Mediocre Matt Must Go: A few statistics on Matthew Elliott’s coaching career, before the butchering begins.

He has a win ratio of 45.1 per cent – one of just two mentors to coach over 200 games and win fewer than 50 per cent of game. His record betters only that of Don Furner.

He has coached 10 seasons and seven finals without a finals win – he is the only coach to coach more than four finals games without a finals win.

He has had a team finish in the top four just twice.

Imagine that you had a high school crush. After an extended period of dancing around the ever-building tension, the moment came when those tensions spilled over. The only problem was that via a series of blunders at critical moments, the results were calamitous. In light of this, you decide to remain ‘just friends’ and go your separate ways relationship-wise.

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.