Sporting Life

The Age

Tuesday May 6, 2008

Geoff McClure

Unbeatables beat AFL record, too

FIFTEEN rounds out from the AFL finals is far too early to be signing off on who will occupy the top four spots at the end of the home-and-away season but, gee, you'd like to have your money on Geelong, Hawthorn and the Western Bulldogs making it, wouldn't you? Which begs the question - has it even happened before that three teams have been undefeated after seven rounds? The answer, we learned yesterday, is no. There have been a few instances of three teams being undefeated after six rounds (the previous time was 1995) but the Cats, Hawks and Doggies all saluting last weekend has thrown up a league first. And what's more, the quirkiness of the draw means that run could continue for two more rounds but will come to a stop (unless there is another draw, of course) in round 10, when Hawthorn and the Dogs clash. What a treat that will be for Tasmanian fans - the match, a Saturday fixture, will be played at Launceston's Aurora Stadium. Truth is, for supporters of the three top teams, it's been years since they have been happier:

? Geelong's 7-0 start is its best since being 13-0 in 1953.

? Hawthorn's 7-0 is its best since being 8-0 in 2001, and

? The Bulldogs' 6-0-1 is their best since being 9-0 in 1946.

AT THE other end of the ladder, West Coast's 1-6 record equals its worst start, in 1989.

MEANWHILE, Hawthorn just keeps on notching achievement after achievement. Its final term of 10.1 (61) was its biggest score in any quarter against Collingwood, surpassing the 9.5 (59) scored in round 16, 2001.

AND what about the accurate kicking for goal in round seven (well by some teams, anyway)? In one of the best displays on record, five teams - Port Adelaide, the Western Bulldogs, St Kilda, Hawthorn and Carlton - amassed a Deadeye-Dick total of 100.45. Makes Fremantle's 15.23 looks very sick indeed.

RICHMOND can claim a unique stat of its own. Going into the weekend's three-point loss to St Kilda, in both of its previous games (against the Doggies and Hawthorn), it had scored more goals than the opposition, yet won neither match.

Demon win soured

WINNING the first game of the season - especially over his old team Fremantle - made it a great day for Mel-bourne's footy operations chief Chris Connolly on Sunday. Well, it was until his 11-year-old son Jade burst into the rooms after the match with the shocking news that the family's pet dog, a two-year-old Doberman named Danny, was in the vet's care and seriously ill with a heart condi-tion. "It took a big gloss off every-thing. One minute we're all saying, 'That's a great win', and the next min-ute, I'm trying to console my son, who was in tears," Connolly said yester-day. Sadly, Danny didn't make it. Although his condition had improved when the whole family visited him after the match, he deteriorated yes-terday and had to be put down.

Strapping Anna

THREE months ago, cyclist Anna Meares' body was a mess, with a fractured neck vertebra, torn neck muscles, shoulder tendon tears and hip bruising. Well, not only is she continuing an amazing recovery but she's back setting cracking times, hav-ing recorded a 7.1-second standing-start quarter-lap last week, breaking her previous best of 7.3 seconds. Nike is certainly impressed. It has just presented her with a new pair of pedal straps, with her world-record time of "33.588 sec" on one and her world title stripes on the other.

Hewitts on move

EXPECT to see plenty of sticky-beaks on hand when a home in Huron Grove, West Lakes, Adelaide goes up for auction in coming weeks. Boasting three bedrooms, a pool and a tennis court, for the past 30 years it has been owned by Glynn and Cherilyn Hewitt, parents of tennis ace Lleyton. The Hewitts, now empty-nesters, are downsizing elsewhere in West Lakes and hope the one they're selling will fetch $1 million-plus. Given this was where Lleyton learned the game, we thought the tennis court alone might be worth that.

Why the Shark's a 4.30am man

GREG Norman may not play golf as often as he once did but he's still raking in the millions as one of America's most successful businessmen. And just as he played his golf, it's his workaholic determination that makes him so. In an interview the Shark did with Golf.com at the weekend, he revealed he typically rises at 4.30am to prepare for the day ahead and begins answering emails from his home office by 7.15. He's in the office by eight, leaves after lunch to work out and hit balls (when his back allows) and does some telephone work from home in the evenings. He's away on business roughly 40 weeks of the year. What we also learn about Norman is:

? He has now designed more than 50 courses for an estimated fee of $1.25 million a course. You do the sums.

? He is still as fit as he was when he ruled the world ranking for 331 weeks, and still always crisply dressed, with the same blindingly blond hair tousled atop the same copper brow. "Norman was probably the most photogenic guy we ever had on camera," noted Frank Chirkinian, a former CBS golf producer.

? Norman is naturally introverted and invariably seemed uncomfortable around the swish country club set that permeated his profession. He flew solo - in his own chopper - to and from tournaments and with few exceptions, his peers rolled their eyes and steered clear of the enigmatic superstar, as he did of them. Said tour journeyman and television announcer John Maginnes: "I played on tour with him for six years and didn't have one conversation with the guy."

? Asked for the secrets of his success, he included this: "Understanding your enemy is the greatest secret in life. If they work for eight hours a day, I'm going to work for 10. If they're hitting the ball 300 yards, I'll hit it 305."

Slow going at the Twenty20

INTERESTING reason given why Indian Premier League matches in Hyderabad, the home of Andrew Symonds' and Adam Gilchrist's Deccan Chargers, start at 8pm, which is much later than other venues. For once, it has nothing to do with television taking control - it's simply to give fans enough time to get to the ground after work. Travelling 15 kilometres by car in that city can take up to 90 minutes and even the players have an hour-long trip from the hotel by bus - and that's with a police escort.

Hate mail

WE HATE to say it but the unpopularity of the Australian cricketers has stretched beyond the cricket world. The Aussies' name has popped in a Sports Illustrated online American poll of five sporting teams fans love to hate, with one subscriber writing: "The Australian cricket team . . . those blokes are annoying."

Who said that?

The ICC . . . are in meltdown. This is an organisation with all the brains of a chocolate mousse. -- GEOFF BOYCOTT, not mincing words, as usual.

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