With both Nadal and Verdasco firing in the early rounds of the 2018 Australian Open and a heat wave looming, it is time to reflect on one of the all-time great matches from 2009.
As a bonus set of articles for the Australian Open, The Weekend Preview will present a round by round assessment of the state of play in the Men’s Singles Draw.
As a bonus set of articles for the Australian Open, The Weekend Preview will present a round by round assessment of the state of play in the Men’s Singles Draw.
From a seemingly impossible position in the 1982 Cox Plate, Kingston Town recovered and etched himself into the history books by winning a 3rd consecutive Cox Plate. What drama awaits Winx this weekend as she attempts to join him as a 3-time winner? And is it profitable to back the favourite in the Cox Plate?
In 2017, both Adelaide and Richmond are celebrating Premiership anniversaries. Adelaide are celebrating 20 years since their maiden Premiership success in 1997. Whilst Richmond are celebrating 50 years since their drought breaking 1967 Premiership. And if you believe in omens their are some noticeable parallels between 2017 and the anniversaries both these teams are celebrating.
Pressure, Pressure, Pressure. Richmond's mosquito fleet of small forwards have been applying manic pressure on opposition defences all year. And now the Tigers are one win away from their first Grand Final in 35 years. The Weekend Preview has joined the bandwagon.
I see it, but I don’t believe it! Re-living the 2005 Semi Final between Sydney and Geelong through the words of the players and coaches. And what does history tell us about Week 2 of the Finals when the Qualifying Finals losers play the Elimination Finals winners?
The SCG has been a place of heartbreak for the Bombers. And although it feels like the Swans are unbeatable based on their current form, there is hope for the Bombers if they can achieve one thing.
The 8 teams playing Finals represent the 8 best defences in the AFL. And if defence wins premierships, then who will we see in the Grand Final in 4 weeks time? As a bonus edition, The Weekend Preview assesses the strengths and weaknesses of all 8 finalists.
Geelong's record at Kardinia Park is remarkable. But why are they so good at home? Is it because the umpires are being overly influenced by a boisterous home crowd? The Weekend Preview investigates.
In the age of Free Agency and million-dollar a season contracts there is still room for some romanticism in the modern game. The Father-Son rule provides a link between the suburban era of the VFL/AFL and the ultra-professional sport we see today. But which teams have gained the most from the rule since the introdcution of the draft system?
Tackling as a form indicator is a contradictory premise, as the objective in football should be to get hands on the ball first. The Weekend Preview this weeks investigates whether tackle counts are a reliable form indicator.
Has the Number 1 pick in the National Draft historically been a safe choice? And where in the Draft have the best players been selected? This week The Weekend Preview answers those questions and looks back at the 2007 National Draft.
How much has Collingwood’s kicking woes cost them in 2017? And how reliant have the Crows been on accurate goal kicking? This week The Weekend Preview investigates the impact of accurate/inaccurate goal kicking on the make-up of the AFL Ladder.
What happens when the worst defence in the AFL plays the worst attack in the AFL? This week The Weekend Preview attempts to predict a final score.
Is there a formula to win a premiership? Is investing in the draft the only path to success? Is the AFL doomed to an era of success by GWS? Sydney are proof that there is more than one way to build a successful team and they would enjoy nothing more than spoiling the Giants party.
Has the competition worked out the Bulldogs or are they just struggling with form and motivation? One tactic that has proven very effective is the hard tagging of Jason Johannisen. But how critical is Jason Johannisen to the success of the Bulldogs? This week the Weekend Preview tries to answer this question using a metric that is fast becoming one of the most popular match statistics - Metres Gained.
The Paul Roos Cup is this week’s match of the round, with the two form teams of the competition facing each other under Friday Night lights. Paul Roos is of course both the architect of the Sydney Swans drought breaking 2005 premiership side and dare we say it the 2017 Demons premiership team?
Richmond appear to invent new ways of losing in heartbreaking fashion each week. But have we all been a little too harsh on the Tigers? There is reason for the Tigers to be positive and for a start there is arguably one team worse than the Tigers in close games.
With the changing landscape of the ruck rules in 2017 due the no third-man up rule, the questionable importance of the specialist tap ruckman has been a hot topic again. But perhaps they are being under-valued, and their place in the game is safer than we realise.
