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It was recently announced that Guns N#39; Roses - otherwise known as Axl Rose Co. - would perform a post-race gig at this year#39;s V8 Supercar Sydney 500 at the Olympic Park on Saturday, December 4.nbsp; And some of you V8 folk might be going ape over this exciting news.

But I must warn you... there are a couple of important factors you have to keep in mind before rushing out to buy your ticket to the event - i.e. the Gunners may not hit the stage before midnight.nbsp; (If they do... let#39;s celebrate!!)

On their last Australian tour in 2007, the band performed at Acer Arena with two supporting acts, but there was a considerable time lapse between the end of the second act and the start of the main gig, before Axl finally felt like coming onto stage just before midnight (see separate entry on this blog for more details).nbsp; Whoever#39;s playing in the current Guns N#39; Roses line-up must be nocturnal!

If the same scenario unfolds again at the Sydney 500, then expect the concert to finish at 2:00a.m.nbsp; If you are planning to catch some racing action the following morning, then you#39;d probably be better off camping out at Homebush than going home after the Gunners gig.

OK, Folks... you#39;ve been warned now.

MAY 26, 2010, SYDNEY: On the very night of rugby league#39;s major event, State of Origin, I nearly choked on my wine in front of TV when Juanita Phillips - the anchorwoman of the ABC News - casually stated at the end of the program: "In case you haven#39;t noticed, the Game One of State of Origin is on tonight at Sydney#39;s ANZ Stadium..."

...Excuse me?nbsp; What do you mean, "In case you haven#39;t noticed"?nbsp; Do people in New South Wales need a last-minute reminder about their home Origin??nbsp; You#39;ve gotta be kidding, right??

...But, come to think of it, I didn#39;t spot a single soul sporting NSW outfit in town all day.nbsp; It#39;s possible that the majority of people in Sydney DO need a reminder...

Result of Game 1: QLD 28 - 24 NSWnbsp; QUEENSLANDER!!!

A CAXTON STREET FOR NSW!!

JUNE 16, 2010, BRISBANE: Now it#39;s QLD#39;s turn to host Origin.nbsp; Last year, I ventured out to Brisbane#39;s Suncorp Stadium for my first ever #39;home#39; Origin experience and loved EVERY MINUTE OF IT - with biffs, scuffles, send-offs and all (see separate entry elsewhere on this blog).

And it#39;s not just the match itself that#39;s so enjoyable on an Origin day here - it#39;s the whole lead-up to the game that makes QLD#39;s home Origins so unique.nbsp; You see people in Maroons jerseys in droves in the city, where all the shopkeepers can get away with NOT wearing their normal outfit.

A couple of hours before the game, head straight to Caxton Street on the northern fringe of Suncorp Stadium - where you#39;ll find thousands of Maroon-clad supporters, swigging countless schooners away and booing hapless NSW fans with gusto.nbsp; It really is an uplifting place to be if you are a QLD fanatic - or a very scary place if you happen to come from south of the border.

...But wait!nbsp; Maybe that#39;s what#39;s missing in Sydney#39;s Origin games...nbsp; What if the NSW Rugby League created their version of Caxton Street near the Origin venue?nbsp; I know there#39;s a temporary pub area in the Overflow Park next to ANZ Stadium, but that#39;s not quite the same as the permanent establishments in Caxton Street.nbsp; For that purpose, I reckon good old Sydney Football Stadium would serve the fans better if you built lots more pubs and bistros along Flinders Street, between Taylor Square and Moore Park Road...

...Now, back to the match itself: 2010 Origin 2 certainly didn#39;t disappoint, what with a fiery all-in brawl and many other one-on-ones, on top of QLD#39;s try-athon.nbsp; I sincerely praise the handful NSW supporters who were brave enough to lift their butts and come all the way - to be incinerated in the Cauldron.

Result of Game 2: QLD 34 - 6 NSWnbsp; QUEENSLANDER!!!

nbsp;

NOW FOR THE WHITEWASH...

JULY 7, 2010, SYDNEY: Although I skipped Origin 1, I pre-purchased my ticket to Origin 3 in the belief that it was either going to be a series decider or a Maroons whitewash.nbsp; Now, this time, it seemed that Sydneysiders really DID need a reminder; a couple of my workmates had completely forgotten about Origin 3 on the game day - until they saw my QLD attire.

Since QLD had already wrapped up the series in Game 2, numerous tickets to Origin 3 were put up for sale on eBay - some as cheap as $0.99 per ticket.nbsp; Poor NSW players were pretty much abandoned by their fans at their home game, and that made me - a dead-set QLD supporter - feel for the Blues boys.nbsp; C#39;mon, be a sport - when a team is on a losing streak, that#39;s when they need their supporters#39; help most!!

In the end, Origin 3 attracted a crowd of 61,259 at ANZ Stadium with an 83,000-plus capacity, and there were a very healthy number of QLD supporters at the southern end of the stadium as well.nbsp; Without them, I don#39;t know what the crowd figure would have been...

Unlike the previous two games, though, NSW played pretty well in Game 3 and led QLD 18 - 13 at one stage.nbsp; But the Maroons troops just hung in there and managed to turn the tide around to complete a QLD whitewash for the first time since 1995.

Result of Game 3: QLD 23 - 18 NSWnbsp; QUEENSLANDER!!!

nbsp;

2010 ORIGIN POSTMORTEM

During this year#39;s Origin series, whispers were rife that, if ticket sales kept dwindling in NSW, one of their home Origin matches could even go to New Zealand - and I reckon that#39;s a jolly good idea!nbsp; (And I#39;m pretty sure that travel-savvy Maroons supporters still go across the ditch and enjoy the odd hangi on the side as well!!)

Loyalty goes both ways, so if there#39;s little support for Origin in NSW, then the rugby league powers-that-be might as well explore other options.

Another idea is, maybe it#39;s high time that we considered awarding TWO home games to the winning side the following year, instead of alternating it each year between NSW and QLD.nbsp; That way, QLD can host two home games every year, for God knows how many more years to come... (hee, hee, hee)

It is rather ironic that electrical giant Harvey Norman - one of rugby league#39;s biggest sponsors - could inadvertently be killing Origin in Sydney by promoting 3D TV.nbsp; Ditto Event Cinemas#39; introduction of 3D Origin on the big screen.nbsp; NSW supporters are notorious couch potatoes at best of times; if you give them another excuse to NOT attend the game, then they#39;ll stay indoors all they like!

Now, here#39;s a bit of "words of wisdom" for all the lost souls in NSW: "The important thing is not winning but taking part..."

P.S. - I#39;m sick by now of reading all the negative Origin reviews over 4- or 6-page spread in Sydney#39;s media, lamenting what went wrong or who to blame with ever-changing NSW troops.nbsp; They blame the players, selectors, coach (which I think is grossly unfair to Craig Bellamy) and their dogs and cats combined

To tell you the truth, I don#39;t really care - and why can#39;t they write more positive things about the Maroons instead? I don#39;t think they are giving enough credit to this gem of a QLD side.nbsp; Let#39;s celebrate the Maroons#39; success and their golden era!!nbsp; QUEENSLANDER!!!

nbsp;

JUNE 2010: I thought it was a dreadful result when Australia's Socceroos suffered THAT 4 - 0 drubbing at the hands - or feet, rather - of Germany.  But then Germany went on to beat England 4 - 1 (which should have been 4 - 2, if not for the referee's blunder) and Argentina 4 - 0 respectively...

Suddenly, the Socceroos' demise doesn't look all that bad anymore...  After all, they played the might of Germany without big guns Harry Kewell, Mark Bresciano and Josh Kennedy - and with only ten men for most of the second half after Tim Cahill was cruelly dismissed with a red card.

...Then the reality sets in: they might have advanced a lot higher only if they'd had a little bit more love from the referees.  Why - OH WHY!! - do they always have to fight the bloody officials, on top of their opposition players, in each and every World Cup match they play?!?!?!

FEBRUARY 22, 2010: AC/DC - Australia's greatest ever export in the hard rock scene - made their first homecoming since their last tour in 2001 and played to a total of 212,729 fans at ANZ Stadium over three nights, breaking Sydney's previous outdoor record (211,747) over the same period set by U2 a few years ago.

Sydney's CityRail was running special event trains to and from the Olympic Park station, and the female guard on our train was right in the element, announcing to the delighted fans: "This is your AC/DC Express service, and our only stops on the Highway To Hell are Redfern, Strathfield and the Olympic Park..."

Oddly, public transport fares were not included in the concert ticket prices, and the lines at the ticketing windows at various train stations around the city were phenomenally long.  AC/DC commanded 70,000 punters each night, which is not much smaller than the 82,500-strong crowd at last year's NRL Grand Final where public transport fares were already included in the admission fees.  I don't know who to blame (the state government, State Transit or the concert promoters??) for NOT declaring it as a major public event, but whatever the case, CityRail must be a lot richer now thanks to Acca Dacca...

I went to see their third and final Sydney show but it was an absolutely sweltering night, with the temperature in the western suburbs refusing to go down below 30C even after the sunset.  All the catering shops around the venue pretty much ran out of bottled water well before the start of the opening act, which left the concertgoers scurrying for ANY soft drink they could get hold of.  I don't know how on earth the ageing members of AC/DC survived such a physically demanding show in one piece...

I have a special affinity for Acca Dacca - for my first ever live experience was of AC/DC's at Osaka Festival Hall in 1982, and they pretty much set the standard for what you should expect from a live performance.  And what a high standard it was - I kind of felt sorry for all the bands that followed them!!

I have since attended AC/DC's gigs in 1996 and 2001 (twice) in Sydney, and their concert venue also seems to grow bigger each time, culminating at ANZ - ex-Olympic Stadium.  There were a couple of downsides to it, though: the venue was TOO huge to see the 'real thing' on stage from where I stood (in the rear half of the arena) and all I managed to see was their images on the giant screens.

I've always rated ANZ as my least favorite football venue, but now I'd have to tick another box as my least favorite entertainment venue.  It just doesn't give you any intimate feeling at all.  Frontman Brian Johnson used to carry diminutive guitarist Angus Young up on his shoulders and walk through the stands in good old days, but ANZ Stadium is simply too big for that (shhh... just don't tell him he's getting too old for that sort of stuff!).

Another problem that annoyed the HELL out of me was that the smokers on the ground level were out of control and puffing on their cigarettes like chimneys everywhere.  ...Hey, isn't ANZ Stadium a non-smoking venue?!?!  They Choked Me All Night Long alright...

Those problems aside, the show was just AWESOME!!  The band members are much older now, but they sound just as they did on their previous tours (same old, same old...).  The familiar props are all there, from big Hell's Bell to firing cannons... and, of course, big inflatable Rosie (same old, same old...) straddling their new prop, Rock N Roll Train.  Angus' hair may no longer be as thick as it once was, but he doesn't care - and I LOVE him for it!!  And the admiring fans certainly don't care - their guitar hero still cuts crisp little riffs and churns out those crazy solos (same old, same old...) and that's why WE LOVE THEM!!

A FEW DAYS LATER, ON THE OTHER END OF TOWN AT THE OPERA HOUSE...

FEBRUARY 27, 2010: Eccentric violinist Nigel Kennedy (UK) made his regular Down Under trip and mixed it up with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra yet again, playing several concertos by Johann Sebastian Bach along with 'classics' by Duke Ellington (!!).  He's certainly becoming more and more liberal and adventurous in his choice of music to play on each tour.

Unlike his previous tours, he played half the program with his skeleton-like electric violin, which is normally reserved for his smaller gigs at the Basement.  I wonder if he'd be daring enough to try and play the intro of AC/DC's Thunderstruck on his electric gear?

AND THEN THERE WAS JEFF BECK...

MARCH 30, 2010: Legendary guitarist Jeff Beck was another big name who returned to Australia this summer.  He'd visited our shores in January last year after more than three decades' absence, and he must have re-discovered the charms of the land Down Under.  On that occasion I tagged along with my amateur guitarist friends who absolutely ADORE Jeff Beck like God, and I must say I liked his mostly instrumental performance.

As we'd only had B Category mezzanine tickets for his 2009 gig, we decided to go for A Category this time and I managed to score front-row seats for the five of us at the Enmore Theatre (yay!!).  To my disgust, however, some of those so-called 'front-row' seats turned out to be 'restricted view' seats - and right in front of my seat was this offending piece of equipment sitting on the stage.  It pretty much blocked the left half of my view and I couldn't see the guitar maestro more than half the time, and couldn't see the drummer AT ALL!  (Wonder if I could get any refund for that??)

The guitarist extraordinaire returned to the stage for encore TWICE - and I was about to scream, "Jeff, gimme your pick!!" when it suddenly occurred me: No, this guy doesn't use guitar picks, does he...

I wouldn't even try to pretend that I'm a Jeff Beck expert.  In fact, there were only TWO songs whose titles I could name correctly - and they were Over The Rainbow (the theme from the Wizard of Oz) and Nessun Dorma (from Puccini's opera Turandot) off his latest album, Emotion & Commotion.  I was mighty impressed with his interpretation of Nessun Dorma; the best Turandot performance I've ever heard live!  Well, if Nigel Kennedy can pull off some rock riffs on his violin, then there's no reason why Jeff Beck can't play classical tunes on his legendary Fender!

MARCH 17, 2010: Tickets for this year's State of Origin 2 at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium went on sale this morning at 9:00a.m. Australian Eastern Standard Time - which was actually 10:00a.m. in New South Wales on the Daylight Saving Time.  Since it was Queensland's only home game in the three-match series this year, demand for the tickets from the Maroons supporters was expected to be sky-high - so I went to the Ticketek outlet at Theatre Royal, nice and early at 8:45a.m. AEDT to secure one for myself.

About a dozen or so Maroons supporters in the queue waited patiently for the sale time, but just after nine o'clock we all started to see some worrying signs: parents with young kids started to trickle into the Theatre to pick up their tickets or to make last-minute purchase for the Dora the Explorer show, and that trickle soon became a mini-flood.  According to the venue staff, the one-off Dora show was to start at 10:00a.m. (...now talk about the timing!) and the whole joint resembled a parking lot for prams, with excited kids screaming and running around everywhere.

When Origin tickets finally went on sale at ten o'clock, some latecomers were still picking up their Dora tickets - thus chaotic scenes ensued at the Ticketek counter, with Maroons supporters desperately trying to win scrummage with young parents.  Needless to say, the whole ticketing process was delayed a fair bit and, as a result, we just couldn't afford to be picky about the location of our seats.  In the end, we were like: "Just give me tickets, ANYWHERE in the stands!!!"  And I'm sure the 'Sold Out' sign was hanging for Origin 2 not long after that...

NOW, TWO WEEKS AFTER THE DORA-GATE...

MARCH 30, 2010: At 9:00a.m. NSW time (thank God for that!), tickets for the Origin 1 and 3 games at ANZ Stadium went on sale to the general public.  Fortunately, there was no Dora show to contend with this time, and I was the first to arrive at the same Ticketek outlet at 8:15a.m.  I'd expected an even longer queue for the tickets from the home team supporters, but I just had to laugh when nobody else turned up until nine o'clock.  (No wonder Tommy Raudonikis has to scream in that radio ad to "get behind the New South Wales Blues...")

This time I was able to get a ticket for Origin 3 in a bay near the Queensland Supporters area as I'd originally planned.  And thank God that I don't live in Queensland, where the competition for those Origin tickets is a lot fiercer...

FEBRUARY 13, 2010: A new chapter has been added to Australia's rugby league history today.  The first ever game between the Indigenous All Stars and the NRL All Stars was held at Skilled Park on the Gold Coast - the home ground of Titans indigenous veteran Preston Campbell, who came up with this All Stars concept.  Not to miss this historic opportunity, I decided to have a weekend away on the Gold Coast and off I went.

I think rugby league officials and event promoters seriously underestimated the marketability of the Indigenous All Stars.  I was hoping to get hold of an Indigenous jersey, training T-shirt and singlet, and went looking for them as soon as I arrived in Surfers Paradise.  But I just couldn't find ANY Indigenous stuff to speak of!

Surfers Paradise is full of surf shops but not particularly known for sporting goods stores, so I tried Rebel Sport at Pacific Fair - a ginormous shopping complex in Broadbeach.  To my dismay, however, they'd already sold their last Indigenous item, and all they had left were NRL All Stars jerseys.  When I asked one of the shop assistants: "You've run out of Indigenous stuff, have you?" she quipped: "Everyone has!"

I then tried my luck at one of the merchandise kiosks at Skilled Park, but most of the Indigenous gear had already sold out there as well.  I was lucky (and small) enough to grab one of the few remaining 'kids size' jerseys, but many people simply missed out.

Now, here's my secret tip: if you happen to live in Sydney and are desperate for Indigenous items, head straight to Mick Simmons in George Street, opposite the Queen Victoria Building.  As of February 18, they still had some Indigenous jerseys, T-shirts and singlets left, but you'd better hurry!

THE NIGHT AUSTRALIA TURNED BLACK

Needless to say, the crowd at the game was VERY MUCH pro-Indigenous.  At the Pacific Fair bus terminal, a line almost as long as the length of football field was formed for the free shuttle service to the venue, but I could not spot a single soul sporting NRL All Stars outfit.  Poor old NRL players would have been forgiven if they thought they were playing on foreign soil!

It would have been very interesting if a census was carried out at Skilled Park on the night, for I got the impression that around 90% of the 26,687-strong crowd were Indigenous people and the remaining 10% were their white relatives, cousins and in-laws!

I'd secured myself a front-row seat near what I call 'Justin Hodges Corner' (although he didn't play this time because of injury!).  However, a guy was already sitting in my seat when I arrived there, and he just wouldn't want to surrender it because he wanted to sit tight with his favorite cousins.

In the end, we agreed to swap our seats and I somehow ended up about ten seats down, in the midst of his extended clan of about 15 or so Irish-Australian gents and their Aboriginal offspring and in-laws!!  Since I'm highly unlikely to pass as white, I pretended as if one of my parents were also Aboriginal and barracked for the Indigenous team with them.

It was a hilarious experience, and I really enjoyed chatting with my companions of the night.  As we would discover in the course of our conversation, the guy from Sydney who was sitting next to me, even knew this Japanese rugby league player - my acquaintance who'd once lived and played in Sydney!!  (You'd be amazed how small the world has become nowadays...!!)

The All Star concept was a resounding success.  It was only meant to be a pre-season exhibition game but obviously they forgot to tell that to the players - particularly those on the Indigenous side.  They played as if this was their grand final, and the standard of the game was as high as State of Origin.

And the funniest post-try celebration I've ever seen came only three minutes into the match by none other than 35-year-old indigenous veteran Wendell Sailor - a 'larger-than-life' league character - in his farewell match.  After scoring a four-pointer off five-eighth Scott Prince's grubber kick, good old Wendell pulled out the corner post and started an impromptu didgeridoo performance while his teammates danced around him.  And it happened right next to where I was sitting!!

This unique match was contested in four quarters instead of two halves, and the Indigenous side led 10 - 0 at halftime with a try each to Sailor and young redhead Ben Jones.  The NRL side then hit back with three tries by Josh Morris, Benji Marshall and Michael Jennings, leading for the first time by 12 - 10.  With just a few minutes to go, it looked like they were going to bag this very first All Stars honor.

But the Indigenous boys weren't finished yet.  Halfback Johnathan Thurston threw a cheeky 'wrap-around-a-player' pass while being tackled, and interchange Jamie Soward sprinted off to seal the famous victory by 16 - 12.

MY 'SLIDING DOOR' MOMENT

The only disappointment of the night for me was that I couldn't take my camera inside the stadium and, as such, I ended up with NO photos to tell the tale afterwards.  Being a photographer by profession, I don't have any compact camera, so I took my smallest SLR camera to the stadium.  Ordinarily, it wouldn't cause a slightest stir at venues like Sydney Football Stadium, ANZ or Suncorp Stadium - but obviously that's not the case at Skilled Park.  I wasn't really impressed when told by security to leave my SLR camera in the cloakroom, while many other people were snapping whatever they liked with their so-called compact cameras (and you'd be damned to learn what these tiny cameras can do these days...).

I saw other people with SLRs also being stopped by security at the gate.  I would have appreciated if someone had at least warned us interstate punters BEFOREHAND so we could have arranged Plan B before boarding our respective flights...

But you'd have to admire sometimes what a chain of coincidences can do to you.  Back in Sydney a couple of days later, I was flipping through the sports section of the Sunday Telegraph when I spotted a small photo of Wendell Sailor blowing a makeshift 'didgeridoo' - and in the background, although partially obscured, was ME!!

I just had to laugh at this remarkable fortune; if I hadn't swapped my seat with that guy, I wouldn't have ended up in the picture!  It was just like one of those scenes in the movie Sliding Doors, where a little decision you make or a little delay here and there could completely change the course of your life thereafter.  Now at least I have something to prove that I was there when Wendell scored THAT try!

The first ever All Stars match was truly entertaining, and it's definitely a fixture to stay in the rugby league calendar.  And I've already penciled in another Gold Coast trip in my diary for next year.

NOVEMBER 2009: Am I the only traveler to Thailand that questions the logicality of operations at Suvarnabhumi - Bangkok's three-year-old international airport?  It is absolutely humongous and boasts some six wings and seven terminal concourses, but the process of boarding (or leaving) your aircraft there is nowhere near as simple as it should be.

I've visited Thailand twice since this airport opened its doors in 2006, and each time I boarded my flight, I had to get on a shuttle bus from my boarding gate along, say, Concourse E - only to be carried ALL THE WAY to the waiting aircraft on the tarmac near Concourse A, on the other end of this enormous building.  Ditto for leaving the aircraft after landing; you'd have to take a sightseeing tour around the terminals on a shuttle bus before finally reaching the exit gate.

Even more fascinating is, at Suvarnabhumi, you will need to clear the security check TWICE before you board your aircraft - first at the general screening area, and then at your boarding gate.  This means that you can't get a bottle of drinking water, or any other liquid/gel/cream in excess of 100ml, from the numerous shops inside the terminal.  ...Then why on earth did they bother to locate all these duty free shops between those security checkpoints in the first place?!?!?!

IN THE MEANTIME, AT MELBOURNE'S TULLAMARINE AIRPORT...

DECEMBER 15, 2009: When I visited Melbourne for Bruce Kulick's solo tour, Virgin Blue's computer system crashed BIG TIME at Tullamarine Airport and my flight back to Sydney was also affected by it.  I had already checked in and was about to board my aircraft when this problem occurred.  The cabin crew now had to manually write down each passenger's name, their seat number, and how many bags they'd checked in - and this process took FOREVER.

In the end, my flight was delayed by two and a half hours.  Still, I was one of the lucky ones; most of the later flights were simply canceled and all the affected passengers had to stay in Melbourne for an extra night.  I now have a renewed respect for the humble barcode...

FEBRUARY 1, 2010: Yes, it's this time of year... when I pretend to be the No.1 tennis fan in the world and watch the Australian Open on TV for two weeks.  After all, January is pretty much the only month we Aussie inhabitants can watch tennis LIVE at decent enough hours of the day or the evening!

Now it is kind of becoming my annual tradition to draw some inspiration from the tournament and make an illustration out of it.  This year, though, men's singles winner Roger Federer is a notable absentee from my drawing.  Instead, it's the major 'casualties' who have the honor of appearing in my own 'Archibald' exhibition on the Photo Gallery page.

If you didn't follow the whole tournament, you probably won't get the joke - but to those who did, it might provide a bit of a laugh...  There's poor No.3 seed Novak Djokovic, who suffered an upset stomach and had to dash to the toilet to throw up during his quarter-final match against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.  Usually 'happy' Marcos Baghdatis, who wasn't smiling for once when he had to retire from the third-round match against Lleyton Hewitt because of a shoulder injury.  The defending men's singles champion Rafael Nadal, who was also forced to quit after injuring his knee in his quarter-final encounter with the eventual runner-up, Andy Murray.  ...And then there's Kim Clijsters - the reigning US Open women's singles champion - who suffered a rather uncharacteristic 0 - 6, 1 - 6 loss in her third-round match against Nadia Petrova!

Looking at those players, I've noticed a rather peculiar thing: all four of them share the same star sign of Gemini.  You could also add to the list another Gemini in Venus Williams - who pretty much self-destructed by committing 11 double faults and some 53 unforced errors in the quarters against China's rising star, Li Na.  Is it just a pure coincidence... or can any astrologer explain this weird phenomenon??

JANUARY 2010: Wow, the first decade of this millennium flew past so quickly!  Now we officially say “Goodbye” to the naughties and “Welcome” to the year 2010.  …Then will this new decade be the well-behaveds?  I don’t think so…

DECEMBER 24, 2009: Bruce Kulick - ex-KISS and current Grand Funk Railroad lead guitarist - visited our shores once again on a whirlwind Australian tour to support his latest solo album, BK3.  The mini Down Under tour kicked off with his 'birthday gig' in Adelaide on December 12, and continued on to Sydney (Dec.13) and Melbourne (Dec.14).

BK3 - which also features guest musicians including KISS bassist Gene Simmons and his son Nick - will go on sale internationally on February 2, 2010.  Some of my live photos, taken at Bruce's Sydney and Melbourne shows, are now posted on his official website.

OFFICIAL BRUCE KULICK SITE:
MESSAGE FROM BRUCE (Go to the 2009 Message Archive below for his own tour report)
http://www.kulick.net/message/archive09.shtml
AUSTRALIA TOUR 2009 PHOTO ALBUM (My photos are mostly in the bottom six rows)
http://www.kulick.net/photoalbum/australia2009/

UPDATED FEBRUARY 4, 2010: I've now added several new albums to my Photo Gallery.  As my Photo Gallery still has some idiosyncrasies due to technical glitches, I've tentatively added just a few pix in each album for now.

By the way, if any of you viewers happen to find image/s of yourself in my Photo Gallery but don't want it/them displayed on the site, please DO let me know before suing me, OK?  (In that case, I'll remove the photo/s in question ASAP!)  Cheers, and enjoy the pix!

SPECIAL THANKS TO THE FOLLOWING PARTIES who have personally given their blessing for me to post their images on this blog:
Wayne Gardner; Kevin Schwantz; Six Hours; Stand; and Marshall Humphreys & People on Atiu, The Cook Islands

UPDATED PHOTO ALBUMS

NEW!! The Aussie Open Tennis Trilogy (February 4/2010)

NEW!! 2006 Beach Footy (October 12/2009)

NEW!! 2008 Australian F1-GP (October 12/2009)

NEW!! 2008 Rugby League World Cup (October 12/2009)

NEW!! 2009 NRL Season That Was (October 12/2009)

* NOTE: The Nepal Himalaya Album is currently being moved from the bottom of the Gallery to the top.
* WARNING: The Cook Islands Album contains images of real human skulls and is not recommended for the faint-hearted.

OCTOBER 4, 2009: The Melbourne Storm has made it to the National Rugby League grand final four years in a row - at the expense of my beloved Brisbane Broncos (having lost their halfback Peter Wallace to injury, they were soundly beaten 40 - 10 by Melbourne in their preliminary final clash the previous weekend).  So I jumped on the Storm bandwagon now and attended this year's decider to support my second favorite team.  ...Let's just say I consider these two teams 'interstate brothers', and I decided to represent the Broncos outfit on this occasion!  In any case, if my first preferred option does not quite work out, I'm always prepared to take full advantage of Plan B...

Melbourne's opponents on the night were the Parramatta Eels who call ANZ Stadium - the grand final venue - their backyard, and pretty much the whole joint was YELLOW.  And poor old Storm supporters formed purple patches in the stands - well, quite literally.  But they were the ones that had the last laugh.

Parramatta had enjoyed a remarkable late-season surge from the third last place to reach the grand final, but their dream run ended just short of a fairytale premiership (and bookmakers' nightmare), with the Storm prevailing by 23 - 16.  I won't delve into the match itself here, for you should have watched and/or read about it in detail elsewhere in the media by now.

What knocked me around - again, quite literally - was the post-match supporters function held by the Melbourne Storm.  The club booked Acer Arena (yes, Acer Arena, no less!!) next door for their function this year, and the floor was packed with exuberant fans, mostly from south of the Victorian border.

Clad in my Storm jersey, I slipped into the venue pretending as if I were the biggest Melbourne supporter in the world (and I had to hide my Broncos scarf in my bag, of course).  A six-piece live band kicked off the event and entertained the gathered fans with an endless medley of hit songs, including Bon Jovi's Livin' On A Prayer, Working Class Man by Jimmy Barnes, Duran Duran's Hungry Like The Wolf, You Can't Stop The Music by Village People... and (Simply) The Best - made synonymous with rugby league ever since Tina Turner appeared in the game's promotions back in the nineties.  And Melburnians ROCK, loudly singing along - and they sure know how to party!!

At around 9:00p.m. Melbourne's euphoric under-20's side appeared on stage with their Toyota Cup trophy - which they claimed after defeating the Wests Tigers in a tight 24 - 22 win in the decider, making it a double celebration for the club.

And then some more music and dancing followed while the fans patiently waited for the 'main act' to come on stage.  Originally, the post-match function had been scheduled from 7:30 - 10:00p.m. but it was already 10:15p.m. when the Storm's NRL squad finally arrived at Acer Arena.  Well, it wasn't as bad as a certain Axl Rose of Guns N' Roses fame, but still...

At the first sight of their heroes, the fans just went WILD... like at any major concert.  I was foolhardy enough to be right in front of the stage, which I later realized wasn't particularly a good idea.  Someone behind me splashed his beer all over the place in jubilation, and I copped most of it over my head.  With my hair and my camera dripping with stinking beer, I was squashed solid by big, crazy men amid sweat and body odor.  I am just amazed that I survived it all without shedding any blood and tears...!

I'd thought there wouldn't be anything worse than the front-row audience at a Velvet Revolver gig, but the Storm supporters beat 'em all...  After all, those are the people from the city where the world's one-and-only KISS Symphony was recorded, and where many big-name international rock acts tend to schedule one more show than in Sydney.

The Storm players were treated like rock stars on the night, though I must say their impromptu performance of We Are The Champions was rather out of tune...  After much high-fiving with the fans, halfback Cooper Cronk was the last one to leave the stage - unleashing the inner rock star in him and savoring every moment of it.  It is unclear, however, if any of the players were allowed to invite groupies into their hotel rooms afterwards...

Despite my near-death experience (NOT!), I am hoping to attend another such function in 12 months' time - hopefully with the Broncos.  However, judging by their fans' passion I witnessed at this year's Origin 3, I'm wondering if that would be a suicidal act...

Bruce Kulick – ex-KISS and current Grand Funk Railroad lead guitarist – has recently announced his upcoming Australian tour in December to support his latest solo album, BK3.  It is his third solo disc as the title suggests, and features guest artists including Knack lead vocalist Doug Fielder, KISS drummer Eric Singer, Union/ESP bandmate John Corabi, and father-and-son combination of KISS bassist Gene Simmons and his offspring Nick.

Bruce's three shows – to be held in Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne – will be a mouth-watering smorgasbord of KISS songs from the Bruce Kulick era (1984 - 1996) and some brand-new tunes off the BK3 album.  Copies of BK3 will be available exclusively at the shows ahead of its worldwide debut.  Tickets are now on sale at the venues and outlets below.

ADELAIDE (Saturday, December 12, 2009)
Fowlers Live
www.fowlerslive.com.au

SYDNEY (Sunday, December 13, 2009)
The Gaelic Theatre
www.thegaelic.com

For Adelaide and Sydney tickets, contact Moshtix:
TEL: 1300-438-849
www.moshtix.com.au

MELBOURNE (Monday, December 14, 2009)
The Corner Hotel
TEL: (03) 9427-9198
www.thecornerhotel.com

OFFICIAL BRUCE KULICK SITE:
http://www.kulick.net

SEPTEMBER 7, 2009: Maytheforcebwithme - my fantasy NRL team in the Daily Telegraph SuperCoach competition - has finished the 2009 season in 4,856th position out of the eventual 92,716 teams.  That's just outside the top 5% - not a bad effort for a first-year entrant.

Andrew 'Joey' Johns - one of the modern legends of the game from Newcastle - was also involved in the comp and writing a weekly column on his team 'Joey's Mob' in the Daily Telegraph, so I started out aiming to emulate his team.  However, it soon became obvious that his mob was struggling, and I had a sheer pleasure in outscoring his team on a regular basis.  Sorry, Joey... but you just have to forget your sentiment for the Knights and New South Wales players - get more Queenslanders and Kiwis involved!!

What I found out during my debut season was that this game was more akin to studying the stock market than just juggling the starting roster each week, and that it required a fair bit of research on the player stats on a regular basis.

Below is my player line-up at the completion of the final round, but it is VERY different from the team I fielded in Round 1, for I have used up all of my 30 trades - the maximum number allocated for the entire season.  Only eight of my original members (denoted here in upper case) have survived the ax, and here's the verdict on each player:

No.1 - BILLY SLATER (Storm): My durable QLD and Australian fullback played 23 club matches out of the possible 24 despite his heavy representative duties.  Was ranked third behind Dally M winner Jarryd Hayne (Eels) and NSW captain Kurt Gidley (Knights) in the fullback position, but - as his real-life coach Craig Bellamy says - I won't swap him with anybody else!

No.2 - Dane Nielsen (Storm): His was a real Cinderella story.  He was one of the three youngsters I got late in the season (more on that below) and I didn't expect any of them to see too much game time in the NRL this year.  That was until Nielsen replaced Storm's star center Greg Inglis - who was stood down following his assault allegations - and did more than a respectable job.  Obviously, Storm coach Craig Bellamy recognized his potential as well and kept him on the starting side when Inglis made his return from a two-week sabbatical.  Judging solely by his name, I'd kind of imagined Dane to be of Scandinavian descent with blond hair, etc. - but my Google search later revealed that he's actually a cool-looking indigenous young man from Queensland!  Highly promising.

No.3 - JAMAL IDRIS (Bulldogs): Takes out the 'Absolute Bargain of the Year' gong (and his Mickey Mouse locks get the 'Hairdo of the Year' title, narrowly beating Eel Fuifui Moimoi's 'beads 'do').  I got Jamal dirt-cheap (for just $92,400) at the beginning of the season and put him on my starting roster right from Round 1, and he duly delivered with two tries against Manly.  Went missing a couple of times through injury and club suspension (for punching his Dogs teammate Ben Barba!) but was still valuable enough to keep him on my squad.  Didn't get much football towards the end of the season, though, as Josh Morris and Bryson Goodwin on the left side were having so much fun at the Dogs (bugger!).

No.4 - JUSTIN HODGES (Broncos): Like Idris, Justin often went AWOL mid-season due to a couple of injuries as well as his international and QLD Origin commitments.  But when he DID play, he was averaging 56 points per game - which is excellent for centers and wingers - and that's when he wasn't even scoring tries himself!  Probably the most hated player by NSW supporters, but I'm an unabashed Justin Hodges fan and he will again be the first player I'll pick for my squad next season.

No.5 - Bryson Goodwin (Bulldogs): Undisputed 'Discovery of the Year'.  Virtually unknown before the season, this guy scored 19 tries in the regular season - just three short of the top try-scorer Brett Morris (Dragons) on 22.  Currently being courted by the New Zealand Rugby League for their upcoming Four Nations squad, for his grandma was a Maori.  The big question is, can he perform the haka?

No.6 - Terry Campese (Raiders): He might have been dropped from the NSW Origin squad after just one game, but was one of the most reliable five-eighths and finished fourth on the ladder for that category.  I hope the NSW selectors would give him another chance next year... but then maybe not.  If I pick him again for my team in 2010, I'd rather that he stay away from Origin!

No.7 - Johnathan Thurston (Cowboys): I got this Australian and QLD halfback only after the Origin series, but he made a considerable impact on my squad's performance.  His points fluctuated a bit, though, depending on the Cowboys' results.  Nevertheless, he finished the season with a big bang, scoring a massive 145 points in the final round against the Roosters - this year's wooden spooners.  It sure pays to have the best player in the world on your side.

No.8 - Ben Hannant (Bulldogs): I recruited this hardworking QLD forward as soon as he recovered from the injury he'd suffered in his Origin 2 heroics.  However, 'Polar Bear' succumbed to yet another injury and only managed to put in five games for me in the end.  Was very expensive, too - although he was worth every cent of the price tag when he did play.  Will be high up on my shopping list next year.

No.9 - Robbie Farah (Tigers): Like Terry Campese, poor old Farah ended up as a NSW Origin reject after two games, but was peerless among the front-rowers in this Fantasy comp and finished fifth in the Overall Player Rankings.  Averaged a staggering 78 points per game, which was at least six points more than anybody else in the front-row position.  Can't go past this hooker with silky ball skills.

No.10 - SAM THAIDAY (Broncos): Had a bit of an up-and-down season and, to be honest, I didn't quite know what to make of Slammin' Sam's form!  Infamously recorded 'one run for one meter' in the Round 14 match against the Bulldogs (if I recall correctly), and picked up an injury in Origin 3, which didn't help his cause in his club commitments, either.  Somehow bounced back from his mid-season slump to finish strongly towards the business end of the season.

No.11 - COREY PARKER (Broncos): Was the very picture of consistency and put in 110% effort in every single match he played.  (If you were to put your money on a racehorse, it would pay to pick an honest type, right?)  I was really grateful the QLD Origin selectors kept their hands off this guy.  A great asset especially during the Origin period, also sharing captaincy with my other second-rowers.  And he can kick goals, too!

No.12 - Bronson Harrison (Raiders) & No.13 - David Stagg (Bulldogs): I recruited the pair of them together prior to Round 3 before their prices jumped out of reach, and that has proved to be a masterstroke.  Along with Parker above, my second-rowers were rock-solid since.  Ex-bench players at the Tigers and the Broncos respectively until last year, they really blossomed into full-fledged starting forwards at their new clubs.  The 'Revelation of the Year' without a doubt, Stagg was my regular captain, while young Kiwi international Harrison was my vice-captain on many occasions.  Harrison and Stagg finished the season at No.1 and No.3 respectively in the Overall Player Rankings, with Parker splitting them at No.2.  I even had the luxury of benching QLD Origin enforcer Michael Crocker!

[Interchange]
No.14 - Jharal Yow Yeh (Broncos): I got this teenage sensation just before Round 2 as an understudy to Billy Slater.  Only saw a limited time in the NRL in the first half of the year but showed some sparkling display towards the pointy end of the season.  Should be much better for the run in 2010.

No.15 - Daniel Mortimer (Eels): Making his NRL debut mid-season, the rise and rise of this Mortimer pup was nothing short of remarkable.  Had the Dally M Rookie of the Year award been judged on the latter half of the season, he would have bumped Jamal Idris off his honor for sure.  Big future ahead.

No.16 - Paul Aiton (Panthers): This product of Papua New Guinea was a real surprise package.  I acquired him merely as a backup during the Origin period, but he was scoring solid points with such consistency I ended up keeping him for the rest of the year!  I'm sure the Panthers will realize what a big mistake it was to release him to the Sharks next year...

No.17 - ADAM BLAIR (Storm): This young Kiwi international started the season absolutely on fire on the afterburner of New Zealand's 2008 World Cup success, before running out of steam a bit in the end.  Survived my ax only because he was not expensive enough to swap with another high-scoring player.  What he needs is another successful Kiwis campaign in the Four Nations series later this year!

[Rest of the Squad]
No.18 - MANU VATUVEI & No.19 - Simon Mannering (both Warriors): 'The Beast' Manu probably suffered from the Warriors' indifferent form this season, but always went looking for the ball and got a couple of tries even in a losing match - practically dragging the rest of the team along.  Ditto for Mannering, who worked his backside off for the Auckland team in tough times.  Both of them picked up injuries and disappeared in the final few rounds but, being Kiwis, proved more than handy during the Origin period.

No.20 - Alex Glenn (Broncos): Broncos under-20s Toyota Cup captain last year, this young Kiwi utility almost slipped under the radar into the NRL comp this year.  Didn't exactly set the world on fire but made solid contribution week in, week out, either starting or playing off the bench in all but one game for the Broncos.  International duties beckon - sooner rather than later.

No.21 - DARREN LOCKYER (Broncos): Didn't do much point-wise (sorry, Locky!), but he is my hero and I just had to keep him for the sake of having the Australian/Queensland/Broncos captain on my squad!!

No.22 - Michael Crocker (Rabbitohs): I recruited him when he rejoined the NRL comp mid-season after his UK working visa was denied for his English Super League switch, and he didn't disappoint - until he suffered a long-term ankle injury in Round 23.  Still, he'd require a huge effort to crack into my starting side!

No.23 - Nathan Hindmarsh (Eels): Was the very last player I hired before Round 22 to boost my team's point-scoring capacity.  Had a bit of a hiccup in the final round when he succumbed to a shoulder injury (which was disguised as a 'mystery toe injury' at the time), and that's the only reason why he's not listed on my 17 above!  Made solid contribution in a handful of matches he played for me, finishing fourth in the Overall Player Rankings.

No.24 - Guy Williams (Broncos) & No.25 - Kayne 'The Hunk' Lawton (Titans): Along with Dane Nielsen, I got these inexpensive youngsters late in the season so that I could then afford more expensive players.  I got a big laugh, though, when I did a bit of research on Kayne Lawton: the first thing that came up on Google was a series of his 'almost-nude' photos under the banner of "Gods of Football"...  Needless to say, I recruited him right there and then!  He takes out the 'Hottest Player on My Squad' title hands down!

My special thanks go to Wendell Sailor (Dragons) for adding considerable character (and handy points!) to my squad for the first half of the season.  Also, big 'Thank-youse' to Cooper Cronk (Storm), Benji Marshall (Tigers) and Russell Packer (Warriors) for holding the house together mid-season when my rep players went missing for their Origin duties.  The same applies to Tom Learoyd-Lahrs (Raiders) - until he himself reported for NSW duty in Origin 3.

Young guns such as Joseph Tomane (Storm), Kevin Gordon (Titans), Jake Friend (Roosters) and Broderick Wright (Eels) proved to be quite valuable mid-season.  Although these up-and-comers will no longer be dirt-cheap at the start of next season...

I am rather mystified by recent reports in a certain Sydney tabloid about alleged 'late-night kebab prowl' and 'drug allegations' against some of the Brisbane Broncos/Queensland rugby league players.  Those stories were sensationally splashed all over the Daily Telegraph for a couple of days - and then vanished just as quickly as they appeared when it became obvious that they were nothing but some cooked-up fabrications by certain journalists of theirs.

...But HANG ON A MINUTE.  The publisher of the newspaper in question is Nationwide News, who in turn owns about two-thirds of the Broncos' parent company.  So, technically, those journos were bagging THEIR OWN TEAM, scandalizing every little detail of the players' so-called 'misbehavior'.  What benefit does that bring to both parties, then?  What in hell were they trying to achieve - to incriminate the act of eating kebab at night?  Is this some kind of Sydney/New South Wales conspiracy against the Queensland team??  I REALLY DON'T GET IT...

P.S. - If they seriously want to outlaw late-night kebab-eating, then they should pitch that to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who just happens to be a Broncos supporter...

PROLOGUE: When I bade farewell to my workmates on the eve of my State of Origin 3 trip to Brisbane, one of them - a New South Wales supporter - groaned: "I'm soooo... over the Origin now!"  There... that's the problem for NSW; their fans have given up on their team because Queensland has already wrapped up the series in Game 2.  However, the said NSW supporter defiantly claimed: "They keep changing their players, so we don't know who to support!"  Well, I think she's got a point there... (Take note, NSWRL selectors!)

WEDNESDAY, JULY 15, 2009: Upon my arrival in Brisbane, the manager of my accommodation - clad in QLD jersey - saw my Maroons outfit and said, "Now, you are wearing the right gear!"  He and his wife suggested that I leave a bit early for Suncorp Stadium - QLD's home venue proper - and go via the famous (or notorious) Caxton Street to soak up the true QLD Origin atmosphere.

Brisbane's Caxton Street is a relatively short street that leads to the northern end of Suncorp Stadium.  It is lined with nothing but pubs and nightclubs, and for several hours before an Origin match, a sea of Maroon jerseys claim the ownership of the whole street, drinking God knows how many schooners of XXXX (Four-ex) beer.  You'd have to be a very brave soul to be wearing NSW gear on this strip, for they would start booing you at a slightest hint of sky blue.  I also spotted a Manly fan who seemed to be suffering a bit of an identity crisis, but at least he was relatively safe - if only for the maroon color of his fave team.

Unlike the divided crowds in Melbourne for Origin 1 (see separate entry elsewhere on this blog), I didn't see a single NSW jersey in the Brisbane CBD on the game day.  An elderly lady in Queen Street Mall quipped: "You better be hiding if you are a NSW supporter!!"

QUEST FOR CAFE LATTE AT SUNCORP

During this Origin week, Brisbane was experiencing a rather severe cold snap, and as soon as the sun went down, the temperature plummeted as well.  Despite the five layers of clothing on me, I nearly froze to death watching the curtain-raiser match, so I decided to grab some hot food and drink before the main game.  To my dismay, however, the shops inside the stadium were only selling beer and cold drinks, and I just could not find a humble cup of coffee anywhere!  I asked several shop attendants and security guards if they knew where I could find coffee, and their answers were more or less the same: "Oh, there's a coffee shop somewhere for sure, but I'm not sure exactly where..."

So I set out on my desperate quest for a bloody cup of coffee, circumnavigating the entire venue and passing millions of public bars and beer outlets along the way, before finally locating an espresso bar - which was nothing more than a tiny stall - at the northern end of the stadium.  Amazing... Queenslanders must drink beer, and beer only, even in the middle of winter!  Now I was beginning to understand why people from south of the border call those beer-swigging Queenslanders 'bogans'.  But if that's the case, I'd probably be counted as one of them on the basis of being a Maroons supporter, wouldn't I...

BRING IT ON!  TRUE COLORS OF ORIGIN REVEALED

I'd made my 'debut' at Suncorp Stadium - as a spectator - last September when my beloved Brisbane Broncos were beaten by the Melbourne Storm in the final minute of their sudden-death semi-final clash (again, see separate story on this blog).  But this was my first Origin experience on QLD's home turf, and I was suitably excited.

...Well, they don't call this place 'The Cauldron' for no reason.  Roars of "QUEENSLANDAH!!" from the home crowd echoed through the stadium, and they booed the Blues players with gusto if there was a slightest sign of infringement by them.

QLD opened the score first, with a somewhat controversial 'torso try' by lock Dallas Johnson - who looks more and more like Wolverine by the day (NSW may have David 'Wolfman' Williams, but QLD has its own wolfman, too!).  Unlike their two previous outings, though, this NSW side looked pretty good right from the start, and they soon got the upper hand with tries to second rower Ben Creagh and winger Williams.

To cut a long story short, NSW would never relinquish their lead from that point on, and won the match rather comfortably in the end.  But what distinguished this encounter as one of the most memorable in Origin history had nothing to do with the result or quality of the game.  It was the fiery clashes and sparks in the dying minutes that were megawatts brighter than the finale of Sydney's New Year's Eve fireworks...

My own highlights included QLD center Justin Hodges' acrobatic no-try, where he pounced onto the ball like a big cat trying to capture its prey - and a rather surprising punch-up between NSW interchange forward Brett White and 35-year-old QLD prop Steve Price close to full time.  I was fully expecting some sort of scuffle involving QLD's firebrand Michael Crocker and feisty NSW rookie Michael Ennis at some stage, but it was a $151.00 outsider Price who got into trouble first.

As he admitted later on, he'd never been involved in a fight in his long rugby league career until now, so it was no surprise he came second best and got knocked out cold.  One thing is sure now: don't expect to find any boxing scouts knocking on Pricey's door when he finally hangs up his footy boots...

This incident sparked a melee involving about half the players from both sides, and the moment it got out of hand, EVERY Maroons player, and EVERY QLD supporter - myself included - promptly forgot what the score was, and the focus swiftly shifted to revenge with a capital R.  Even as I write this report now, I still can't tell the final score off the top of my head.  No-one played football during the final minute of the match; it was just a stream of abuse, pushes and shoves that would have done Reg Reagan proud, and the crowd - again, myself included - ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!!!  A total of three players - two from NSW - were marched off the field, but it was purely academic this late in the game.

So, the Maroons lost Game 3, but their fans were still quite jovial after the match.  I've never before seen such happy supporters of a losing side, and I've never been THIS happy after seeing my team lose...!  With an Origin experience at Suncorp under my belt, you can call me an apprentice bogan now.  I still sip my latte and chardonnay all right, but I'm getting there...

EPILOGUE - THURSDAY, JULY 16, 2009: The morning after this historic Origin battle, a large photo of Justin Hodges' spectacular no-try was splashed all over the Courier Mail and the Gold Coast Bulletin - QLD papers for the losing side.  On the same day, a huge photo of a rescued British backpacker - who had been missing in the Blue Mountains for 12 days - was on the front page of the Daily Telegraph, and the news of NSW's gutsy Origin win was relegated to a small banner at the bottom of the newspaper.  I felt rather sorry for the Blues boys, but their timing was a bit off, I suppose...

P.S. - I've just been reminded of the final score of Origin 3: it was QLD 16 - NSW 28.

JULY 12, 2009: Australian Formula One driver Mark Webber has finally - FINALLY! - won a Grand Prix race in Germany in his 130th start in the category!!  WELL DONE!!!

Much touted as the unluckiest driver EVER to race in Formula One, he has endured a never-ending series of misfortunes that is longer than the River Nile - from engine failures, to tire punctures, electrical gremlins, crashes that are not his fault, and even a road accident off-season in Tasmania late last year.  We motor racing followers had gotten so used to seeing a DNF (Did Not Finish) next to his name in the results that it took some mental adjustment this season when his Red Bull machine started appearing at the pointy end of the field more than a couple of times.

Now I can already hear Roy & HG screaming on Triple M radio: "Mark Webber not only DID NOT DNF... but also finished on the top of the podium overnight... That's disgraceful... absolutely DISGRACEFUL!!!"

I'd say, hot-blooded New South Wales rookie Michael Ennis taking on Queensland's 'usual suspect' Michael Crocker at some stage of 2009 State of Origin 3 is about $1.08.  Likewise, Ennis going toe to toe with Dragons firebrand Neville Costigan is $1.15, while Ennis confronting QLD rookie forward David Shillington is $1.22.  Ennis niggling the original niggler Justin Hodges - his former Broncos teammate - would be around $1.38.  Pity Carl Webb is not in the QLD squad this year...

JUNE 24, 2009: Why does it always have to be Queenslanders that get sick around Origin time???  It was swine flu at Melbourne for Origin 1... and now several Maroons players have been struck down with a mystery stomach virus on the eve of Origin 2 in Sydney!  It's not fair... some New South Wales supporters must have poisoned them!!  Poor old Nate Myles was so desperate to dash off to the toilet he missed out on the post-match celebration.  (Ah... stuff of a legend!)

It didn't really matter in the end, though, as the battered QLD troops have still managed to win both games and wrapped up an unprecedented fourth successive series victory in Origin history.  But I'm now convinced that some of them are going to contract AIDS virus or some other nasties come Origin 3 at Suncorp...

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3, 2009: I flew deep into the AFL (Aussie Rules) territory to attend the first of the 3-match State of Origin series.  I was curious to see how rugby league was faring in this AFL-mad city but, as far as I could see, most Melburnians were blissfully ignorant of the fact that the greatest event on the National Rugby League calendar was about to take place in their backyard.

On the game day, a Wallace made the sports headline on TV news and in the local newspapers - but they were not talking about New South Wales halfback Peter Wallace.  Instead, it was about an AFL coach who was leaving his club mid-season.  The Origin news - normally a front- AND back-page affair in NSW and Queensland - took a back seat, behind all the AFL club match rundown.  ...Amazing.

It was QLD's home game in neutral territory but, according to an usher at Etihad Stadium, a lot more Blues jerseys could be seen in the stands early on.  However, Maroons supporters arrived fashionably late en masse, eventually outnumbering the NSW fans.  ...Well, let's face it: NSW supporters don't even bother turning up for their home games in Sydney, so what chances do they have at an interstate venue?!?!

QLD - the clear favorites and boasting Australian rep players from No.1 through No.10 - duly scored four tries to NSW's one and led 24 - 6 by early in the second half.  I was more than a little concerned during the second half when QLD sort of clocked off and went to sleep a bit, allowing NSW to come back into the game.  (I thought the habit of Broncos players among the Maroons squad might have rubbed off onto their teammates there...!)

In the end, though, QLD proved too strong for the baby Blues - seven of whom had just gone through a baptism of Origin fire.  Trailing 24 - 18, NSW was still trying hard when skipper Kurt Gidley knocked on inside the final minute, and all the QLD supporters breathed a collective sigh of relief.  But the Maroons players were not finished yet, with their winger Darius Boyd adding another try off a scrum play with only 10 seconds to go and making the final score 28 - 18.  The Maroons never stop attacking right until the full-time siren, and that's why I LOVE them.

That night, Origin made the late night sports news on TV - after the AFL news, of course - but failed to figure on the prime time news the following night.  On Thursday morning, some teenage school kid making his AFL debut was on the front page of the Herald-Sun newspaper, and a half-page photo of Maroons star Billy Slater was pushed back to the back page.  ...Amazing.

On the game day, lots of people were seen walking around the CBD in Blues jerseys, but that number was considerably reduced on Thursday morning.  It was a bloody good day to be wearing a QLD jersey indeed...

BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE!!

FRIDAY, JUNE 5, 2009: For once, I want to give the NRL Marketing team a pat on the back for scheduling the Round 13 Melbourne Storm vs. Brisbane Broncos game on the Friday night following Origin 1.  As far as I'm concerned, this has been a stroke of genius on their part - and I'm sure all the Queenslanders (some from as far as Cairns!) who stayed on for the match will agree with me.

Initially, I'd had no intention of traveling to Origin 1, but as soon as I learned that the Storm vs. Bronx game would go ahead on the Friday night after the Origin, I was straight onto the Internet and booking my return flight and accommodation...

The Olympic Park stadium was packed with more than 15,000 fans - most of them sporting the purple of the home team.  Rugby league might still be a minority in Melbourne, but the fans are quite passionate and knowledgeable.  They've even created a song for the Storm/Maroons fullback Billy Slater, which goes: "Su-per, superman; Su-per, superman; Su-per, superman; Su-per Bi-lly Sla-ter!"  Every time Billy "The Kid" makes a line break or flies down the field, the crowd would break into the song, and it was quite entertaining.

Unfortunately for my fave team, the rampaging Storm beat the living daylights out of the under-strength Broncos side.  Skipper Darren Lockyer was rested after his Origin duty, and star center Justin Hodges had already been ruled out after sustaining a knee injury on Wednesday night.  Their senior players tried hard, but it was obvious right from the kick-off that the hapless Broncos, collectively, were running around like a headless chicken...

On the other hand, Storm's four Origin stars all backed up - and how!  The Bronx players were so frustrated that they were even head-butting each other towards the end, with poor old Alex Glenn ending up with a broken nose.  In the end, Brisbane suffered a near-record defeat with the scoreboard reading a rather ridiculous 48 - 4...

But at least it was just a regular round match, and there wasn't the same level of desperation or intensity I'd felt when I'd witnessed their last-minute defeat to the Storm in last year's sudden-death semi-final (see separate entry on this blog for more on that match).  So I still left the stadium light-hearted.  After all, I've got Melbourne's Billy Slater, Cooper Cronk and Adam Blair on my Fantasy NRL squad (a web game with Sydney's the Daily Telegraph) and they scored some handy points for me on the night!

I wore my 2006 Premiership Special Edition Broncos jersey to the game - complete with Lockyer's No.6 on the back.  But a Storm fan spotted it and teased me after the match: "He didn't even play tonight, mate!"  It was not a good night to be wearing a Broncos jersey...

P.S. - AND THEN THERE WAS SWINE FLU... WHAT SWINE FLU?!?!

As I flew into Victoria - the epicenter of swine flu in Australia - I took preventive measures against the flu and wore a mask on my flight as well as at the Origin venue.  However, most locals were doing ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to prevent the disease, and some people even made fun of me at Etihad Stadium, saying: "Swine flu!  That's the first face mask I've seen!!"  It seemed that, unlike Asian countries, the concept of wearing a mask during the flu season was completely foreign in the Australian society.  They seemed so confident that it wouldn't happen to them.

As it turns out, though, Maroons forward Ben Hannant contracted the disease whilst in Melbourne, sending fellow Origin players and team staff into quarantine as a result.  ...So there you go.  If a player can catch it, anyone can, too.  (The night's lesson: Ignore health warnings at your own peril!!)

If anything, interstate visitors were more wary of swine flu than the majority of Melburnians.  ...Now a naughty part of me is resisting the urge to stand up and declare on a crowded bus/train: "People!  I've just come back from Victoria, and I'm going to sneeze...!"

P.P.S. - It's officially been confirmed that Maroons interchange/Broncos fullback Karmichael Hunt has got swine flu as well, forcing the entire Broncos stable into a lockdown mode.  ...Then you might as well rename it "Human Equine Flu"...