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  1. Maester

    Roger Federer is not the GOAT

    Recency bias is a significant factor here, Djokovic has been on fire since Wimbledon and it seems like that will continue indefinitely. But Djokovic winning another 5+ slams after his 32nd birthday is not likely historically speaking. History suggests something is likely to get in his way...
  2. Maester

    ATP 2018 ATP Tour - 250/500

    I think Federer might finally be done winning big titles (masters and up). Seems strange to say after making the Cincinnati final (though it's his best Masters event) ... but his ground game has really declined compared to last year. He's 37 now, Djokovic is well and truly back, Nadal is in top...
  3. Maester

    World Series Rugby

    I think if the Force can average around 15k for all their matches this year that will send a pretty big statement. Selling out 1 game is great, but hopefully the crowds don't drop to sub-10k after a couple of games. Will be really interesting to see what WSR evolves into next year. Western...
  4. Maester

    Roger Federer is not the GOAT

    I think it depends on a) staying injury free and b) how much he cares about breaking Jimmy Connors most ATP titles record. Obviously injury could force him to retire but lets assume he stays free of any significant problem. He still needs another 13 titles to surpass Connors, and that would...
  5. Maester

    Federer - a return to #1?

    Wouldn't be surprised if oldest number 1 turns out to be his most durable record.
  6. Maester

    Federer - a return to #1?

    I think he's probably just realised that he has to go for it. That getting back to number 1, even if it's just for a week or two, would be a bigger achievement than anything other than winning another slam. And Wimbedon is ages away. By playing Rotterdam (and potentially Dubai) it might hurt his...
  7. Maester

    Future of Super Rugby

    Australia is losing a team because the ARU wanted it. SANZAAR is not really some separate thing to the ARU - decisions like Super Rugby structure have to be unanimous, so each union essentially has a power of veto. Thus any SANZAAR call is also an ARU call. Malcolm McCusker is now representing...
  8. Maester

    Future of Super Rugby

    Well Rugby WA obviously have some legal case for remaining until at least 2020 so we'll see how that plays out. And I'd also say that while it might seem unlikely, the ARU could also change its mind. Nothing is set in stone and even with a 15 team model for next year it would not be difficult to...
  9. Maester

    Future of Super Rugby

    Yeah, the competition itself is what's broken, it's not like just 1 or 2 teams are struggling while everyone else thrives. The number of people with at least a casual interest in the sport would be roughly the same as it was 5 or 10 years ago, but the competition is hemorrhaging fans, and...
  10. Maester

    Future of Super Rugby

    I think there could be some bigger things happen in Asian rugby after the 2019 World Cup. But SANZAAR will want this to be within Super Rugby not some other competition, hence their commitment to the Sunwolves.
  11. Maester

    Future of Super Rugby

    While I think it'd be good for the Force to seek out other options if they are cut from Super Rugby, the biggest obstacle to joining the Top League would be the fact it's played during the Australian summer. And I can't see Japanese clubs being willing to play away games in Perth during December...
  12. Maester

    Should the ARU/Tahs chase Cronk

    Possibly, but it's a more specialist position that would be harder for a rugby league halfback to transition to than fly half.
  13. Maester

    Should the ARU/Tahs chase Cronk

    I'm pretty sure Foley is contracted to the Waratahs until the end of 2018 so that's another issue because I don't think Cronk could play any position other than fly half in rugby. Though I think Foley may be playing in the Japanese Top League at the end of this year so I'd say it's fairly likely...
  14. Maester

    Future of Super Rugby

    The Waratahs are basically an Eastern Suburbs and North Shore of Sydney team. As someone who grew up in the North West I've always thought if a 2nd Sydney team was introduced based in Parramatta or Homebush that I'd probably switch allegiance, even though I now live near North Sydney. There's a...
  15. Maester

    Should the ARU/Tahs chase Cronk

    Very unlikely at 35 years old. And one player doesn't win you a world cup. I think it quite unlikely that he would be significantly better as a rugby union 10 in 2019 than Bernard Foley. I think it more likely that Foley would be better. But hey, if Cronk really wanted to give it a crack, and...
  16. Maester

    Should the ARU/Tahs chase Cronk

    If he was 5 years younger sure, but at 33 he's too old and too expensive. Even the best code hoppers take at least a season to adapt to the new code and he's one injury away from retirement. He'd be almost 36 at the 2019 world cup.
  17. Maester

    Future of Super Rugby

    Why not have more imports if they strengthen the weaker teams? Fans don't care where the players come from, they just want a team to support based in their local area or region or from where they grew up. No one cares how many people from Manchester play for Manchester United or how many people...
  18. Maester

    Future of Super Rugby

    Whether Australia has the depth to have 5 sides full of Australian players should be irrelevant as rugby has a global player pool. The ARU could have just increased the number of non-Wallabies eligible imports teams were allowed to recruit. It's stupid to give up having a professional presence...
  19. Maester

    Federer - a return to #1?

    I largely agree, though I think getting to number 1 again, especially year end number 1 would be a pretty big deal in the legacy stakes. He'd tie Sampras for most years as the year-end number 1, and he'd put more of a gap between him and Djokovic for most weeks at number 1. Djokovic is 79 weeks...
  20. Maester

    Future of Super Rugby

    The best model longer term would be two closed conferences: Pacific (Trans-Tasman plus Sunwolves and maybe another Asian or Pacific based team) and Atlantic (South Africa plus South America). Both could have whatever number of teams and format as is ideal, the two wouldn't have to be the same...
  21. Maester

    Future of Super Rugby

    I think the only decent way to have 18 teams would be 3 pools of 6 - Sunwolves with Australia (close enough to being in the same time zone) and Jaguares with NZ (there is a direct flight from Auckland to Buenos Aires). Then a similar structure to super 15. Home and away within your conference...
  22. Maester

    Future of Super Rugby

    I don't think it's that big a margin. But yeah, I'd be surprised if the South Africans agree to cutting 2 teams. The primary driver of broadcast revenue growth in the last deal actually came from a bidding war in the UK, though admittedly South African games are in the best time zone for...
  23. Maester

    Future of Super Rugby

    I think Australian rugby will go into a death spiral if they cut a team. It's immediately going to lose the sport thousands of fans and potential fans, and set grassroots development back a huge amount in whichever region is cut. It'll also anger a lot of rugby fans in other states, it'll piss...
  24. Maester

    Roger Federer is not the GOAT

    Yeah well I did say that! You're responding as if I said I think he'll do it. I just think to see it as next to no chance is also wrong. I mean Federer himself has now won 2 slams after 30 and got close on several other occasions in between, only being beaten by other, younger greats of the...
  25. Maester

    Roger Federer is not the GOAT

    I agree that Djokovic is the biggest threat to Federer's records at the moment. It's not some crazy thought that he could continue to be a major force in mens tennis for another 5 years or so and pick up 1-2 slams each season. But it'd take an unprecedented number of wins after 30 and he'd be at...
  26. Maester

    2nd Test - Australia v Pakistan (Boxing Day)

    Batting on now is just reducing our chances of winning. We need to give ourselves as much time as possible to get them out IMO.
  27. Maester

    FTA-TV Australian Survivor - Part 1 - Cont. in Pt. 2

    Well Matt said in that podcast that Lee wasn't as bad in the FTC as the edit suggests. Said his answer to his own very tough question was excellent, that he wasn't sure who'd won until he saw the finale etc. Personally I give more credit to Kristie for the FTC than blame to Lee. But each to...
  28. Maester

    FTA-TV Australian Survivor - Part 1 - Cont. in Pt. 2

    If Flick had held firm and that alliance had got to the final 4 who was your preferred final 2 opponent and why?
  29. Maester

    FTA-TV Australian Survivor - Part 1 - Cont. in Pt. 2

    I didn't see it this way. Kristie found out Phoebe was gunning for her from Kate, but Kristie was the one that flipped Conner against Phoebe. He had been aligned with Phoebe previously and had talked about wanting to play the game with her for a couple of episodes so it was a good effort. No...
  30. Maester

    FTA-TV Australian Survivor - Part 1 - Cont. in Pt. 2

    I've never argued against that. All I've meant is that coming top 2 is not the goal, that Kristie risked a higher chance of coming 3rd, for a better chance at coming 1st. And again, this was very difficult to see at the time, and I didn't see it either. But it wasn't impossible to see it, some...
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