Sport Lockdown

Has anyone noticed in this day and age that Australia is slipping in the rankings of many sports? Once a dominant country we are now failing to win most sports. Which sports are we failing in? What is the reason for all this? {Well here they are :}

One of the main sports that Australia have lost dominance in is cricket. We are slipping and have almost lost our top spot. In the last ten years there were no teams that were threatening the top spot and we have almost lost it. Tennis is also a worry with the only big names being Lleyton Hewitt and Casey Dellaqua who are seventy and fifty three respectively. The big names in golf are Robert Allenby and Greg Appelby and basketball is only starting to become popular in the last couple of years.

Financial difficulties obviously can’t be a positive in the near future because when there is less money available, there is less equipment for the youngsters to improve with their skills with. It may not affect it at all because sports are something that a lot of people are passionate about and they might think that sport equipment is worth every cent they spend. It can also affect schools as well and the way they spend money.

Normal every day prices are going up as well which is making life hard for young sportsmen trying to make the big time. When they are not playing international cricket they do not earn enough money, to keep them going.

Expectations and pressure may not sound like a big thing but it can lead to depression and anxiety. It can take out some of the best players like Nathan Ablett whose team the Geelong Cats were having a great year in the AFL. It was pressure that made him quit and it was mostly from fans that were meant to support him. Instead, they put big expectations on him because his dad and brother were better than him. It was ridiculous how much pressure they put him under and now he’s quit the AFL.

Obesity is also another factor because it denies so many kids of a bright sporting future. It destroys kid’s talent and because of the bullying these days, kids won’t play sport because they think they are too fat.

I’d like to conclude that this is why Australia is losing it’s dominance in sport but I hope we can get over these obstacles so Australia can have a brighter future.

By Dylan Fairchild

Mathew Hayden: The Star That Was

Matthew Lawrence Hayden was born on 29th October 1971. He was born in Kingaroy, Queensland to Laurence and Moya Hayden. He was educated at the Marist College in Ashgrove.

He was a star of cricket, not just for Australia but for Queensland and the Indian Premier league. His team the Chennai Super Kings was very successful making it to the grand final before losing by three wickets. Although they lost they were without three key players which no doubt restricted their playing ability. He retired on the 13th of January 2009 after being dropped from the one day and twenty20 side. He retired at the age of 37.

PERSONEL INFORMATION

FULL NAME: Matthew Lawrence Hayden
NICKNAME: Haydos, Unit
BORN: 29 October 1971
HEIGHT: 188 cm
BATTING STYLE: Left-Hand
BOWLING STYLE: Right–Arm Medium
ROLE: Batsmen
TEAMS: Australia, Queensland, Chennai super kings

CAREER INFORMATION

TESTS ODI’S FIRST CLASS
MATCHES: 102 161 294
RUNS SCORED: 8,555 6,133 24,533
BATTING AVERAGE: 50.92 43.80 52.64
100’S: 30 10 79
50’S: 29 36 100
TOP SCORE: 380 181 not out 380
BALLS BOWLED: 54 6 1,097
WICKETS: 0 0 17
BOWLING AVERAGE: INFINITY INFINITY 39.47
BEST BOWLING: 0/7 0/18 3/10
CATCHES: 127 68 295
RECORDS HE HOLDS

Highest test score {380}
Highest one day score {181not out}
Highest batting average for a three test series {109.80}
The first Left-hand batsmen to score thirty test centuries
The first person to score over 1000 runs in five seasons
Thirteenth most catches by a non wicketkeeper
3rd person ever to hit 3 centuries in a world cup tournament
Top runs scorer in the 2007 ICC world cup

ACHIEVEMENTS

2003 World cup champion
Allan Border medal
ODI player of the year

In 1994 Matthew played his first test against South Africa whom he also played his last. He played his next test in 1996. He scored his first century against the West Indies in Adelaide and has scored many since. He was then dropped from the team for the likes of Mark Taylor and Martin Elliot.. He got his next chance in 2000 in the New Zealand tour. His first big break was in the 2001 New Zealand tour where he scored an average of 109.80 in three tests. He has played in nearly every test since and has made a wonderful career out of it.

Well done Matthew Hayden on a wonderful career. Although your career looked doubtful in the early stages of your career you fought on and now your one of the most popular retired cricketers ever.
I’m sure every cricket fan out there will miss you and good luck for the rest of your career.

Roger Federer: The Superman Of Tennis

Roger Federer is a man of many talents, because almost every part of tennis is mastered by this man. He has defied critics by not only beating high ranked players but destroying them.

As I sat and watched Roger Federer in his quarter final match against world number eight Del Potro I sat in awe at the entertainment he provided. Every point he played, I was left breathless, mesmerized as he smashed his way home to a straight set win. He really was like the superman of tennis.

A few years ago I saw the same Federer but he just wasn’t the same. He has been struck with injuries which causes as form slump. After he lost his number one spot the critics bagged him saying he will never come back but he proved them wrong. Although he finished world number two at the end of last year we knew and so did he that if he didn’t turn it around the he was in strife.

After the first grand slam of the year though, the Australian open he won the first three matches in straight sets. In the fourth he struggled but regained composure and beat world number eight in the quarter final 6-1 6-0 6-0. I personally think it was the greatest match he has played ever.

Well done Roger or should I say superman?

By Dylan Fairchild

WHO COULD BE THE DARK HORSE AND WIN THE AFL PREMIERSHIP THIS YEAR?

Many teams have won premierships over the years from what critics, fans and even coaches call nothing. Teams that are either good but don’t seem to have the potential to win a flag or teams that aren’t expected to win at all. We call them the dark horse and are teams like Essendon in 1993, Port Adelaide in 2004 and Hawthorn in 2008. These are just a couple and I’m sure there will be plenty more in the future.
More then ever teams come from the brink of defeat to come back and win. As always there are teams with that name but how far will they go. Will they struggle or will they become that one team in September.

Obviously there are the dominant teams, the ones that always go well and the ones that you fear when the time comes and your team has to play them. This year there are two team’s that fly miles above the rest. They have clashed many times including the 2008 grand final. They have the rivalry and the skills to make it a great game every time.

There are a few dark horses this year and for many reasons including young guns, new players and new coaches. 2009 shapes up to be a great year because we won’t just see the same old teams win but a few teams that we would never have suspected to get high up on the ladder.

The dark horses this year are:

Adelaide: From having the oldest playing list two years ago they have revamped there team making it young, vibrant and fast. They have always been a well placed team but have never looked to go all the way.

Carlton: With Chris Judd leading the way, the possibilities are endless. Good young team and I think have the potential to not only make finals but to be that one team in September.

Richmond: With new recruit Ben Cousins the future is looking brighter then before as long as everything goes to plan for them.

Collingwood: They have always been a good team but have not won a premiership since 1990. Always a semi finalist but never seem to take the opportunity and take the next step into the grand final.

Port Adelaide: They are always the team that just misses out by a couple of games. We are expecting big results from them this season but the power is in their hands.

Western Bulldogs: They are a good team but are just ripped off by the stats. Haven’t won a premiership for a long while but deserve better? This could be their year though with star forward Brad Johnson leading the way.

These are the dark horses but will we see the same teams in the grand final but a new batch of powerful teams and a new batch of champion players.

Please reply to this article and tell me who you think will be the dark horse in 2009.

By Dylan Fairchild