You have to give credit where credit’s due… though I was cheering for The Blues, Queensland were just too bloody good last night… again!
Farewell to a Legend
The Blues were brave throughout the entire series providing many encouraging signs for the future… but in terms of the here and now, that first 30 minutes of the decider simply killed us. The Maroons were perfect… and we made numerous mistakes… and that was where the game was won and lost.
There were stand out performances from both teams. For The Blues, our wingers were great and I thought Luke Lewis was fantastic. Glenn Stewart was very good in his comeback match for NSW and his Manly team mate Choc Watmough was dangerous every time he touched the ball. Gasnier was good once he got involved and Hayne showed flashes of brilliance but just has to get his hands on the ball more often.
Mitchell Pearce did some great things and will be a superstar… but he still has a fair way to go. (Best in the world Ricky? You can’t be serious. Both QLD halves are a mile ahead of him at this stage.) Speaking of which, terrible to see JT badly injured like that. Here’s hoping it’s not the end of the season for him. As for Soward… I’m sorry – I don’t want to bag the young guy and I know he played very well in the last third of the 2nd game… but for mine he’s just not Origin material. At least, not yet. His kicking game last night was very ordinary. I think he really only ran the ball once or twice… and what was he doing marking man mountain Greg Inglis? Talk about a mismatch.
The NSW pack was solid, but Petro did in Game 3 for QLD what Gallen did for us in Game 2. He continues to amaze. Our Skipper had another fine game, tackling himself to a standstill and taking the ball up all night… but whatever the Cane Toads tried turn to gold. Thurston’s kick for Inglis to score – brilliant! The bounce of the ball that resulted in Yow Yeh’s try… just the luck of the game. But the passes from Slater to Thaiday in the first half and the reverse scenario in the 2nd were just sublime. And the legend that is Darren Lockyer had another wonderful game in his last in the maroon colours. As much as I wanted the Blues to win, it’s always good to see a great player go out a winner.
But he’s gone now… and next year, it’s our turn! Well done to Ricky Stuart and the team for a very solid 2011 campaign. We will win next year. (You heard it here first.)
In the meantime, another Wimbledon has come and gone. A great tournament, a great spectacle… but please All England Club – make it a true grasscourt tournament again! The courts are made for claycourt baseliners – that’s all there is to it. Nadal and Djokovic are great players… but I would have liked to have seen them on a fast court against Pat Rafter at his best. It was a case of not knowing who to cheer for once Federer (and then Tsonga) were knocked out. The Serb is undoubtedly a terrific player and worthy World No. 1 … but I am so sick of his time wasting ball bouncing prior to serving. At one stage in the Final I counted no less than 28 times he bounced the ball before hitting a serve! That’s simply not fair in my book and officials should do something about it.
The ladies event saw a new champion born. Petra Kvitova is something else. This lady could quickly climb to the Number 1 spot and stay there awhile. Incredibly impressive and a really nice person as well. And then to the juniors…
Luke Saville
Australia wins both the Boys and Girls singles titles at Wimbledon for the first time ever! Sensational stuff! Congratulations to Luke Saville who came from a set and a break down to break British hearts one more time… a really gritty performance.
And to Ashleigh Barty who wins this prestigious title at just 15, turning in one of the most composed performances I’ve ever seen in a big match from any player of any age! So good to see some good juniors coming through.
Ash Barty
Lastly, congratulations also to Bernard Tomic on a massive effort to make the Quarters of the main draw. If only he’d pushed hard at a set all and 3-1 up against Djokovic with two points for a 4-1 lead in that 3rd set. He went walkabout for 6 games or so to let the Serb back in and with all his experience, ‘The Joker’ wasn’t going to knock back that opportunity. Keep going Bernard… learn from Rafter, Hewitt and Co., embrace playing for Australia and stay focused on realising your undoubted potential. The future for Australian tennis looks good for the first time in a long time.
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