I see a fair bit of local rugby league in my travels and about this time every year I seem to have the same thoughts.

Some of the local club supporters, who obviously love the game and their team, are the hardest task masters I have ever seen.

Take a game the other day – everything the referee did was wrong. If he penalised the opposition, it was always too late and “they had been doing it all day” or if he had the audacity to penalise their team he “had to be kidding”.

I really do wonder how some supporters can expect a referee to go through a whole game without making a mistake, but also turn a blind eye to players making them.

I continually ask myself how they can expect a referee to give a balanced performance if whatever he does he gets chastised for.

I also often wonder what would happen if supporters actually applauded when a referee penalised their side for an infringement? I guess we will never know the answer to that.

Why are we winning more Olympic medals?

With all due respect to the upcoming Olympics and the wonderfully talented athletes, have you ever wondered why we’ve continually improved in medal counts over the last three or four Olympics?

Sure, we won 58 medals in Sydney, which stands up to the spike we also had in Melbourne in 1956, but even taking that into account there has been a gradual rise in medal tallies which obviously means we are getting better at it.

Or does it mean that many countries that used to dominate have fallen on hard times in regard to their economies and maybe have changed priorities, from national glory to national well-being.

Just out of interest, last Olympics Australia won 49 medals and finished second in medals per capita out of all competing nations, behind the Bahamas, which won a gold and a bronze. Interesting.

From pies to pineapples

I ran into my old mate Rocco “The Working Man’s Friend” Pirrottina and president of the Caloundra Panthers AFL Club.

The last time we met he threw a pie at me; this time he gave me a pineapple with the top on and I think I know why.

Rocco is the only bloke I know who has been yellow-carded by an umpire for wrestling with an opposition player, which all sounds fine except Rocco was the water boy. Something about telling the bloke he couldn’t kick?

Anyway, the high-flying Panthers are having a sports memorabilia and sports panel and spit roast tonight, while next week on Saturday they have a 1988 reunion at their home game.

Ring Rocco for details on 0411607640.

Can’t beat Dud for determination

I was at a game of league the other day, sitting in the car with the heater on because of the pouring rain, and there was a lone Caloundra supporter watching his side go around.

When it cleared a bit and I was brave enough to venture out, I discovered it was Dud Farrow, father of the Sharks’ Chris, and that his determination to support his side wasn’t surprising.

Dud was in the 20/20 weight-loss charity that I was also a part of, and we had a side bet on who would lose the most weight.

Did I mention determination? Dud lost 19 kilos and smashed me. I should have known.