Sports Australian sport - the lowest ebb

[Herne Hill Hammer]

Netball is small sport on the world stage and we struggle to beat New Zealand, who are basically another Tasmania.

Once upon a time we made top 5 of the summer Olympics for over a decade, our cricket team dominated, Socceroos got umpired out of WC final 8, had blokes winning grand slams, made rugby WC finals, a Casey Stoner, winning speedway and motocross world championships, champion snowboarders, equal best swim team, unbeatable hockey teams, champion triathletes, dominant surfers etc etc..

From a country a handfull of international cities have as much population..


What we do have now is the worlds best form of Tintop motor racing, on display in all it's glory in a few minutes...

The difference with sporting events like the Olympics and sports such as tennis, triathlon and such is that much more of the world competes these days and most other countries that are now competitive have a hell of a lot bigger population base to pick from or to target / identify and nurture.

Rugby like league, netball, cricket and others like lawn bowls are mainly Commonwealth countries competing, a lot smaller competitive gene pool.

The Commonwealth games themselves which a lot of people seem to take great delight in beating their chests over, are, with a few exceptions, 4th rate. They're good for giving younger athletes international exposure and not much else.

I would say that track cycling is one sport we have remained highly rated in for a long time but it's probably more of an elitist sport like tennis used to be. I can't see smaller countries having the cycling infrastructure to be competitive.

 

[Herne Hill Hammer]

6-0 losses to France and Brazil are no huge surprise. At least these days they play close to a first team against Australia. Its far from the worst the Socceroos have been. There might be some pain in the WC coming up, but they did get there.

The cricket team is bad, but perhaps not as bad the mid-80s. More reasons, or at least excuses, back then though. The Aus bowling is better than back then (arguably Bruce Reid aside) and the batting is probably as skilful (but with far less discipline, desire, heart, etc).

Blame that on the good money they earn playing junk 20 / 20s.

 

[Herne Hill Hammer]

I wouldn't say it's lowest ebb stuff. I think it was 1974 when we didn't even win a gold medal at the olympics.

For our population we were punching so far above our weight for about 10-15 years it wasn't funny and everyone just got used to that as the norm. We are probably back to a more expected level of performance and if anything - for our population - we are still doing pretty good.

Was '76 at Montreal.

The heavily boycotted Moscow Olympics weren't much better. Australia won 2 gold, 2 silver and 5 bronze. All bar the 2 silvers were won in the pool that didn't contain the Americans.

 

[NSWCROW]

 

[GeelongFTW]

The Australian cricket team are so unlikable. We have random spuds and ******s like Warner and Watson.

nek minnit

 

[Illinois Nazi]

nek minnit

breaking news...

 

[Bomberboyokay]

Tennis is a w***er sport. If there's never another good Australian player to get media attention I'll be pretty content. January when everyone jumps on the wagon is bad enough.

 

[Gough]

I reckon Pakistan are going to stuff us, anytime Glenn Maxwell looks like getting a game we're in strife. I wish Steve Smith would practice his leggies more too.

 

[carloss]

I reckon Pakistan are going to stuff us, anytime Glenn Maxwell looks like getting a game we're in strife. I wish Steve Smith would practice his leggies more too.

I predict Pakistan will get in a strong position to win, only to lose

 

[Roobs321]

Tennis is a ****** sport. If there's never another good Australian player to get media attention I'll be pretty content. January when everyone jumps on the wagon is bad enough.

To be fair, I think the general public tend to comment more on overseas Grand Slams than overseas test series. More evenly across genders as well. Not meaning to make this a summer sport face-off, and I'm not saying you implied it either, but a couple sports could be accused of the same.

 

[Gough]

I love playing tennis, it's good to get some friends together for a couple of sets, but I can't get too excited about it as a televised sport.

 

[Roobs321]

I love playing tennis, it's good to get some friends together for a couple of sets, but I can't get too excited about it as a televised sport.

To be honest, Golf and Ironman were the televised summer sports I always found most thrilling in my childhood. I'm an all-year-round tennis fan, so I'm completely absorbed by the television coverage in January, but I agree that the nature of the game doesn't quite lend itself to spectating as readily as some other sports. Particularly given the variances in quality and litany of pre-title bout one-on-one matches. Tennis to me is more like the footy, but without a clock.

 

[peternorth]

which unseeded aussie will play centre court on the opening night of the Oz Open (Australaisas slam)?

 

[Silent Alarm]

nek minnit

Still doesn't detract from his valid argument – that the Australian cricket team are full of absolute knobs

 

[The_Reaper]

I reckon Pakistan are going to stuff us, anytime Glenn Maxwell looks like getting a game we're in strife. I wish Steve Smith would practice his leggies more too.

Maxwell is cover for Clarke.
He won't play.

Still doesn't detract from his valid argument – that the Australian cricket team are full of absolute knobs

No more or less than any other sports team.

 

[Illinois Nazi]

Still doesn't detract from his valid argument – that the Australian cricket team are full of absolute knobs

All elite sport is full of knobs.

 

[Borry]

Was '76 at Montreal.

The heavily boycotted Moscow Olympics weren't much better. Australia won 2 gold, 2 silver and 5 bronze. All bar the 2 silvers were won in the pool that didn't contain the Americans.

When the drug laden East Germans dominated.

 

[GeelongFTW]

All elite sport is full of knobs.

but the difference is they're our knobs.