It's rather quiet around here at the moment. So for all you cricket lovers, a bit of pointless opinion.............

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricket/30-y...rfa67.html

Based on the fact that Casboult has signed a one-year extension, Jones has another year to go on his contract and young McKay is still learning the caper, I'm somewhat concerned about how we will structure up in 2017.

The forward-line is certainly one of our issues to be dealt with at a list management level but how do we improve on what we had this season essentially with the same forward personnel ??

Is it only a matter of bolstering the midfield platoon or is there something else we can do tactically to make it more potent ??

My son is currently in New York and gleefully told me he had just been to the Men's final of the US Tennis Open.

This made me start to think about big name sporting events that I have been too.

Apart from a baseball match in San Francisco, I can't think of anything of note.

Where have you been & what have you seen ??

I haven't seen anything official but Billy Gowers tweeted:

Quote:Gr8 to see all 3 of @CarltonFC womens players in the team of the year!! @BriannaDavey @darcyvee @Larnell13 #BoundByBlue #excitingtimes

From Aug 22nd....
http://www.girlsplayfooty.com/2016/08/li...lains.html

Quote:It's anticipated that Carlton will select Visy female footy ambassador Lauren Arnell, Collingwood will sign its female football operations manager Meg Hutchins, and the Western Bulldogs will lock in their current women's captain Stephanie Chiocci.

Serious stuff.

http://www.carltonfc.com.au/news/2016-09...-statement

Entertaining game, hopefully the Doggies can get a win for my old mates Chachi17 and No1IP.

http://variety.com/2016/film/news/gene-w...201846745/

Funny man who excelled at playing the neurotic

Morning all,

Shaping up for a cracking day in old Melbourne.

I took the Mrs for a spot of test driving yesterday. Ended up giving the Mazda CX-5 (2.0 mid range petrol) and Hyundai Tucson (active x) a good 20 minutes each.

Do any of you own a CX5 or Tucson and if so, what are the pros and cons.

My observations:
Mazda drives slightly livelier. Nippy, steering is just right.
Nice interior, quality.
We liked how the engine goes as good as dead while at the lights and restarts when you take your foot off the break.
Reverse camera - nice
Very clear phone calls via speaker.
Basic sound system, a bit tinny. Not impressed.
All in all, clean, fun drive, responsive. No glaring issues)
The Tucson:
It's got a much bigger boot, more leg room in the back, air vents for the back, which the cx-5 does not have.
Sound system better.
Drives very well. Takes the bumps better than the cx-5
Excellent around corners and round about.
Steering has been noted by reviewers as too light. It is noticeable, but then again, it is very very responsive and easy to steer. Takes corners with little to zero roll.
Higher car = better visibility than the cx-5
More storage than the cx-5
The navigation system was easier to use than the cx-5
One thing we could not manage, is to pair her Samsung s5 with the car. Thus we could not test the in car phone set up and quality.
The interior was not as high a quality as the cx-5
The Tucson has a great 5 years unlimited I'm warranty. The Cs-5 has 3. I also believe that Mazda servicing costs a fair whack.
Mrs Woody felt small in the Tucson, but you'd get used to it.

All in all, I could summarise it as: the heart says Mazda, the head says Tucson. We watched heaps of reviews and the concensus seems to be that the Tucson is a very viable alternative to the cx-5.

Appreciate feedback on experiences with both cars. Cheers.

Woody

For the last time in 2016, and to determine the winner of the Jim Park Medal, here we go!

Remember:
[1] At least 3 players need to get a mention.
[2] No more than 10 votes for any one player.
[3] Give a rating of team performance. It can be anywhere from A+ to F.
[4] Votes must add up to 15.