Barry and the Gangs

I wish they had Offsiders on ABC iView. It's the sister program to the ABC's Insiders, both hosted by Barry Cassidy. Insiders is the political one, with Barry and a panel of political journalists. Offsiders is the sport program, with Barry and a panel of sports journos. It's really good. Funny, insightful, and sharp.

I can catch up on Insiders on iView, but I can't see Offsiders, which is sad. Because it's a great way program. On at 10.30am on Sunday, it's a good way to find out the most interesting issues in sport.

My take on sport issues:
Bingle and Clarke: Michael Clarke has split up with Lara Bingle, and that's for the best. He is going to take over one of the two most important jobs in Australia (Prime Minister and Australian Test Cricket Captain). Clarke should not have someone like Bingle backing him up. She is a 22-year-old attention seeker. A woman willing to sell stories about her personal life just to make money. Not the kind of woman the Captain of the most important sports team in Australia should have behind him. If that seems sexist, well... I'm sorry, but Test Cricket is too important to muck around with. It's a team game, and that can extend to players' partners. Some players can handle off-field issues, some can't. I think Clarke might be one who can't, and so it's good he's taking steps to end this distraction. Settle down with a good woman and get on with the job, Clarkey.

AFL: Barry Hall has been excellent. I only hope he manages to keep it together until the finals. The Doggies deserve some success, and Barry Hall is being fantastic at the moment. The Bulldogs won the NAB Cup without Brad Johnson, against a very strong St Kilda side. Collingwood look pretty good. We're finally close to the salary cap with the recruitment of Luke Ball and Darren Jolly. Those two players have added a gloss of excellence to the list. A little bit excited.

Liverpool: They need get rid of Rafa Benitez. Because he has lost the plot.