It might only be February but the football season isn’t that far away. In some instances it’s very close. The final Super 14 season commences this week. The competition is a very successful one and a big reason why the Southern Hemisphere is so advanced in terms of rugby. The competition witnesses some fantastic free flowing rugby where the ball is thrown around.
In 2011 there will be at least one extra team. It has already been announced that Melbourne will be the new team meaning that each of the countries will have five representatives.
This weekend also sees the beginning of the AFL preseason competition. There will be four first round matches this week and another four next week. The opening match sees Essendon take on the West Coast at Subiaco in what should be a good hitout for both sites.
Following this is the Adelaide showdown which is followed by Hawthorn taking on Richmond in Tasmania. It will be interesting to see how the Tigers do under new coach Damian Hardwick. As for the Hawks it is a year of rebound after their Premiership defence ended in tatters. They had a slow start to the year and found themselves mired at the bottom of the AFL ladder. They tried to fight their way up but in the end it was too much. This year AFL betting isn’t quite sure what to make of them.
Finally the last match of the weekend sees the Lions take on the Bulldogs in Canberra. All of the Lions’ new recruits will be on show and it should be entertaining to see how Barry Hall fares with his new side.
Rugby League also has a game this weekend with the NRL All Stars taking on the Indigenous All Stars. The NRL All Stars boasts the likes of Israel Folau, Darren Lockyer, Cameron Smith and Billy Slater. It will be a very good team but as are the Indigenous All Stars. They have Preston Campbell, Scott Prince, Jamie Soward, Jonathan Thurston and Jamal Idris. It should be a special game and a great spectacle. It is a novel concept and will feature some new rules such as the "Double Try" rule where a team can choose to go for a second try instead of a conversion attempt. This is taken from the NFL where a team can go for two instead of a field goal. Should provide great viewing and hopefully is the start of a great tradition.
David Wiseman writes for this blog. He also writes about greyhound racing.
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