April 2008 discount moncler jackets Archives
Learning the hard way
moncler mens jackets Outclassed and, for the most part, outthought and outgunned by Gamba Osaka, Melbourne Victory has learned the hard way about the gulf that exists between moncler coats outlet the A League and the best in Asia.
As they digest moncler outlet online the fallout from this disappointing campaign, coach Ernie moncler coats for kids Merrick and his football department have plenty of thinking to do over the next few months if they are to refashion the team and build a side capable of challenging for the A League championship next season.
Now the pressure is off and it is eliminated Victory is bottom of its four team group with just one win from four matches cheap moncler jackets outlet it is possible the coach will give youngsters and fringe players a chance in the remaining two ACL matches. Even if it does moncler outlets usa well against Chunnam Dragons and FC Chonburi in Gwangyang and Melbourne, respectively, this ACL exercise has to be judged as a significant failure.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Who deserves Australian honours?
cheap moncler What a difference six months and half a dozen premiership games makes when it comes to picking the Australian moncler coats cheap team. Last October, Melbourne Storm had seven players, fresh from winning the NRL premiership, in the Kangaroos team four of them for the first time. But with the side for next month’s clash against New Zealand to be named on Sunday, it looks as though that number could be significantly reduced.
moncler outlet Cameron Smith, Greg Inglis and Israel Folau would seemingly be the most secure in holding their berths although Folau has been in steady rather than barnstorming form and Inglis will be this weekend playing moncler outlet online store his fifth game since returning from off season shoulder surgery.
moncler sale Then of course there is Billy Slater and cheap moncler jackets wholesale the debate about whether his undeniable form will lead to his being named ahead of Brett Stewart, who held the No.1 jersey during Australia’s 58 0 romp over New Zealand last October.
So what of Ryan Hoffman, Dallas Johnson, Michael Crocker and Cooper Cronk? Each one of these have claims to being retained but have they done enough this season? Cronk has been totally overshadowed by the return of regular Test half back Johnathan Thurston moncler outlet ny and the form of the Gold Coast’s moncler jackets outlet online Scott Prince. Crocker has only had a couple of games since returning from surgery on both shoulders and Hoffman has been in solid form, but will be against a hot field for the back row positions. Johnson was not mentioned among those in the hunt moncler outlet usa by Craig Bellamy in his weekly column this morning. Was that was by accidental omission, an attempt at a rev up or an indication that Johnson’s ankle injury suffered during Monday night’s game against Canberra was more of moncler jackets canada a problem than the player and medical staff claimed earlier this moncler jackets cheap week?
moncler outlet store Jeremy Smith, Jeff Lima and Adam Blair are all in contention for the New Zealand side.
buy moncler jackets moncler outlet canada For what it’s worth I reckon Smith, Folau, Inglis, Slater and Crocker Kangaroos coach Ricky Stuart last year made no secret of his liking for the type of player the former Sydney Roosters back rower is will be named in the Australian team. What do you think?
moncler sale outlet Thursday, April 17, 2008
Dallas deserves better
cheap moncler outlet IT was good to see Dallas Johnson re sign with the Storm for moncler jackets on sale a further three years earlier moncler outlet location this week. Johnson is among the most valued team members in Melbourne with Craig Bellamy recently labelling him as the club’s most important re signing target this year ahead of moncler online sale Israel Folau.
So it was a shame to see so little interest in the announcement of his re signing on Tuesday. The media contingent consisted of myself and Dave Donaghy, the rugby league reporter from the Herald Sun. No moncler jackets outlet television Channel 10 is usually the most conscientious of the broadcasters or radio. However, there was a follow up on the Storm’s own show on local moncler chicago radio station SEN later that night in Melbourne.
cheap moncler sale Admittedly, the cheap moncler coats for women notification for the announcement came out only a couple of hours before the event, although I believe that was because moncler coats for cheap Johnson wanted to wait until he had a look at the release on the day. Regardless, it was always going to be moncler jacket online a hard sell, especially when you consider that national broadcaster Channel Nine did not even bother to send a camera Moncler Factory Outlet crew to Robbie Kearns retirement announcement in 2005.
Whatever, the reason, a moncler jackets for women look at the way he plays shows why he is so valued. He is one of the toughest players in the competition, regularly putting aside injuries to top tackling statistics. His technique is so good that much bigger forwards look as though they have been snapped in half when hit by him and his on field influence his increased in recent years as well, as he does takes moncler outlet uk a more active role in attack. And his development into a state of origin regular and Test player speaks for itself.
With his performances for Queensland and his Kangaroos debut and naming in World XIII as lock last year, his efforts now appear to be more widely acknowledged. And so they should because although he seems to be content in the moncler coats for men praise of his peers rather than seek public adulation, guys like this deserve better.
moncler outlet online Friday, April moncler outlet 11, 2008
What more moncler outlets uk must Slater do?
monlcer down jackets Billy Slater must surely wonder what buy moncler jackets toronto more he needs to do to finally end his representative exile if he is not chosen as Australia’s full back for next month’s Centenary Test against New Zealand. To many, Manly full back Brett Stewart, who is the Test incumbent, should hold on to the Kangaroos’ No.1 jersey and that is a fair enough opinion for what is a hotly contested position, with his form of such a quality to discount moncler outlet justify the selection.
cheap moncler jackets toronto moncler coats But it would be a travesty to Slater, who has outshone all in cheap moncler the No.1 jersey this year, if he is not presented with his first Kangaroos jersey. He has been consistently top notch with his moments of brilliance, noted speed and ability to read the play defensively moncler jackets men and knack of putting himself in a support position in attack complemented by his on field organisation of his team.
But the truth is, Slater has been struggling to overcome a flakey reputation which arose during the early stages of his career and, with injury and suspension, has hampered his chances moncler outlet mall since moncler outlet kids he was dropped by Queensland in 2005. He had always showed the touch of brilliance, even at the moncler coats for women highest level, as shown by his famous solo try for the Maroons in 2004 that really marked him as a star of the game. But, with that brilliance came the brain fades both in both in decision making and discipline which were not a great characteristic for a player in representative football, where more often than not, especially in state of origin, the contests are tight and mistakes are punished.
cheap moncler jackets However, Slater is no longer that type of player and that reputation should have been binned at the end of last season. The inconsistency and erratic play that once typified Slater, has been replaced by a consistent high quality for the past 12 months. He is also no longer the type who gets suspended three times in moncler jackets kids one year, including a seven week ban for kicking an opponent in the head, as he did in 2006 and his lack of real retaliation to a couple of incidents where he has been targetted this year has shown that.
It is a view backed by current and former teammates and, if justice prevails, it should be one shared by the Australian and Queensland selectors this year.
On a different matter, what do people think of Craig Bellamy’s outburst against Brisbane. Are the Broncos and Wayne Bennett in particular, a bunch of hypocrites for their stand against wrestling tactics, when Brisbane, like most teams in the NRL, also employs a wrestling coach? Or has Bellamy, who is regarded as one of the innovators of the controversial aspect of the modern game, missed the point? Should everything possible be down to remove the dangerous and unsightly aspects from the coaching https://www.moncleroutletssale.com rule book Official Moncler Outlet or has it now become too entrenched in the game?
moncler moncler coats outlet sale The Storm has just lost back line star Israel Folau from next season and has been fending off speculation that Craig Bellamy, Cameron Smith and even Greg Inglis could follow him out of the club. However, throughout all this, Melbourne Storm chief executive Brian Waldron has obviously felt insisting all is well and even trying to deflect some of the heat onto the Brisbane Broncos is the way womens moncler jackets to go.