sidelined

With Sydney knocked out and Melbourne back in touch we come to the penultimate stage of this finals series: perennial (well… this far) finals chokers Adelaide United host Newcastle Jets at Hindmarsh, who steam in breathless after last weeks’ decisive smashing of inaugural champs Sydney FC. Meaningless stats:In their previous matches these two sides have [...]

The parochial polarisation of State of Origin has produced many a character over the years and not just the players. League fans of a certain vintage and beyond will remember well State of Origin referee Barry Gomersall, also know as ‘The Grasshopper’ who passed away today at the age of 61. Growing up in NSW, [...]

A few interesting results from the first round but that shouldn’t be a worry. It may take a few rounds for any real trends emerge as who (apart from the Crusaders) will be the teams to beat this year. Onto this round: Result: Chiefs 32 v Hurricanes 39 Result: Stormers 3 v Force 22 Result: [...]

Apologies for the delay, internet access hasn’t been too swell lately. Newcastle 2 (3)vs Sydney FC 0 (2) This match was painful to watch from a Sydney FC fan’s perspective but I must begin by congratulating Gary Van Egmond and his squad on their stellar performance this season coming off seven winless rounds; you guys [...]

Dear Sideliners, sorry, I have not posted much at all lately. Been too busy to even think about sport. But now I have a problem, that only you can solve. Five loves AFL, more than can be said even in a lengthy blog post. Last year I forked out and signed my son up for [...]

Round two of the Preliminary stage is upon us, with all four teams still in with a sniff (though some noses are whiffier than others). Adelaide United and Melbourne Victory have played out a scoreless draw, punctuated with scintillating chances – 5 to 1 in Adelaide’s favour – that never hatched. A non-result, I hear [...]

The Super 14 kicks off this weekend. Fixtures are below (all times AEDT) and the comments for your thoughts on the round. Blues v Crusaders, Auckland, Friday 5.35pm Result: Blues 43 Crusaders 25 Western Force v Highlanders, Perth, Friday 9.05pm Result: Highlanders 8 Westen Force 7 Lions v NSW Waratahs, Johannesburg, Saturday, 4.10am Result: Waratahs [...]