Quote from: aoluain on September 07, 2025, 02:10:07 PM

NRL

Yea it was a bit of a silly round that last one, I suppose I could have made gains
with both Panthers and the Sharks but I wasn't going to risk it, not the finals !

I heard the second half of the Dolphin's pounding of the reserve grade Raiders - fancy letting your supporters down by not playing at your best. As I said last year when the Broncos threw a late season game, I hope it comes back to haunt them. When I got to my destination I watched the half-hearted defense of the co-wooden-spooners The Newcastle Knights drubbing by the Parramatta Eels. By the second half I was disinterestedly glancing over at the screens whenever a cheer went up from the crowd at the oval.

Looking at the ladder:

^{Screen-grabs courtesy of nrl.com for comment and analysis.}

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Who do you fancy for the title Timelord? Raiders or Storm?

Here's the week one of the semi finals:

First plays third. Sixth plays seventh. Fifth plays eighth, then finally; first plays fourth.

So, the Broncos I would imagine figure if they can knock the Raiders out, then they are in with a chance. Fridays game will be the thriller of the round when the Storm try to rain on the Bulldogs. I think Melbourne has the edge over Cronulla. I made comments at the start of the season (may have been last year's start) that the Bulldogs look ready with crisp lines and game play. Next year they will be ones to back.

The Panthers are the only ones in the top eight to record a tied game. I think that never-let-go game play will give them the edge over Auckland who falter towards the 70+th minute of game play.

I won't say it'll be a walk over, but I feel the Sharks have played much better and more consistently all year. Therefore, my picks are:

Canberra (only just)
Melbourne
Penrith
Cronulla

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Women's Rugby World Cup

Ireland in action now, just after conceding a converted try. I didn't bet on this. Its hard to bet against New Zealand

The New Zealander's love their Rugby! It's been a part of their ethos for generations. I had a short trip across the ditch this year and a big part of the inflight entertainment centres around rugby.

Over on Duolingo, I've noticed they've introduced Chess as a part of their overall package of tutorials. In the chess section, a part of the scring is based on the Elo scoring method. (a win earns one point. Draw a half point while a loss sees a point taken off a player) - (in saying that, there's also a modifier based on how big a win or loss there is where one team (player) is much stronger/weaker than their opponent. Although there is an actual 2/10 ladder at the moment, I'm wondering if anyone out there crunches the numbers to see what the ladder would look like based on the Elo Rating System - to give it it's proper name?)