential and it will be interesting to see the future of Nick Kyrgios's tennis career.

Fifa 2016 Review

It's that time of year again, EA Sports has just released its newest edition to its famous FIFA franchise, FIFA 17. This 2017 edition of the game is seen by many as more of an update to its predecessor, FIFA 2016, rather than a completely new release due to the nature of its changes. It is however another well developed entry to the iconic series, with visible improvements made towards gameplay mechanics and the hyper-realistic graphics that accompany a consumers gaming experience. With a linear story mode and technical gameplay, it is still more of a niche game that appeals more to soccer enthusiasts rather than the average gamer in most cases. The game also contains extra gameplay options such as Ultimate team and the quite useful tutorial system. FIFA's competitor PES however has caught up this year and is stealing quite a few sales away from the well known game.

Personally, I really enjoy this game and have taken complete advantage of it playing it over recent weeks. I think that the player movement is still sort of sluggish however the passing and shooting mechanics have been improved allowing for a more flowing and fun gaming experience. FIFA 17 has released on Xbox One, Playstation 4, Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and Microsoft Windows.

NRL Season conclusion

Huge and exciting season of  NRL this year with the Sharks coming out on top as premiers. The grand final was a tense contest between the Cronulla Sharks and the Melbourne Storm. Both teams refused to give up and points were being scored as late as the 70th minute.

Try scorers on the sharks were Ben Barba who scored in the 15th minute and Andrew Fifita who scored in the 69th minute. The Melbourne Storm managed to put a score on the board thanks to the efforts of Jesse Bromwich who scored in the 50th minute and Will Chambers who crossed the line in the 64th minute. These tries and their subsequent successful conversions resulted in the Sharks winning the premiership with a final score of 14 - 12.

Fans and even critics argue that the Sharks are well deserving of their victory due to their consistent performance, not only over the entire season but particularly in the finals period. The Cronulla Sharks consistently performed during the semi-finals and elimination finals by securing decisive victories against their opponents.

During the body of the main season, the performance by the Cronulla Sharks has been elite. Despite player injuries and some suspensions due to on-field incidents, the team has rallied well to claim the premiership.

Overall, a solid performance by not only the premiers, but the runners-up who played well but unfortunately came out second best. Fans are eagerly anticipating the next season where the Cronulla Sharks will be defending their 2016 premiership.

Player Profile: Karl Anthony Towns

As part of our Player Profile series, we will look at Karl Anthony Towns and his potential to become an NBA superstar.

KAT as he is known among the league, is coming off an impressive rookie season in which he he averaged 18.3 points per game and 10.5 rebounds per game to snag rookie of the year honours. Many have compared the young talent to Kevin Garnett due to his similar playing style and shooting ability as a big man. What is the ceiling for KAT? Its hard to gauge at this point, but all signs point to a future of perennial all star selections and MVP contention. Assuming he continues to develop and refine both his offensive and defensive game, the sky is the limit for this talented centre. He is a member of the up and coming Minnesota Timberwolves which includes fellow young talents Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine which will only further his development as this team looks to make their first playoff run in over a decade.

Projected 2nd season stats for KAT:

PPG: 21.2
RPG: 11.5
APG: 2.8
BPG: 2.1
SPG: 0.7

Cricket Update 4

Matador BBQs One-Day Cup, 18th Match:

Cricket Australia XI VS Western Australia

In the first innings Cricket Australia XI came to bat first and scored 147 runs in 15 overs (maximum) because of the D/L method. SB Harper scored a fine knock of 48 in only 28 balls and JM Carder went to the 40 marks quickly. For Western Australia AJ Tyre took 4 crucial wickets along with him AC Agar took 2 wickets.

In the second innings Western Australia showed a very good batting display. HWR Cartwright, M Klinger and AC Agar scored the most runs for Western Australia. which gave them the win by 5 wickets with 8 balls remaining.

Points: Western Australia 4
             Cricket Australia 0

AJ Tyre was named the player of the match.

Ashton Agar delivered victory to Western Australia

For more info:

Tennis Week 3

This week in Tennis news , we have the VTB Kremlin Cup, Stockholm Open, BGL BNP Paribas Luxembourg open an the European Open in Belgium Antwerp, all tournaments being held between the 17th - 23rd of October. In previous tournaments, A. Radwanska (Poland) won the China open, A.Murray (England) won the Shanghai masters and C. Wozniacki (Denmark) won the Hong Kong Open.

In other news, American professional womens tennis player Serena Williams has withdrawn from the WTA Tour Finals due to a shoulder injury. Also, Nick Kyrgios has been fined $16,500 for his lack of effort and argumentative behaviour during the Shanghai Masters, one of the largest fines of his career. Overall it has bene quite a quiet week however things are expected to change with upcoming tournaments.

English Premier League Week 5

This weeks of football saw a turn of events and radical results, proving the EPL is back in full swing now. A enormous 6-1 win from Bournemouth over Hull City, saw an exciting range of goals that propelled the middle-of-the-table club forward. Whilst at the same time at the Etihad Stadium, Everton managed to hold onto a 1-1 draw against Manchester City. After their first defeat last week, City looked to redeem themselves and their winning streak, however after 2 missed penalties from Aguero and de Bruyne, City's performance was seen as dismal.

Yet in other news, the first game of the week saw Chelsea have a dominant 3-0 victory of last year's premiers Leicester City. Stamford bridge came alive, as the Blues seemed to control the game with goals from Costa, Hazard and Moses. There looks to be a glimpse that Eden Hazard is regaining his previous form, after a serious amount of time goalless. Hazard told Sky Sports "We did everything - we created a lot of chances, scored three goals and didn't concede. It's good to be back and take three points."

How will the Heat fare this season?

The Miami Heat have seen a complete shuffle of their roster since the big 3 era when LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh dominated the league with 4 consecutive finals appearances and 2 championships. With the recent departure of Wade to the Chicago Bulls and Chris Bosh essentially removed from the team due to continuing blood clot issues, is there any hope on the horizon for the new-look Heat?

Thankfully, this new-look heat team boasts some incredibly talented young players that could make a major mark in the future. Justice Winslow is already one of the league's top perimeter defenders after just his rookie season. If he continues to develop as a defensive player and adds some moves to his offensive arsenal, he has the potential to be an all-star in several years time. Josh Richardson is another young talent, after he established himself as a breakout rookie last season, despite being drafted in the 2nd round. Goran Dragic and Tyler Johnson lead the backcourt and of course, marquee player Hassan Whiteside anchors the paint, after inking a huge contract extension over the summer. This Heat team may not be the same calibre as the big 3 era rosters, however, given proper time and development, the sky is the limit for these young talented ballers. Expect a deep playoff run from this bunch within the next few seasons.

Cricket Update 3

England tour to Bangladesh

In the first ODI held on 7 October, 2016, England won the match by 21 runs which was a thrilling match. England came to bat first and scored 309 runs in 50 overs by loosing 8 wickets which was a big total to face for Bangladesh. BA Stokes scored a crucial century for the team along with him JC Buttler scored 63 runs moreover BM Duckett scored 60 runs. Mashrafee Mortaza, Shafiul Islam and Shakib Al Hasan took 2 wickets each. In the second innings following the taget of 310 runs in 50 overs Imrul Kayes played the most valuable role for Bangladesh scoring quick 112 runs which gave boost to Bangladesh to chase a big total. Shakib scored 79 runs in only 55 balls but after the wicket of Shakib and Mushfiq Bangladesh started to collapse. They lost 5 wickets in a quick time which cost them the loss of the ODI match.

In the 2nd ODI of 3- match series Bangladesh came back and wont the match by 34 runs where Mahmudullah scored 75 runs and Mashrafe scored a brilliant 44 which turned the match towards Bangladesh. Bangladesh made total run of 238 in 8 wickets. England came to batting and end their innings in 204 runs. Mashrafe Mortaza called the man of the match.




In the Final ODI England won by 4 wickets with 13 balls remaining.
England won the 3-match series 2-1 
BA Stokes became the player of the series.

FOR MORE INFO: http://www.espncricinfo.com/bangladesh-v-england-2016-17/engine/series/1029813.html

English Premier League Week 4

This week was the International EPL break due to the 2018 World Cup Qualifiers. As a result almost every EPL team had a player called up to International duty. Here a list of the key players that stood out in the qualifiers with their associated nationalities.

• David Ospina of Arsenal: kept a clean sheet for Columbia's 1-0 victory over Peru
• Granit Xhaka of Arsenal: captained Switzerland to a 2-1 victory over Andorra 
• Diego Costa of Chelsea: scored in Spain's 2-0 win over Albania 
• James McArthur of Crystal Place: came on as 2nd half substitute, scoring a last minute equaliser for Scotland against Lithuania (1-1)
• Christian Benteke of Crystal Place: scored a hat-trick that include THE FASTEST GOAL EVER SCORED IN A WORLD CUP QUALIFIER (7 SECONDS) for Belgium against Gibraltar (6-0)
• Seamus Coleman of Everton: scored his first international goal for Republic of Ireland to lead to a 1-0 victory over Georgia
• Roberto Firmino of Liverpool: as a 2nd half substitute scored Brazil's 5th goal over Bolivia (5-0)
• Jordan Henderson of Liverpool: was man of the match, assisting England's opening goal against Malta (2-0)
• Aleksander Kolarov of Manchester City: played two full games for both of Serbia's victories over Moldova (3-0) and Austria (3-2)
• Paul Pogba of Manchester United: scored the winning goal for France against The Netherlands (1-0)
• Dusan Tadic of Southhampton: scored the final goal in Serbia's 3-0 win over Moldova
• Heung-Min Son of Tottenham: scored the winning goal in Korea's 3-2 victory over Qatar

Here is footage of the Benteke's 7 second goal: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cM9lKZoSyGs

Upcoming Season Predictions

The pre-season is the perfect time to make predictions for the upcoming season. NBA analysts and pundits have been busy at work creating their own models in an attempt to predict conference winners, seeding and seasonal award recipients. The following are my predictions for the upcoming season:

•  NBA Champion - Cleveland Cavaliers: An unpopular choice among most analysts who expect the new-look Warriors to win, Cleveland still has the championship edge and pedigree from their amazing title run last season and have it in them to make another run.
• Eastern Conference Champion: Cleveland Cavaliers
• Western Conference Champion: Golden State Warriors 
• MVP - Russell Westbrook: With the departure of teammate Kevin Durant, the floodgates have opened for Russell Westbrook to put up historical numbers en route to a historic MVP season. There are question marks around the talent of his teammates but a herculean effort from the dynamic point guard will capture his first league MVP title.
• Defensive player of the year - Kahwi Leonard: The best perimeter defender in the game looks set to make another run for the defensive crown.
• Most improved player - Devin Booker: The talented 2nd year player showed glimpses of stardom in his rookie year and looks set to make a large increase in his scoring production this season.
• Rookie of the year - Brandon Ingram: With the injury of favourite Ben Simmons, the stage is set for Brandon Ingram to impressive with an stellar rookie season.

Re-cap of the NBA Finals

The pre-season is upon as teams shuffle around different lineups and rotations to figure out what works best and which players to include in the official season roster. The NBA pre-season is typically uneventful and meaningless so what better to time to re-cap the madness that was the 2016 NBA Finals in which the Cleveland Cavaliers took home their first title in franchise history.

The Golden State Warriors had just completed a record breaking regular season, setting the record for most wins in the regular season with a win-loss record of 73-9. Many thought a team of this talent and calibre would waltz their way to the NBA title. With a 3-1 lead after game 4 of the finals, it appeared the Warriors would complete their historic regular season with the icing on the cake: an NBA title, as no team in the history of the league had overcome a 3-1 deficit in the NBA finals.

LeBron James and the Cavaliers had other plans however. LeBron and his sidekick Kyrie Irving put up a record setting 41 points each in game 5 on the Warriors home court to extend the series to a game 6 in the best of 7 series. In game 6, the Cavaliers absolutely thrashed the Warriors to set up an improbable game 7 showdown. Surely the warriors couldn't lose 3 games in a row, right? Game 7 was one for the ages. A down to the wire spectacle that saw the Cavaliers narrowly win 93-89 to complete the first ever comeback from a 3-1 deficit in NBA history. The Cavaliers claimed their first championship in franchise history and LeBron James was named the finals most valuable player (MVP). The Warriors had been humbled and glory was restored among the NBA.

NBA 2K17 is out!

Over the Macquarie Uni break, popular basketball video game NBA 2K17 was released. The NBA 2K series releases a yearly iteration of the video game with updated rosters, graphics and gameplay physics that aim to mimic the real life game of basketball and the NBA.

Popular game mode MyCareer returns this year with the ability to actually scan your own face into the game and see yourself live out your virtual dream of experiencing life as an NBA player. The game mode allows you to make friends with fellow NBA teammates and players, sign endorsement deals and deal with trials and tribulations of the modern day athlete. NBA 2K17 is available now for PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.




















Photo of me in MyCareer mode (face scan)

English Premier League Week 3

Up until this point, both Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur had been undefeated with 6 wins/4wins and 2 draws respectively. However the match between the two clubs at White Hart Lane (Tottenham Home) meant one club's victory defeated would end. After the 90 minutes, Tottenham came away with a 2-0 victory. This is a massive boost for the club alongside one of their midfielder's Son Heung-min being nominated for EA Sports Player of the Month (September).

Liverpool remain in the fourth spot with a 2-1 win over Swansea on Saturday with Manager Jurgen Klopp stating "We are really happy in this moment" - Sky Sports. Just above in 3rd place, Arsenal's 1-0 victory against Burnley justified their top 4 position at the end of week 7. A late goal from Koscielny in the 93rd minute added to the North London clubs 4 win streak. 

After such a previously successful season, Leicester City look to be in dismal form. After losing 4-1 to Manchester United last week, a nil all draw against Southampton on Monday. Manager Claudio Ranieri stated to Sky Sports "I thought Southampton deserved to win, they had more chances and better control today". Their upcoming match against Chelsea next week shall be a great challenge.

Cricket Updates 2

AUSTRALIA TOUR OF SOUTH AFRICA

In the 1st ODI of 5 ODI series, Australia batted first. GJ Bailey scored 74 runs which manage to give target of total 294 runs. South Africa won by 6 wickets with a outstanding knock of Q de Kock of 178 run in only 113 balls which bring South Africa a easy win over Australia. Al Phehlukwayo did a excellent spell by taking 4 wickets. Q de Kock named the player of the match for South Africa.

In the 2nd ODI at Johannesburg on October 2, 2016,

South Africa won by 142 runs which was a big win for the proteus. South Africa batted first and scored 361 run by loosing 6 wickets. F du Plessis Played a wonderful knock of 111 runs in 146 ball with 12 boundaries. Australia came to bat and finished their  innings with 219 runs. TM Head scored the highest run of 51. JW Hastings took 3 crucial wickets for South Africa. De Plessis got announced the man of the match.

South Africa is leading the 5 ODI series 2-0

                                                 Outstanding knock of Q De Kock

For more about the series visit- http://www.espncricinfo.com/south-africa-v-australia-2016-17/content/series/936113.html

Week 2 - Tennis

Tennis Week 2

In recent news, the 2016 ATP World Tour has continued in Chengdu and Shenzhen  on the 26th of September. The champions: Karen Khachanov (singles) and RAVEN Klaasen, Rajeev Ram for the doubles in Chengdu. In Shenzhen, the singles winner was Tomas Berdych and doubles winners Fabio Fognini and Robert Lindstedt.

Currently on the 4th of October 2016, 6:07pm, R.Nadal (Spain) has a lead of 3-1 againgst P.Lorenzi in the 1st Round of the China Open in Beijing, followed by  a later match of D.thiem (Austria) vs A.Zverev (Germany) on the moon court.

In other tennis news, Djokovic has confirmed that he will not participate in the China open due to a elbow injury and Novak has stated that holding the No.1 Sport is not his priority anymore.