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Canberra Today 13°/16° | Friday, March 29, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Sporting confidential: I don’t like Mondays!

I MIGHT be showing my age but the whole concept of “Mad Monday” celebrations appears to be an out-dated ritual that has little relevance to modern-day sport. 

Tim Gavel

I wouldn’t be surprised if football club chief executives are more nervous ahead of possible drama from “Mad Monday” than they would be in the lead-up to a final.

All year sporting codes, not just football, contribute to public education programs encouraging young people not to binge drink; then it goes out the window with a sanctioned “drinkathon”. The mere fact that it has been given the name “Mad Monday” is enough to suggest to the players that it’s virtually part of the season.

I don’t buy the argument that players are in a pressure cooker all year and need to let their hair down. It’s a hollow spiel when compared to the pressure faced by people struggling to meet their mortgage repayments, families battling to raise a family within budget and those facing constant health issues.

The late cricketer Keith Miller had it right describing what real pressure was all about when he compared playing cricket to his war-time experiences.

Surely players have seen enough of each other all year without the need to chase each other around in silly outfits in scenes reminiscent of a seven-year-old’s birthday party.

You would think the players would wake up to the fact that little good comes out of “Mad Monday”; in fact, there is a litany of incidents arising from the season-ending celebrations.

I haven’t agreed with plenty of things done by the NRL over the past couple of years, including the lack of development officers when compared to the AFL, but the League has taken the right approach by calling for the “Mad Monday” concept to be scrapped.

Cavalry charges back

WE hear plenty from sporting teams about how many games they play through the season.

The Australian Baseball League surely plays the most. The Canberra Cavalry will play 50 games in the upcoming season starting with a home match against Sydney on November 2. The season only goes for three months, then players head overseas or play in the local league. So the ABL season of 50 games is only a small part of their year.

The Cavalry is doing plenty in the community and has been rewarded with a solid fan base. It will go up a notch this season with the first Canberran to become the manager of Cavalry: Michael Collins.

Two Canberra players to watch are Kyle and Robbie Perkins. Robbie has signed with a Major League team in the US, but has stayed in Canberra to complete his schooling before heading across to America. He is regarded as one of the top juniors in Australia, while Kyle has switched from catching to pitching and has been named in the Australian squad.

Scoring a netball first

THE sporting calendar for next year’s Centenary Celebrations is almost complete with the Australian netball team playing NZ at the AIS Arena in October. It will be the first time that the two teams have played each other in Canberra.

When Australia played England at the Arena in October last year, promotion was lacking for the game. Not that it was needed, with the game sold out in a short time. Now, with the two top teams involved, netball officials are working out ways in which to maximise the seating capacity while establishing a live site outside the arena. Of all the sporting events planned for next year, this one could be the highlight.

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Thank you,

Ian Meikle, editor

Tim Gavel

Tim Gavel

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