Latest news with #Gould
The Age
13 hours ago
- Sport
- The Age
Their season is in the balance. Inequities of NRL draw could tip Panthers over the edge
As well as the travel, there are also the short turnarounds to factor in. As Knights coach Adam O'Brien said after his team's recent loss to St George Illawarra, when he begrudgingly rested Kalyn Ponga so that the Queensland Origin star wasn't playing three games in eight days: 'In this battle, we lost to the scheduling and the draw. Whoever does the draws either hasn't lived it or doesn't care, so I don't know which one it is.' Some may have felt O'Brien's comments were a bit rich, given that a week earlier, the Knights had enjoyed the rub of the green, beating a Penrith side minus their five-man Origin contingent. Panthers coach Ivan Cleary copped that loss on the chin and was disappointed that his depleted team had been unable to give a better account of themselves. It's not in Cleary's unflappable nature to complain publicly or to create controversy but, after Penrith's 18-14 win against Wests Tigers two weeks ago, he made an exception. Cleary's concern was not the game the Panthers had just played, but the double whammy looming on the horizon, after his team's round 15 bye. First Penrith face the Warriors in Auckland on Saturday, barely 72 hours after their Origin stars – Nathan Cleary, Isaah Yeo, Brian To'o, Dylan Edwards and Liam Martin – were on duty with NSW in Perth. It's basically a day in transit from Western Australia to New Zealand, once time zones, connecting flights and layovers at airports are factored in. Not long enough, the coach said, to risk taking his NSW reps across the ditch. 'The Origin players won't be playing, because they can't,' he said. 'That's another story. I don't think it's fair. We should be able to make that decision. And just through flights, we can't get them there.' Front-rower Lindsay Smith, who was a stand-by player for NSW in Perth, is nonetheless expected to rack up some frequent flyer points and suit up for the Panthers on Saturday. Cleary found an unexpected ally in Phil Gould, formerly his mentor at Penrith before a well-documented falling-out. 'What about the ridiculous scheduling for the poor old Panthers this week?' Gould said on his Six Tackles With Gus podcast. 'They are playing on Wednesday night in Perth, all these Origin players … how would they expect those players to back up? It's terrible. If I was the Panthers club, I would be blowing up deluxe.' Gould may have been thinking two moves ahead, given the Panthers' next assignment after Auckland is the Canterbury club he oversees, on Thursday next week. Penrith's Origin quintet should be nicely freshened up for their clash with the table-topping Bulldogs, although Cleary was again disappointed with the scheduling, saying the rest of his players faced a five-day turnaround, which included the trip home from New Zealand. In recent seasons, Cleary has happily rested his Origin players during this phase of the season. In 2022, he gave seven state representatives the weekend off and their back-ups were too good for cellar-dwellers the Wests Tigers. A year later, Penrith beat the Knights with their five NSW players watching from the stand. This season, he doesn't have the same luxury as the reigning four-time champions face a dogfight to make the finals. And perhaps that is the crux of the issue. Loading We all realise the draw has flaws in it. NRL officials understand that, even though they are loath to publicly admit it. Instead, they try their best to juggle myriad complex issues and requests while keeping any inequities to a minimum. Impartial observers might form the view that it's all swings and roundabouts and that it usually evens itself out in the long run. That's all well and good until you're in Cleary's shoes, preparing for two tough games, five days apart in different countries, with your whole season potentially hanging on the outcome. Dynasties don't last forever. In Penrith's case, they can only hope the next two games don't prove to be the draw that broke the camel's back.
Sydney Morning Herald
13 hours ago
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
Their season is in the balance. Inequities of NRL draw could tip Panthers over the edge
As well as the travel, there are also the short turnarounds to factor in. As Knights coach Adam O'Brien said after his team's recent loss to St George Illawarra, when he begrudgingly rested Kalyn Ponga so that the Queensland Origin star wasn't playing three games in eight days: 'In this battle, we lost to the scheduling and the draw. Whoever does the draws either hasn't lived it or doesn't care, so I don't know which one it is.' Some may have felt O'Brien's comments were a bit rich, given that a week earlier, the Knights had enjoyed the rub of the green, beating a Penrith side minus their five-man Origin contingent. Panthers coach Ivan Cleary copped that loss on the chin and was disappointed that his depleted team had been unable to give a better account of themselves. It's not in Cleary's unflappable nature to complain publicly or to create controversy but, after Penrith's 18-14 win against Wests Tigers two weeks ago, he made an exception. Cleary's concern was not the game the Panthers had just played, but the double whammy looming on the horizon, after his team's round 15 bye. First Penrith face the Warriors in Auckland on Saturday, barely 72 hours after their Origin stars – Nathan Cleary, Isaah Yeo, Brian To'o, Dylan Edwards and Liam Martin – were on duty with NSW in Perth. It's basically a day in transit from Western Australia to New Zealand, once time zones, connecting flights and layovers at airports are factored in. Not long enough, the coach said, to risk taking his NSW reps across the ditch. 'The Origin players won't be playing, because they can't,' he said. 'That's another story. I don't think it's fair. We should be able to make that decision. And just through flights, we can't get them there.' Front-rower Lindsay Smith, who was a stand-by player for NSW in Perth, is nonetheless expected to rack up some frequent flyer points and suit up for the Panthers on Saturday. Cleary found an unexpected ally in Phil Gould, formerly his mentor at Penrith before a well-documented falling-out. 'What about the ridiculous scheduling for the poor old Panthers this week?' Gould said on his Six Tackles With Gus podcast. 'They are playing on Wednesday night in Perth, all these Origin players … how would they expect those players to back up? It's terrible. If I was the Panthers club, I would be blowing up deluxe.' Gould may have been thinking two moves ahead, given the Panthers' next assignment after Auckland is the Canterbury club he oversees, on Thursday next week. Penrith's Origin quintet should be nicely freshened up for their clash with the table-topping Bulldogs, although Cleary was again disappointed with the scheduling, saying the rest of his players faced a five-day turnaround, which included the trip home from New Zealand. In recent seasons, Cleary has happily rested his Origin players during this phase of the season. In 2022, he gave seven state representatives the weekend off and their back-ups were too good for cellar-dwellers the Wests Tigers. A year later, Penrith beat the Knights with their five NSW players watching from the stand. This season, he doesn't have the same luxury as the reigning four-time champions face a dogfight to make the finals. And perhaps that is the crux of the issue. Loading We all realise the draw has flaws in it. NRL officials understand that, even though they are loath to publicly admit it. Instead, they try their best to juggle myriad complex issues and requests while keeping any inequities to a minimum. Impartial observers might form the view that it's all swings and roundabouts and that it usually evens itself out in the long run. That's all well and good until you're in Cleary's shoes, preparing for two tough games, five days apart in different countries, with your whole season potentially hanging on the outcome. Dynasties don't last forever. In Penrith's case, they can only hope the next two games don't prove to be the draw that broke the camel's back.
India Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- India Today
India Test series on par with Ashes in terms of commercial importance: ECB chief
Richard Gould, chief executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), believes the forthcoming five-match Test series against India holds commercial significance on par with the iconic Ashes. Gould is banking on the contest to recapture the imagination of English fans following an underwhelming international summer in year, the country's sports fans were captivated by the Paris Olympics and the UEFA Euro - Europe's premier international football tournament. In contrast, the sight of empty seats at Lord's following England's series win over Sri Lanka reflected a worrying dip in cricket's appeal. With the hugely popular Indian team touring, Gould expects a strong resurgence in attendance and know how big it is. It is a huge summer," Gould was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo. "Last summer, there were all sorts of things happening all over the place, weren't there? "I think that is one of the great things about a five-Test series: it is a proper long-read; it's something that people can get really into. There will be subplots, and sub-subplots. There will be all sorts of issues over that six-week period," Gould prominent Indian stars such as Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and R Ashwin may have retired from Test cricket in recent months, India's status as a cricketing powerhouse ensures the series remains a marquee event."Certainly, in terms of commercial importance," Gould said, drawing a direct comparison with the upcoming series also kicks off a fresh chapter in the 2025–27 ICC World Test Championship (WTC) cycle for both teams. India, who have not won a Test series in England since 2007, last toured in 2021–22 when the series ended 2– was also excited about the revival of longer Test engagements."There's been lots of discussion about short formats, but Test cricket is doing quite a resurgence in its own way," he noted."Particularly with the five-Test series: we're seeing more of those than we have done for a long time."On the future of the WTC finals, Gould believes England retains a unique edge. The country has hosted all three WTC finals so far, and the ECB chief sees compelling reasons for that trend to continue."The WTC, for us, is not the be-all and end-all. Because we also enjoy the Ashes, and we will enjoy the India series," Gould said, speaking before last week's final between Australia and South Africa at Lord's."We don't think that we've got any absolute right to be the continual host of the WTC (final), but there are advantages to having it here. Irrespective of who gets into the final, we will sell it out... We're probably the only member nation within the ICC that could deliver that."We recognise that perhaps others would like to take it around the world at some point... But the worry is if you move it, end up with two neutral teams, and don't get a crowd, the whole thing could devalue and deflate pretty quickly."
NDTV
3 days ago
- Sport
- NDTV
"On Par With Ashes": ECB Chief Richard Gould On Test Series Between India And England
The upcoming five-match Test rubber between India and England is commercially as important as the Ashes, feels the ECB's chief executive Richard Gould, who is banking on the series to recapture the imagination of English fans after an underwhelming international summer in 2024. Last year, the country's sports fans were hooked on to the Paris Olympics and the Euro, Europe's biggest international football tournament. Empty seats at Lord's, after England's series win over Sri Lanka, did not paint a pretty picture as far as cricket was considered. This time however, Gould is optimistic of a bumper summer thanks to the widely-followed Indian team. "We know how big it is. It is a huge summer," Gould was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo. "Last summer, there were all sorts of things happening all over the place, weren't there? "I think that is one of the great things about a five-Test series: it is a proper long-read; it's something that people can get really into. There will be subplots, and sub-subplots. There will be all sorts of issues over that six-week period," Gould added. Big names such as Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and R Ashwin may have retired from Test cricket in the last six months but India's off-field dominance of the game makes any series against them comparable to the Ashes. "Certainly, in terms of commercial importance," Gould said. The series marks the beginning of a new cycle for both India and England in the 2025-27 World Test Championship (WTC). India have not won a Test series in England since 2007, and the last time they toured in 2021-22, they drew 2-2. The England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) top executive is also buoyed by the resurgence of five-match Test series in recent times. "There's been lots of discussion about short formats, but Test cricket is doing quite a resurgence in its own way," he said. "Particularly with the five-Test series: we're seeing more of those than we have done for a long time." As far as hosting future finals of the WTC is concerned, Gould said England holds an advantage over other strong contenders like India as it can fill venues even for title clashes involving neutral teams. "The WTC, for us, is not the be-all and end-all. Because we also enjoy the Ashes and we will enjoy the India series," Gould said, speaking before last week's final before Australia and South Africa at Lord's. Last week's WTC final was the third in a row staged in England, and later this summer the ICC is likely to confirm that England will retain hosting rights despite interest from India. "We don't think that we've got any absolute right to be the continual host of the WTC (final), but there are advantages to having it here. Irrespective of who gets into the final, we will sell it out... We're probably the only member nation within the ICC that could deliver that. "We recognise that perhaps others would like to take it around the world at some point... But the worry is if you move it, end up with two neutral teams, and don't get a crowd, the whole thing could devalue and deflate pretty quickly."
Toronto Star
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Toronto Star
A new biography goes long and deep on the rise and fall of rock band Talking Heads
Talking Heads fans, rejoice! Hard on the heels of the re-release of 'Stop Making Sense,' the 1984 Jonathan Demme film widely considered the best concert movie ever made, Jonathan Gould has published a comprehensive biography of the seminal band that injected an art school vibe into popular music and forever changed rock 'n' roll. Gould, the author of well-received books on Otis Redding and the Beatles, chronicles in meticulous detail the rise and fall of the band that got its start in New York City's underground punk scene and ended up touring the world with a repertoire shaped by blues, funk and jazz. He begins 'Burning Down the House: Talking Heads and the New York Scene That Transformed Rock' with a vivid description of the drizzly June night in 1975 when the original trio – singer/songwriter David Byrne, bassist Tina Weymouth and drummer Chris Frantz – made its debut at the seedy club CBGB in downtown Manhattan, opening for the Ramones before a handful of patrons. With their 'unremarkable haircuts' and 'nondescript casual clothes,' they offered a sharp contrast to the 'baroque turn' that rock fashion had taken in the 1970s, Gould observes. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'The qualities that characterized this neophyte group in their first public performance centered on the awkward, disquieting intensity of their singer-guitarist, David Byrne, their sketchy, skeletal arrangements, and the quirky intelligence of their songs,' Gould writes. 'Tall and thin, with a long neck and an anxious, wide-eyed stare, Byrne stood stiffly at the microphone, his upper body jerking and jiggling like a shadow puppet as he scratched out chords on his guitar.… Instead of doing his best to command the stage and the room, Byrne looked trapped by his surroundings, as if he were prepared, at any moment, to make a break for the door.' Within a couple years of their zeitgeist-changing performances, they enlisted keyboardist/guitarist Jerry Harrison, adding a much-needed dose of professionalism to the band. Gould, a former professional musician, writes exceedingly well about music but suffers from a kind of completism, cramming in an almost mind-numbing level of detail including the name of the elementary school in Pittsburgh where a young Frantz first took up drums to every military posting of Weymouth's naval aviator father. Though much of the material is fascinating, including his observations about how Byrne's then-undiagnosed Asperger's syndrome may have influenced his music and relationships with the other band members, it is likely to be a bit too much for all but the most diehard fans. ___ AP book reviews:
