Yours Please 7

After filling ourselves with Christmas ham, overdoing it on New Year’s Eve and generally resting up, we are back!  “Yours Please” asks three Sportsfreak affiliates their thoughts on what has happened – and what may happen – in the sporting world.

This week, @SWTGallagher, @womble101 and @MadMaclegend give us their thoughts on the weekend’s events.

1) What are your thoughts on the MCG Honours Board controversy, with Women’s Test players being included?

@SWTGallagher – It’s not a controversy. That’s it. That’s the opinion. Women playing cricket professionally deserve to be up there.

@womble101 – Annabel Sutherland is an Australian cricketer who has scored a Test century at the MCG. What’s all this about some sort of controversy? Did they spell her name wrong? Miss an initial? Can’t imagine there would be any controversy apart from if it came from ignorant, sexist idiots looking for attention in the media.

@MadMaclegend – Nonsense driven out of pure spite. What the MCG has done by acknowledging the achievements of those women players – without differentiation – is completely the right thing to do. And while the White Ferns haven’t played Test cricket in a while I would hope that when the time comes our grounds do the same.

 

2) After a 43-0 loss to France, how much time does Warren Gatland have left in the Wales Coaching role?

@SWTGallagher – I find it fascinating he’s even the coach now! Wales have Italy next up, which if they lose…Gatland will be gone. Because it won’t get any easier with Ireland, Scotland, and England at the tail end of the tournament. Yikes.

@womble101 – How deep are the pockets of the Welsh Rugby Union? Based on results alone, Gatland should be gone already and to be honest should never have been reappointed. But he was and presumably if he was booted out after the Autumn internationals, he would have walked away with a few pounds by way of compensation. So, can the WRU afford to sack him, or can they afford NOT to sack him? No idea, but if Wales end up with a wooden spoon after this year’s championship, or even if they manage to just beat Italy, it’s time to put Gatland out of his misery.

@MadMaclegend – Sacking Wayne Pivac and restoring Gats made little sense at the time and absolutely none now. Welsh rugby is in a dark place right now both on and off the field – they have at least one professional team too many in the URC – which isn’t all Gatland’s fault, but the only reason he could survive beyond the Six Nations is to win at least two matches or that the union can’t afford to pay him out.

 

3) Who wins the LA Lakers/Dallas Mavericks trade – short and/or long term?

@SWTGallagher – Oh, the outrage on my socials from Dallas fans is electric. They got rid of a franchise player. He was the sort of player to have a statue outside the stadium. He had the love from the Mavericks fanbase like Dirk Nowitzki did. Madness! LA win this trade.

@womble101 – This is very difficult crystal ball gazing as ultimately teams and players are judged by NBA championships and as things stand, short-term, I don’t see the Lakers or the Mavericks getting one of those; in the long-term, time is on the side of the Lakers. With Dončić only 25-years-old, there’s time for the franchise to build a team around him, but that’s easier said than done and there’s another 29 teams trying to build teams to win the championship. Even though right now, his pride is probably hurting, Dončić has the potential to make Dallas regret their decision if he can keep his body and mind right. Only time will tell if he can do that.

@MadMaclegend – A trade so shocking ESPN’s Shams Charania had to follow-up tweet that “Yes, this is true”. Short-term it probably favours the Mavericks since they no longer have to face the decision of signing Luka Doncic to a “supermax” contract extension while privately having reservations about his conditioning, but beyond that the Lakers get an outstanding talent, and the face of their franchise once 40-year-old LeBron James retires or moves on. But that could change depending on what Dallas does with their new-found financial freedom.

 

4) What is your big sporting prediction for 2025?

@SWTGallagher – I’m gonna keep it a positive one, but I think the All Blacks will go undefeated for 2025. It’ll click for the Men in Black. The Black Ferns sadly won’t get past England in the World Cup later this year but will bring us on that epic journey like they did in 2021 (played in 2022).

@ womble101 – Well, I didn’t tell anyone, but I thought Dončić and Davis might swap uniforms. Putting that to one side now the secret is out, I’m backing Maddi Wesche to pick up shot put gold at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo in September and become New Zealand’s latest global star.

@MadMaclegend – Hate to say it, but mark down 6 September, which is when the Springboks will beat the All Blacks at Eden Park and end that 30-year winning run.

Follow Stephen Gallagher   Scott and Aiden on Twitter