What's been good, bad and a little bit strange about this weekend in Queensland sport?
1. Hodgo roasting
Justin Hodges will play his final Origin match on Wednesday night, win or lose. And that's given some of his teammates the chance to give some stick to the departing veteran. One of the best was the response from Jacob Lillyman when asked whether Hodges could have an involvement with the Maroons post-retirement: "
"He's telling us he will be driving the bus next year, he's ruled the first two days of camp out though." We'll leave it to your imagination to join the dots.
2. The Gaz effect
It was almost as if there was divine intervention at Metricon Stadium on Saturday evening, in the form of a muscular, bald bloke with a beard likened to Richard from Guess Who. While there were mixed reviews on the facial hair, it was hard to dislike much about the Suns' performance in their 55-point win over North Melbourne. Rodney Eade lauded his side's character after the match and Ablett himself opened up about the impact the past week has had on him and discussed his commitment to improvement as a leader. Eade ended his post-match press conference with a message of gratitude to the club's supporters. A nice touch.
3. Three out of four
Without their captain, one of their best midfielders and in the face of a long trip to Perth, the Lions battled hard once again. A seven-goal blitz in the final term gave Fremantle a win but Brisbane showed positive signs. Young defenders Harris Andrews and Hugh Beasley continued their improvement.
The bad
1. Tomic's tirade
It's fair to say Bernard Tomic has at the very least polarised opinion through his rise in the tennis scene. However, this week he united pretty much everyone with his blasting of Tennis Australia on his Wimbledon exit. The 22-year-old Queenslander said the national body had shown him little respect, withdrawing his funding and not providing enough support for him as well as suggesting that country mate Nick Kyrgios would pull out of the Davis Cup team if Tomic did. Tomic assured the media conference he was not going to pull the pin but TA have done it for him, banning him from their quarter-final tie.
Bernard #Tomic post-match allegations about TA were misinformed, untrue & disappointing— TennisAustralia (@TennisAustralia)
July 4, 2015
TA remains committed to implementing the best culture possible, with a philosophy of opportunity, not entitlement— TennisAustralia (@TennisAustralia)
July 4, 2015
2. Sporting tragedy
Phil Walsh's murder shocked many in the sporting community and in general around the country. His tragic death reminded everyone that domestic violence is not a problem confined to certain pockets of society. Nobody is immune to it and every family has its own challenges. Teams from all codes have staged poignant moments of reflection to honour Walsh's life in what has been a touching display of compassion. That has been the one shining light in the wake of his death - the unity that has been shown throughout sport.
3. Drugs
Whatever you believe about the "dobber" tag landed on Karmichael Hunt, or the news of the past few months has hurt football clubs. Suns captain Gary Ablett opened up about his reaction to the pictures of forward Harley Bennell allegedly doing lines of drugs, after their win over North. It's hard to find a happy medium between accountability and welfare when it comes to young people doing what plenty of others in their demographic do.
The strange
The Maroons had plenty of fans at Sanctuary Cove, turning out to their training sessions and hanging out for their autographs. But it was one pair of youngsters who handed out a nice dose of reality. As Jacob Lillyman rode down the hill on his Cove-issue green bicycle, the pair had a thrill. "It's Slater, it's Slater!" Easy mistake to make.
