OCLife | around the grounds with ANTHONY BARBAGALLO
BARRACKER THE
Luck, witchcraft, and sang-froid, sporting sudden-death play-offs Euphoria over Australia’s last-leg win over highly fancied Peru in its final World Cup Qualifier to see us to our fifth football (soccer) appearance in a row, was understandable. For decades, from our first appearance at the world’s premier football event in 1974 to our next in 2006, we came so agonisingly close on so many occasions, we seemed cursed. In fact, we were! Socceroo legend, Johnny Warren told an infamous story one time where, in a World Cup qualifier against a sub-Saharan Africa team, the Australians employed a local witch doctor to hex the opposition goalkeeper who had thwarted the Socceroos in the first two legs. The witch doctor proposed planting cursed bones at one end that the opposition keeper would be protecting. Sure enough, the keeper had a shocker, and Australia progressed further in the qualifying competition. The witch doctor was never paid by the Australian players, however, and reversed the curse, something which Warren later said, only half-jokingly, had led to the team for more than 30 years not again make the World Cup. Tempering excitement over our win against Peru though was the manner of our victory. The dreaded penalty shoot-out, where individual players must try and put a spot kick from the penalty mark past the keeper into the net. While this does add a sense of excitement and drama to what has often been a deathly-dull 120-minute goalless draw, as many of these matches prove to be, it is in many ways an unsatisfying way to resolve a sporting contest. But resolved, it must be. While competitive sports are one of the few areas still in our lives with clear winners and losers, what do you do when there is no clear result at the end of play? Football, the world’s premier sport and one, due to its traditions and sense of history, is loath to change what has been a winning formula, for years used to have replayed matches to find an eventual winner. They had also trialled in the 1970s, a penalty count-back system to reward teams that played the most fairly during the game and thereby utilised less cynical fouls to slow the impetus of the opposition. While the penalty shoot-out adds a spectacular sense of melodrama to the proceedings, it is quite unfair to the individual players — the goal-shooters and the goalkeepers — who are often blamed
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for their team’s elimination. Fluffing a penalty from the spot, which any reasonably professional soccer player should be able to convert, has destroyed the confidence and reputation of many great footballers over the years. Cricket is another sport prone to deathly dull draws with Test matches now restricted to five full days of play, plus an extra halfsession if a result is in the balance. Before this, a Test match in South Africa in 1939 went for a full nine-and-half-days, without a result! In one-day 50-over matches where part wash-outs of games are quite common due to afternoon and evening showers, a Duckworth-Lewis-Stern system was adopted in the 1990s to calculate batting and run “assets” to recalculate run chases for teams batting second. Rugby league, a brutal, almost gladiatorial sport, has one of the worst methods of deciding drawn matches. At the end of 80-minutes, there is a sudden-death “golden point”: two five-minute halves played until one team scores a point in any form. The same applies to World Cup rugby union, however, due to the even and odd points system in rugby, tries are worth five points, conversions two, penalties and drop-goals three, drawn matches at the highest levels are relatively rare. Football codes toyed with the idea, seemingly logical, of every five minutes of extra time, removing one player from each side from the field. The increasing tiredness of the players and the extra space would eventually lead to a goal, try, or field goal to determine the result. This was apparently rejected due to dutyof-care issues with players suffering heat stroke as they attempted to cover increasing areas of the field. Tennis sets, which are determined by the first player winning six games leading by two, used to sometimes get up to 20 or 30 games before one player was able to “break” the serve of their opponent and win, are now determined by “tie-breaks” mini-games where players swap serves until one player is up by two points after seven. Golf has probably the best system, players keep playing on a hole-by-hole basis, until one player gets in front. But probably the worst-ever tie-break system, was one used at State cricket in Australia in the 1980s, when individual players would attempt to hit the stumps at the batter's end with a legal delivery. The team that first missed the stump, lost the game.
JUNE 23 — 29, 2022
Western Premier League: Round 11 action Barnies clinch famous victory against Dubbo Bulls Barnstoneworth United stunned Dubbo Bulls with a 1-0 victory on Saturday at Apex Oval, Dubbo. It was Barnies’ third consecu�ve round playing in the Orana region, with this recent victory being the most significant in their top-four quest. A�er dropping points to Parkes last weekend, Dubbo Bulls came into this fixture slightly under pressure to maintain their top-four status in the Western Premier League standings. It was a cagey affair from the beginning, se�ng up a classic high-tempo contest. But Barnies found the opener in the first half a�er Grant Koch headed the ball into the net off a free-kick. With the Bulls intensifying their a�ack in the second 45 minutes, the resolute Barnstoneworth defenders managed to neutralise the opposi�on threat. A few vital saves from keeper Brock Logan also prevented the hosts from ge�ng on the scoresheet. This crucial win propels Barnies into fourth spot in the standings, jumping Dubbo Bulls. It will also give the red-and-whites extra mo�va�on before heading into the derby clash with Waratahs this Saturday.
Waratahs cruise past Lithgow Workies Waratahs con�nued their fine form on Saturday with a resounding 4-0 over Lithgow Workies at Marjorie Jackson Oval. With compe��on leaders Panorama FC dropping points in their 2-2 draw with Bathurst ‘75, Waratahs now sit three points behind “the Goats”. This victory against the Workies comes at a great �me as the Tahs prepare for their Round 12 derby clash with Barnies this weekend.
Orange CYMS earn two draws in their double-header weekend Orange CYMS played two games on the weekend, with a round four catch-up Sunday fixture. A�er securing their first point of the season in round 10’s stalemate with Mudgee Wolves, CYMS played with an abundance of confidence in their clash with Orana Spurs. The green-and-gold managed to keep the Spurs a�ack at bay for the en�re 90 minutes, earning them a second consecu�ve nil-all draw on Saturday evening at Victoria Park, Dubbo. CYMS grabbed another draw on Sunday, finishing 1-1 with Macquarie United in their catch-up round. This young side has conceded only one goal in their last three games, a posi�ve sign that things have improved immensely in the backline. CYMS remain in last place with three points, but they are now only one point behind Macquarie and Mudgee.
AFL Central West first-grade action Bathurst Bushrangers run riot against Orange Tigers Bathurst Bushrangers handed Orange Tigers their fi�h-straight loss in Saturday’s 157-52 thumping at George Park. The Tigers were already trialling 44-8 at the
end of the first quarter, se�ng up a long day in the defence. Although Tigers’ a�ack improved in the following quarters, their defence struggled to contain Bushrangers’ onslaught in front of the posts.
Rugby Union: Blowes Cup first-grade action Brave Orange City almost stun Forbes Platypi Orange City came close to causing an upset against the Platypi in their 30-24 loss at the Forbes Rugby Club on Saturday. Orange City’s footy has improved in nearly every department in the last several rounds. The Lions also made greater efforts in defence despite this recent loss, giving Forbes’ playmakers a hard �me. Despite this valiant effort, the orange-and-greens remain winless in eight rounds. But based on recent performances and close results, the win is undoubtedly coming for this young Orange City side.
Rugby League: Peter McDonald Premiership action Orange CYMS storm past Workies Orange CYMS returned to their winning ways a�er thumping Lithgow Workies 56-10 on Saturday at the Tony Luche� Sportsground. With captain-coach Daniel Mor�mer back in the side, it didn’t take long for the visitors to get on the scoreboard when Cooper Monk crossed over for a try in the fourth minute. The green-and-gold scored another three tries in the first half to take a 22-6 lead into the break. During the second half, CYMS showed no mercy on their opposi�on as they scored another six tries in 18 minutes. Nick Murphy scored two of these tries in the last seven minutes of the match. This empha�c victory sees CYMS keep the pressure on Group 10 leaders, Mudgee Dragons.
Orange Hawks fall short against Bathurst Panthers Bathurst Panthers walked away with two points from Orange a�er defea�ng a brave Hawks side 19-12 at Wade Park on Sunday. Despite improving on the performance from the last �me these two sides met, the Hawks s�ll fell short of producing an upset in round nine. But in this �ght arm-wrestle, the Panthers eventually found that extra quality to push them ahead by seven points and claim victory. The Hawks will need to regain their focus ahead of next round’s tricky clash with St Pat’s in Bathurst.
Central West Premier League Hockey Women’s Division: Orange United take down CYMS 4-3 in derby On Saturday a�ernoon, Orange United clinched a 4-3 win over CYMS in a thrilling local derby at the Orange Hockey Complex. It’s United’s second victory of the campaign, which sees them jump into fourth place in the standings. But despite the spirited and improved performance, CYMS s�ll sit in last place with zero points.