Round 9 of the ANZ Championship is headlined by the opening two matches – the Steel host the Magic in a battle for fourth position, while second plays third when the Vixens host the Firebirds in a battle of the 6-1 sides. Ben Carbonaro picked up another couple of winning bets last week to extend his season record to 11-5 – he returns to preview a big week in the context of shaping the finals picture.

Viva La Counter-Revolution: After four of the most entertaining years imaginable – at least for those who despise the Parramatta Eels – revolution is over. Roy Spagnolo and his bandits who overthrew ‘The Emperor’ Denis Fitzgerald in 2009 on a platform of systematic change have been thrown from office, replaced by a team with close links to Fitzgerald, led by Steve Sharp. In the three full seasons of the administration, the club finished 12^th, 14^th and 16^th and currently sits 14^th. Spagnolo appointed arguably the least qualified CEO in the history of the game – Paul Osborne – who assisted in the firing of a coach who only 12 months earlier had guided the club to the Grand Final, a sacking that had more than a small stink of politics. His replacement, Stephen Kearney, was given nearly two seasons before his position became untenable. The team then forked out $800,000 a season for the most overrated coach in the modern game, one who has a win rate of less than 45 per cent since the retirement of Brad Fittler.

The big mover in this week’s polling has been the Tigers’ so-called star half Benji Marshall. In a week where it was reported that the club would be offering him a multi-million dollar extension, Marshall turned in an insipid performance against Cronulla. His heart, clearly not in football, led to just three piddling runs. Marshall has now polled in his last three games and is shortening in betting (hello, Damian at Sportsbet, when will the official market be open!) to claim the 2013 Willie M Medal.

“Without the unholy union between sport and television, the sporting landscape we look out on today would be unrecognisable”
- Martin Kelner, ‘Sit down and Cheer’

This Week in History:
1939, May 17
The world’s first sporting event appears on television beginning a long and important association.

Make no mistake, over the past few decades the world of sport has changed.

This week’s selections cover the May 11 meetings at Caulfield, Rosehill, Eagle Farm (featuring the Group 1 BTC Cup) and Morphettville (featuring the Group 1 Goodwood Handicap). Much as with last week’s column (and quite possibly next week’s as well) time is currently at a premium, therefore this column will include the tips but only some very abbreviated spiels justifying each one.

Blues Lose with Laurie’s Folly: When he called matches, I often wondered what planet Laurie Daley was on. Now he is the all-powerful coach of New South Wales – a position he landed without any top grade experience as a head coach – I am sure he is not of this world. Only someone not quite there of mind and fairly wild of heart would deem it responsible to declare that 15 of the 17 Blues positions have been secured – a month out from Origin I.

Those who have locked down spots are Mitchell Pearce (who has shown time and again he is not up to Origin standard), Jarryd Hayne (who has struggled in 2013) and god knows who else. Perhaps even Willie Mason has locked down a spot! Heaven, why don’t we show some more loyalty to Ben Creagh and James McManus.

The big move this week came from sometimes Gold Coast outside back but always strong Willie M poller Steve Michaels. Rightly on the outer at the beginning of the season, injuries have seen the clumsy and testosterone challenged Michaels poll in each of his last four outings. He claimed the three votes for his shocker against the Warriors with the Fifth and Last Podcast adding in correspondence with your author that he “is the worst first grader ever”. It is tough to argue with.