G'day HASBEEN...

A interesting topic. But I don't necessarily believe your remarks or views are confined just to cricket alone ?

Apparently there's been an inquiry as to why our Olympic swimming team didn't do as well as they were expected ?

And the absolute juvenile behaviour displayed by many of our federal polititians, I recoil in shame, I really do.

What do you think the problem is, HASBEEN ? There's a breakdown in our society somewhere. Both in behaviour, and language, everything !
A new word or a new term has entered everyday use...the 'king hit'. Oh yeah, a real class act to be sure.

Last week I was yarning with an old colleague, and he was lamenting over a matter he'd recently just wrapped up, involving the 'glassing' and 'punching out' of a teenage girl. No, not by some crazed street thug, by her boyfriend for goodness sake ! Bloody hell are we returning to dark primitive times, even primeval ?

In my day, this sort of thing belonged to certain class of crooks, and was confined strictly to his type of criminal demography, not to ordinary teens in nightclubs - Geezz ?

Sure, there's problems within our Test Side HASBEEN, but it's in no way limited to just Cricket, sadly.

Yes o sung, you only have to pass through the city late Saturday night to see this, must be wild, drunk, &/or drugged to have fun.

As I said in Borders day, when playing at home, under scrutiny of family, the cricket team played at another level. Away from home, the hangovers made the ball hard to see. He sorted that lot, with some very strong language.

I'm sure you're right about the swimmers too, the temptation to play up when away from home is too much for the less mature.

Of course it is not all that new a phenomenon, Dawn Frazer got into a bit of trouble, way back when, & I'm sure she was not alone, I've also heard some reasons why Pat Cash did not really fulfill his potential.

Perhaps part of it is so many top sports people are so young today, & perhaps the officials traveling with teams, are having fun, not minding their charges.

What ever it is,most of these people are funded by us, one way or another. I don't think it would be asking too much to put early to bed, early to rise clauses in their contracts. If that is not acceptable, then they should fund themselves, right from junior ranks.

HASBEEN, ol' fella...

You couldn't be more correct ! Too young, with too much money, and possibly with quite a few of 'em, a bucket load of hubris !

Again you're right. What a few of them need, is some 'tough talking' from the likes of Border and his genre ! He'd verbally knock it right out of them very smartly.

Is there not, out there in this big wide country of ours, another Alan Border or two ? Install a couple of 'them' as the OIC of the; Qlympic teams, Cricket, footy, tennis, etc etc ? In time, with the right team members, we'd start the long road back to a National, sporting recovery, sooner rather than later.

You mentioned a former 'unrequited' tennis champion, Pat Cash...well there's another youngster, Bernard Tomic (sorry for my spelling if incorrect), who apparently needs a somewhat 'firm' hand, both in terms of some character 'counselling' and strong sporting guidance ?

A pretty decent player of the game given his age. But possesses a 'big' head and can be quite arrogant and haughty
by all accounts ? And if he doesn't receive some significant guidance, both in his personal life as well as his sporting aptitude, it may well effect the overall quality and longevity of his tennis career ?

Good Topic, and with much 'meat' in it too, worthy of substantial discourse, HASBEEN, thank you !