Our former regular question and answer service returns with MC Sports answering your burning sporting questions, this week about the Bulldogs Mad Monday effort, John Millman and burning jerseys.
Each week we open our mailbag to our readers who message us or get us on social media wanting our opinion on the hot topics of sport.
You can also contact us at contact@thegurgler.com if you have an equally pressing sporting concern.
MC Sports has three of the best to get through this weekend, starting off with Mad Monday.
But get in touch with us soon via email, or our Facebook / Twitter if you more grat sporting questions you want MC Sport’s opinion on.
Should Mad Monday be Banned?
Concerned, Harbour View Hotel Patron
By now most of Australia has caught up with the Bulldogs effort on Mad Monday, and no doubt the tsk-tsking started quickly thereafter.
Sure, none of it was a good look, unless you do enjoy the bare bum of a NRL star, or 4KQ on the dial, but there wasn’t too many stories form the seven other clubs who we can also imagine were on their annual play up day. Perhaps they played golf instead.
Typical of rugby league to continually go out of its way to show itself in a bad light.
Then for the NRL to fine them $250,000, seems the NRL is very good at handing down punishments when it is easy to punish and with the mainstream media running full pace with the evils of rugby league.
It was even reported that the incident embarassed Peter Beattie. A job he did magnificently himself with a short term Sharks memory loss, and failure to distinguish between one of the world’s biggest sporting clubs and Newcastle.
So you can imagine we are not on the side of banning Mad Monday, however we do have an alternative where everyone wins.
Instead of rugby league players harassing general members of the public on the busy Monday drinking day at local pubs, perhaps the Leagues Club or local pubs could hire out one of their rooms for the privacy of the players, keeping them out of the eye of the press.
But the room would not be just full of footballers, the room would be open to fans and well wishers not part of the press for $200 a head to join in on the fun. The $200 per head fan price will go towards subsidising the players drinks and taxi home. $50 off for nuding up. People paying the privilege would be like minded people, just wanting to have a good time, with the players they love.
Why not turn the annual piss up into an entertainment extravaganza.
The players could put on nude sing-alongs, a little puppetry of the penis work, or re-enact the 10 biggest plays from the season for a show that everyone will remember.
Despite all the nude talk, it is healthier to start off the day with a dress up theme, prizes could go to player and guest.
Mobiles would need to be checked in at the door to ensure maximum privacy, but we can think of no better way to allow the players to let down their hair, connect with fans, support local business, and piss the mainstream press off all at the same time.
It would be glorious.
Is John Millman the Saviour of Tennis in Australia?
Concerned, aka B.Tomic, Gold Coast.
Not yet, but after his great upset win over the Fed Express, he is the first person to warm the hearts of Australian Tennis fans in a long time.
His win was a breath of fresh air away from the kindergarten antics of the Tennis Jerks.
By all accounts he is very popular on tour, a far cry from the two male equivalents, and we hope another giant killing is around the corner in one of next year’s Grand Slams.
Calling it the greatest upset in the history of Australian sport by a few people in newspapers and radio, was a little extreme, Millman is ranked 55th and Roger Federer is closer to the end of his career than beginning.
Fantastic yes, and we certainly applaud, but greatest ever upset, not quite. It’s not the player’s fault mind you, more the press and their search to make everything the best everything in history, like calling former NSW Cricketer Gavin Robertson a test great.
But for now soak up all of the deserve hype on John Millman. And enjoy a feel good tennis story. He may not be the saviour of Australian Tennis right now, but it may inspire others to attempt to win, and be a nice, down to earth guy.
That’d be nice.
Do you agree with Dragons fans burning their jerseys?
Disgruntled Fan, Woy Woy.
Every fan has a right to be pissed when their team is not going very well, and with social media you don’t have to wait long to voice your opinion to thousands and/or millions.
And after the Dragons shameful loss a few weeks ago, fans certainly had a right to be angry about how badly their team had slipped.
However the video of a fan burning his journey seems to be going a step too far.
Seriously, it’s a game, and your team were still in the finals.
Grow up.
For example, try and support a team like Rochdale in the third division of English football. From the mid 70’s they then spent 30 odd years in the fourth division, and have gone between the third and fourth tier since.
Imagine that the only success your team will probably get is a promotion to the third division, or a decent upset in the FA Cup or League Cup once in a decade.
There’s plenty more teams in lower leagues and top flight leagues across the world with similar stories.
One of the only great things about the NRL is the ability of any team to make the finals, so a failure this season doesn’t exclude success for the next season.
If the Dragons lose this weekend, which looks highly likely at Suncorp Stadium under any referee with the surname of Sutton, then fans have the right to be very annoyed, but there’s always next year, and plenty of matches.
