The Melbourne Cup no longer stops a nation. Can we all agree on that?

Memo to my fellow media mongrels:

Mes amis, for this Tuesday can we drop the whole thing about the Melbourne Cup being “the race that stops a nation”. Yes, it was an accurate description back in the day. But it no longer is.

Flemington will again host the Melbourne Cup on Tuesday.Credit: Paul Rovere

Some of us have better things to do with our time! (Like death-riding Trump in the American presidential elections which will be about to start at that very time, but don’t get me started.)

Seriously, folks.

“From a TV perspective,” this masthead reported in 2022, “the free-to-air ratings continued their decline year-on-year . . . Paramount said its race audience across television and 10Play averaged 1.5 million viewers nationally, down from 1.85 million in 2021.”

That was the fewest viewers on record, which takes us back over the last couple of decades. Last year, those figures were up marginally, but no more than that. The overall trend is down, down, down, everything must go.

Bondi Icebergs is the belle of Sydney’s ocean baths.Credit: Tom Compagnoni

All are welcome at the Icebergs

This week sees the release of the latest documentary by Ian Darling, The Pool, about the Bondi Icebergs. It’s a wonderful portrait of how a single community structure, in this case a public pool, has brought together generations of diverse odds and sods.

The main character is the pool itself, while the supporting cast is the diverse array of current members. One of them, an elderly, Irish bloke, put the glory of the joint beautifully. “Well, I came over as a 10-pound tourist in 1971,” he says. “I’d just turned 21 and I came in here, and they showed me the club and it was all, you know, millionaires and paupers, but you’re all the same in your swimmers, going for a swim together.

Swans great Adam Goodes.

“The concept, to me was unbelievable because we didn’t have that in Ireland. Clubs were for the elite rich people that mixed among themselves. The billionaires mixed, and the paupers didn’t have a club. So coming over here, and I’m finding you had bankers, you had council workers, all in the same club. I was amazed. I still am.”

Lemme hear you say RAH!

In an interview with Darling which will be published in The Sun-Herald tomorrow, I raised the subject of the film-maker’s most famous doco, The Final Quarter, the devastating chronicle of the outrageous racism faced by Adam Goodes a decade ago where he was mass-booed by AFL fans nigh on every time he touched the ball.

On the day the film was released, the AFL publicly apologised to Goodes for the racism he experienced, and for not having supported him more. What interests me though, Ian, is how Adam reacted to seeing your film for the first time?

Ian Darling: “We let him watch it alone. We came in when it was done, and we just sat in silence. I think the silence was more powerful than anything he or we could have said. But when we talked, he was so dignified and gracious, grateful and very humbled and emotional by also seeing the incredible support he had had – some of which had not known about at the time. He was particularly moved by seeing an interview with his mother, and he said, ‘I didn’t realise that Mum was even having to be out there and supporting me and telling people to ‘stop the booing’.”

Mel Gibson as Max Rockatansky.Credit: Alamy Stock Photo

Rugby helped Mel land Mad Max role

TFF came across an anecdote this week, concerning Mel Gibson’s account of how he got the lead role in George Miller’s iconic film, Mad Max. By Gibson’s account, just before auditions, he got into a brawl “with half a rugby team”, and, as one might expect, “it didn’t work out too well on my end.”

The point was, for the audition, instead of being one of 50 pretty boys going for the part, he looked more like the roughneck brawler to beat them all and his talent did the rest. Gibson credits the brawl with making the difference.

On more counts than I can think of, well done by that team. But which team was it? Tell all!

The Rumble in the Jungle turns 50

This week marks 50 years since the famous “Rumble in the Jungle” between the great Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, pretty much the hardest hitter that ever lived and legendary for his “anything punch,” because “anything I hits wit’ it, I breaks.”

Muhhamad Ali floors George Foreman in 1974.Credit: AP

Pour l’anecdote, I can’t resist recounting one more time for the road the story Foreman told me circa two decades ago when I interviewed him for Fox Sports, or whatever it was called back then. For you see, that was the fight of the famous rope-a-dope, where, despite Foreman being so overpowering, Ali came up with a tactic to survive it. Covering his face and head with his arms held vertically in front of him, he leaned back on the ropes and let Foreman unload on him, spending his strength, round, after round, after round.

To encourage Foreman to keep unloading, Ali unleashed not punches but insults, “Didn’t hurt, George.” “Try again, George, I barely felt that one.” “Hit harder! Show me something, George,” and “That don’t hurt. I thought you were supposed to be bad.”

After seven rounds, both fighters are exhausted and retreat to their corners, but in a moment of inspiration, Ali jumps up and away from trainer Angelo Dundee, to stand and lead the crowd in a chant!

“Ali . . . boma ye! Ali . . . boma ye!”

Foreman looks up and groans. Where is this man getting the energy from?

At the beginning of the eighth round, Ali comes out, and after the first few exhausted punches from Foreman, leans in close and says, “Is that all you got, George? Is THAT all you got? You done now?”

“Yup,” Foreman told me he replied to Ali, “that’s pretty much it.”

And so it was. Ali unleashed. After a flurry of blows on Foreman’s noggin, finally, the denouement, as so evocatively described by the great American writer, Norman Mailer, in his book, The Fight. Tell ’em what happened, Norm.

George Foreman gets one through the guard of Muhammad Ali in their famous fight.Credit: AP

“Then a big projectile exactly the size of a fist in a glove drove into the middle of Foreman’s mind, the best punch of the startled night, the blow Ali saved for a career. Foreman’s arms flew out to the side like a man with a parachute jumping out of plane, and in this doubled-over position he tried to wander out the centre of the ring.

“All the while his eyes were on Ali and he looked up with no anger as if Ali, indeed, was the man he knew best in the world, would see him on his dying days. Vertigo took George Foreman and revolved him. Still bowing from the waist in this uncomprehending position, eyes on Muhammad Ali all the way, he started to tumble and topple and fall even as he did not wish to go down. His mind was held with magnets high as his championship and his body was seeking the ground.”

Foreman fell, and Ali won, a greater legend than ever before.

Rob Valetini won the John Eales Medal on Wednesday night.Credit: Getty Images for Rugby Australia

A grand night for the grand game

TFF attended Rugby Australia’s gala awards night on Wednesday where the Wallabies were farewelled for their attempt at a Grand Slam tour, forty years on from the famous one, captained by Andrew Slack.

Whatever else, such a tour is the perfect leadup to next year’s British and Irish Lions tour, as they take on individually the nations they are about to take on collectively, in order, starting next Sunday morning in the wee hours: England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. Can’t wait!

LeBron’s on Kamala’s team

Let’s hear it for LeBron James, putting his weight against that Donald Trump, that tower of tyrannical hate – you heard me – and for Kamala Harris, for Tuesday’s presidential election. James posted on X/Twitter: “What are we even talking about here?? When I think about my kids and my family and how they will grow up, the choice is clear to me.”

Exactly. And bravo to the legendary basketballer for saying so, despite no doubt being vilified for it.

What They Said

Nick Kyrgios, to Louis Theroux, on whether humans built the pyramids, no, really: “No, I don’t [think so]. Impossible. That’s insanity. The fact that, how is that possible they [Egyptians] got every measurement correct, and they’re all aligned. And ‘they did it with rolling large stones on logs’ is an insane statement ... You think that we built the pyramids? You’re insane. That’s insanity stuff.” Kyrgios also cast doubts on whether the moon landing took place. Is he a step away from being a full-blown cooker?

Damon Hill lines up Max Verstappen with the worst slur imaginable: “The second move was just daft and Dick Dastardly stuff.”

Ange Postecoglou after Tottenham bounced back to beat Manchester City after losing to Crystal Palace: “I don’t believe in big moments or catastrophic moments – we are the same team that we were three days ago. Hopefully, we have more good days ahead of us.”

Australian rugby player Harry Potter on . . . the obvious: “No, not really to be honest. Like, it’s been 26 years of it, so it’s pretty funny I reckon.” I am guessing his father was a Johnny Cash fan. My name is Sue! How do you do?

Wally Lewis on the sacking of Allan Langer from the Broncos: “Coaches are entitled to make a decision – I think he’s [Michael Maguire] come in with the thinking ‘change is as is as good as a holiday’ and probably believed there needed to be a broom put through the Broncos. I was shocked ... f—ing stunned. Sacking Alf is like sacking Santa Claus.”

Raygun on life after the Olympics: “It’s been so hard to process. My whole world has changed. My identity has changed. My relationships have changed, for better or for worse. It’s in times like these that you find out who your real friends are, unfortunately.”

B-girl Raygun at the Paris Olympics.Credit: Getty Images

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa on dealing with multiple concussions and coming back from them: “How much risk do we take when we get up in the morning and drive to work? There’s just risk in any and everything. I love this game and I love it to the death of me. That’s it.”

On the 50th anniversary of the Rumble in the Jungle this week, a quote from the late, great Muhammad Ali, has been recalled: “So many people come up to me and tell me they remember where they were when I whupped George Foreman. I remember where I was too.”

India cricket great MS Dhoni as his career winds down: “I just want to enjoy whatever last few years of cricket I’m able to play. Like how during our childhood we used to go out and play at 4[pm], just enjoying the game. But when you play professional sport it becomes difficult to enjoy the game just like a game. So what I want to do is, there are emotions and commitments, but I want to enjoy the game for the next few years.”

It’s been a tough week for Chicago Bears player Tyrique Stevenson.Credit: Getty Images

Chicago Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson on hamming it up with the Washington crowd seconds before Washington scored a Hail Mary touchdown to win the game: “To Chicago and teammates, my apologies for lack of awareness and focus. The game ain’t over until zeros hit the clock. Can’t take anything for granted. Notes taken, improvement will happen.”

Team of the Week

Kyra Cooney-Cross. Scored a fantastic goal for the Matildas as they beat Germany for the first time in 19 years.

Australian cricket side. Get their international season underway with an ODI against Pakistan on Monday.

LA Dodgers. Won the World Series.

Nigerian soccer side. Awarded the victory after they refused to play Libya after Libya kept them locked in the airport for more than 16 hours with no access to food or water. With no access to Wi-Fi, it’s the modern-day equivalent of the Uruguayan rugby players in Alive.

Caoimhe Bray. On debut, the 15-year-old hit winning runs for Sydney Sixers in the Women’s Big Bash League.

Kangaroos. Australia’s rugby league team are into the final, of what I think is a Pacific competition, but not sure. It seems about one-tenth as big as Origin.

Ben Hunt. Is leaving the Dragons. Did he ever truly want to be there?