NRL players can learn a lot from how cricketers go about their business, writes Paul Kent
SACHIN Tendulkar’s story at the Bradman Gala Dinner on Wednesday was a neat spin on a story old enough to sport just a few whiskers.
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SACHIN Tendulkar’s story at the Bradman Gala Dinner on Wednesday was a neat spin on a story old enough to sport just a few whiskers.
For those in late, the brief version is Tendulkar met Bradman for his 90th birthday and got to talking about modern batting, when Tendulkar asked what The Great Man thought he would average today if he were batting.
“He thought about it and said, ‘Maybe 70’,” Tendulkar said.
“The natural reaction was why only 70 and not 99? He said, ‘C’mon, that’s not bad for a 90-year-old man’.”
The story has been adapted that often by that many different players — it first came my way as Dean Jones telling it, saying Bradman delivered it when he ran into him one afternoon at the Adelaide Oval — you wonder if it was just a joke too good not to recycle or one of Bradman’s stock standard replies to a question he must have been asked a thousand times.
The general consensus is that Bradman was the more serious type and the next joke he tells about himself will be the first, which nobody can see happening anytime soon.
Still, Tendulkar revealed himself as a first class speaker, though the points decision on the night went to fellow Bradman Honouree Steve Waugh.
Waugh has a way of making the smaller story tell a bigger picture.
“The Australian cricket team, we were lucky enough that he came and spoke to us in the change room one time in my career and the quote that I remember very clearly is, he said, ‘We’re all custodians of the game and we should leave the game in a better state than when we first started’,” Waugh said. “So I’m hoping in my small way that I managed to achieve that throughout my career ...’
Applause broke out around the room.
“And I think,” Waugh said, “that’s something that all players of the modern game should aspire to.”
If there is a reason cricket players are seen differently in the eyes of the average Australian than, say, an NRL player, to pluck just one example out of the air, it starts and ends in that small quote.
When was the last time we heard of a cricketer suffering depression?
It was an engaging evening, one there is not enough of around Sydney.
My favourite Bradman story came to me via my first boss in Sydney, who had it passed down to him by heaven knows who, but it’s one worth remembering.
Like the Bradman batting average story I have no idea if it is actually true, or just one of those apocryphal yarns that got told.
Either way it should be remembered.
It was an Ashes Tour and the night before the first game Bradman, the captain, called his team together and went through the tour and its expectations and told his team that they were all to get an early night.
Keith Miller didn’t exactly take kindly to that. So later that evening Miller convinced Ray Lindwall, his other opening bowler, to sneak out for the night.
Somewhere around five in the morning Miller and Lindwall got back to their hotel three sheets to the wind and, aware Bradman was an early riser, decided to go up the fire escape to avoid risk of running into Bradman in the hotel.
When they got to their floor they found Bradman out on the fire escape doing sit-ups, because he didn’t want to be inside and wake his teammates.
Bradman said nothing as they sheepishly walked past.
Later that morning the two captains came together, tossed the coin, and Bradman looked up into the English sun and said, “We’ll bowl.”
He put Miller at one end and Lindwall at the other and they proceeded to bowl the entire first session, taking one-for in their hung-over state as the sun got only higher in the sky and the alcohol sweated out of them.
After lunch Bradman again had Miller and Lindwall bowling at each end. Thankfully, they got hot and went through the opposition and bowled them out in the session.
As they walked off Bradman got next to them.
“Well done boys,” he said, “because you were gonna bowl all day.”
RICKY QUIET BUT VERBAL JABS CERTAIN
RICKY Hatton won’t say what he has planned for Anthony Mundine when they come together on Saturday.
Hatton turned the world’s best fighter, Floyd Mayweather, into a running punch line when they promoted their 2007 fight across two countries, with the fast-mouthed but slow-witted Floyd unable to match Hatton when it came to well-aimed sledges.
Hatton is in Australia as the manager of Mundine’s opponent Sergey Rabchenko and is aware he night have to step into the breach given English is not Rabchenko’s native language.
“I’ll just see how it goes, Anthony’s not normally shy for words so I’ll see what he comes out with,” he said.
“He might have a better talker than him, to be perfectly honest.
“Everyone knows I’ve never been one to badmouth an opponent but I always speak the truth and I know I’m dealing with a very colourful character.”
Mundine and Hatton will come nose to nose at the Kirribilli Club on Saturday at 11am. Should be a fun day.
Jeff Fenech, who is also no fan of Mundine, is also expected to attend in his capacity as the trainer of undercard fighter Lucas “Big Daddy” Browne.
Completing the scene might be Kostya Tszyu, back in Australia and also invited, though he’s yet to confirm.
Fenech and Tszyu are hardly firm friends, while Hatton is the man who ended Tszyu’s career, beginning with one of the better- timed low blows you’ve ever seen.
On top of all this, the winner of the fight — the boxing match, not what might happen today — is expected to get a mandatory against pound-for-pound king Mayweather.
While this might shock some, Hatton believes there is a very good reason it might actually go ahead.
“Floyd has run out of opponents,” he said. “He has beaten everyone so Sergey is a chance of fighting him because he has beaten everybody else.
“The only other person out there that I can think of is Danny Garcia, that’s how tough it is to find someone.”
As for Rabchenko’s linguistic disadvantage, Hatton said ignore it.
“He speaks pain,’ Hatton said.
“The language he does know is hurting people.”
JUST ANSWER THE QUESTION — KRIS LEES, MELBOURNE CUP TRAINER
You’ve got a kiwi horse but, given all the internationals, you know if you win we’re going to claim her as our own.
Oh, we’re claiming her as a Novocastrian for sure.
Are the internationals making the Cup better or are we losing too much local flavour?
It’s creating more interest but you wouldn’t want any more here. It’s the best of both worlds, it’s an open handicap so it’s there for everybody to take their place if they’re good enough.
How excited are you about your chances?
I’m very happy with how she’s progressed. There’s that slight question mark at the journey because she’s never run over it but she’s giving every indication to me that she’ll run it out.
What does she need to do to win?
She needs to find a nice enough position and go to sleep the first half of the race. If she can show
the same turn of foot that she has been showing at the end of a race with clear running, they’ll know she’s there.
Do you ever let the little boy in you escape, thinking you have a runner in the Melbourne Cup?
A little bit, then I pull my head in. It’s pretty hard not to. That’s why you get up every morning, knowing you’ve got a live one a couple of days out from the race.
A GOOD WEEK FOR
THEY joked with jockey Kerrin McEvoy that he was off to a “late start” when he told the panel on Channel Ten’s new sports show he had a 5.30am trackwork appointment at Sandown the following morning. McEvoy cleared that up, saying he was riding at Sandown after earlier work at Flemington. This was Thursday, two days before the biggest day in Australian racing. That’s an ambassador for a sport.
A BAD WEEK FOR
HOW would those players supporting Paul Gallen contesting his $50,000 fine feel now it has been revealed Gallen failed to disclose the NRL paid his $80,000 legal fee? The same NRL Gallen called “c––––” for not “supporting” him. Gallen’s silence on the depression he is suffering was not surprising, either. He has kept it so close Sharks officials were shocked to learn their captain was suffering depression.
DON’T MISS
THE only player to debut for the Kangaroos with less games than Sunday’s (Channel Nine, 5pm) debutante Sione Mata’utia, was Jim Lisle with five. But Lisle crossed over as a Wallaby. The only comparable debut was Reg Gasnier, who also played seven games. Gasnier became an Immortal. There are concerns whether Mata’utia is quite ready for the step up but, either way, on Sunday we will see something special.
CHILL PILLS
SET your alarm clocks for 4.30am tomorrow when the Wanderers take on Al-Hilal in the Asian Champions League final. Watch the game with the Rocky soundtrack playing in the background. C’mon Balboa!
ANGRY PILLS
WHILE much has been said about the Josh Childress elbow, and subsequent Twitter attacks, not enough was made about the appallingly light one-game penalty for the player who just happens to also be the league’s marquee signing.
Originally published as NRL players can learn a lot from how cricketers go about their business, writes Paul Kent
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