Fantasy sports have revolutionised the way we watch modern athletes play their trade on the sporting field, whether it be baseball, the NFL or more specific to this piece, the Australian Football League. Playing in either Dream Team or Supercoach competition gives participants an interest in a game they would not normally have (the other way is betting in it!). ...

We go to watch sport for many reasons but poetry in action might not seem to be on the list - unless you really think about it.If we are honest, a prime reason we go to most local sporting events is to see our team win. If our friend, son or daughter is playing, it is to enjoy their prowess or to just watch them participate, grow and enjoy team sport, maybe even win. My son’s team had one win in two years playing soccer in our local league. They never gave up and persistence shone through. ...

After the roughies dominated Golden Slipper day, I thought it would be a good idea to point punters into a simple way of finding value when your having a down Saturday. It just so happens that if you have a little bit of cash left by Saturday night, you might be able to get out. Just keep your phone handy.In 2011, TV sport fans are bombarded by betting information and in the AFL competition lies an opportunity for punters to beat the bookies: by betting in the run. ...

Those of us unlucky enough not to forge a career as a sportsperson will often seek an alternative route when it comes to entering the sporting industry. Sadly, the road leading to a career in sports journalism however is becoming blocked by the very stars who ply their trade in the sporting arena. ...

The role of the sporting official is a long and thankless task.  Whether you a football referee, AFL or netball umpire it doesn’t matter, the premise is the same.  The preparation you go through week in, week out to perform at your best, physically and mentally you have to be at your best every week. ...

Etihad games may have to be moved - AFLPA - by Will Brodie at SMH The AFL Players Association wants the AFL to consider relocating games from Etihad Stadium if the venue's surface does not improve. ...

Essendon break their drought with three point win over North Melbourne. By Sam Lienert @ foxsports ...

The F1 season continues this weekend with the German GP at Hockenheim, some 100km south of Frankfurt. BACKGROUND The German F1 GP has been part of the F1 championship since 1950 and other than one-off races in Berlin (1959) and Hockenheimring (1970), the GP was held on Nurburgring's Nordschleife until 1976. Following Niki Lauda's near fatal crash in 1976, the GP again returned to Hockenheimring in 1977 and continued to be held there each year until 1985 (one-off return to Nurburgring) and again from 1986 to 2006. In July 2006, Bernie Ecclestone announced that from 2007 onwards there would be only one Grand Prix per season in Germany and that Nürburgring and  Hockenheimring would alternate hosting. Nürburgring hosted the GP in 2007 and 2009 and its Hockenheimring's turn this year. HOCKENHEIM HISTORY The original Hockenheimring circuit opened in 1932 as a high-speed test track for Mercedes-Benz and ran along public roads through a pine forest. The circuit was modified in 1965 to 6.8km in length and the stadium section was introduced. Chicanes were added in 1968 and again in 1980 in response to driver fatalities (Jim Clark and Patrick Depailler). The 6.8km circuit was considered too long and dangerous and not particularly spectator or overtaking friendly. Ecclestone, with Herman Tilke, pushed for changes which were eventually approved at the end of 2001. The new circuit was first used for the German GP in 2002. The stadium section remained mostly intact with new spectator stands. The circuit was shortened to 4.574km, with the long, sweeping forest section chopped off in favour of more tight corners. Winners of the German GP at Hockenheim include Ayrton Senna (3 wins) and Nelson Piquet (3). Australian Alan Jones won in 1979 driving a Williams. Of the current drivers only Schumacher (1995, 2002, 2004, 2006), Barrichello (2000), Alonso (2005) and Hamilton (2008) have won at Hockenheim. Webber won last year's German GP at Nürburgring. The current GP circuit comprises of five fast straights (285kmh to 325kmh). The heavy braking (and best overtaking) areas are at Turn 2 (310kmh to 90kmh) and Turn 6 (325kmh to 60kmh). The twisty stadium section from Turn 12 to Turn 17 is where most of a good lap time is gained. The lap record is 1:13.780 (223.182kmh) by Raikkonen (2004). As Hockenheim sits in a middle of a pine forest wind should not pose problems. However, this means the race is typically run in hot conditions with high humidity and with some of the highest track temperatures of the whole season. The long straights followed by slow corners require a medium-low aero setup (like Bahrain) and good mechanical grip and traction are required for the slow corners and for the stadium section. This traction and the high track temperatures can cause significant rear tyre wear. Expect teams to adopt the standard one-stop strategy of 18-22 (super soft) + 35-39 (hard) laps, unless it is very hot in which case the first stints will be much shorter. The circuit is also demanding on engines with a 223kmh average lap speed and 71% of the lap being run at full throttle. SEASON 2010 Silverstone continued the season script with Red Bull and McLaren leading. Mercedes improved but Ferraris had a disaster. Massa got a puncture from Alonso and Alonso was (again) caught on the wrong side of the race stewards who gave him a drive-through penalty for overtaking Kubica by cutting a corner. It was good to see one Sauber, both Williams and one Force India in the points. Of the new teams Virgin's car update worked to be just 0.5s behind Lotus. Lotus has already directed their car development efforts to 2011. It was no surprise that Hispania finished last. ...

Lewis Hamilton shows maturity on and off the track - by Kevin Garside from telegraph.co.uk ...

We all know that anything can happen on the day. But there is safety in knowing what is most likely to happen. Here is a look at Round 16 2010 and what we can expect. Friday 16th July 8:40pm (AEST). Adelaide vs. Geelong. AAMI stadium, Adelaide. Telecast: Channel 7 Adelaide seem to have returned to their hot form of 2009 and many are claiming they're now finals contenders. Looking at their track record though, Adelaide haven't beaten any good quality teams except for Fremantle. Adelaide didn't notch up their first win until Round 7 when they took on Richmond. Since then they've beaten the Brisbane Lions, Fremantle Dockers, Melbourne Demons, Essendon Bombers and West Coast Eagles bringing their yearly tally to 6 wins, 9 losses. Out of the 6 teams they've beaten, 5 make up the bottom 5 of the ladder and the only other team is Fremantle who seem to have hit a poor patch in form. Beating bottom ladder teams isn't anything to get excited about, especially when you're taking on a team like Geelong.Geelong will be merciless against the poor skills of Adelaide. The Cats have only lost 3 games this seasons to Fremantle, Carlton and St Kilda, and were missing key players in all 3 of those games. Geelong even managed to beat the red-hot Hawthorn without Cam Mooney and Steve Johnson. No more need be said, Geelong should thrash Adelaide even though this game is at AAMI stadium .Saturday 17th July 2:10pm. Collingwood vs. St Kilda. MCG, Melbourne. Coming off a hard fought win, the Pies will be keen and eager to take on the Saints, who they haven't beaten in 2 years. Collingwood's form this season has been impressive and they seemed to have survived a recent lack in form, thanks to having slightly easier teams to play. Their real struggle in form seemed most pronounced in the fourth quarter against the Western Bulldogs in Round 11. Despite winning that game (although they probably would have lost if the game was 10 minutes longer), Collingwood's form seemed severely lacking at times over that 5 week period with losses to Geelong and Brisbane, a draw to the Demons and, as mentioned, a shaky last quarter against the Bulldogs. Collingwood were most fortunate to be playing West Coast at Etihad Stadium, where they had a major confidence boost. Collingwood's form against Port Adelaide was stripped bare in the first quarter, but to the credit of the Magpies, they fought hard and used the strong wind to their advantage to ultimately win the game. However, Port Adelaide and West Coast aren't hard teams to beat, and both have been playing poorly for most of this season.St Kilda on the other hand, despite 3 losses during a time of adjustment to playing without Riewoldt, have not given us any evidence that they're likely to lose against the young Magpie side. The St Kilda midfield and their defensive structures have tired the Collingwood players in their past games. In the last few times they've met, Collingwood have been able to contend with the Saint for 2-3 quarters, but run out of legs toward the end. This is due to St Kilda adopting the soccer tactic of 'owning possession'. St Kilda maintains the ball so frequently, they are able to psych out their opponents regardless of what is on the scoreboard. They've only been beaten by teams who have players that are so quick the Saints defenders can't make them accountable. However, Collingwood isn't a super quick team. The real determining factor of the game will be played out in the midfield. The larger bodies of Dal Santo, Hayes, Jones and Montagna will really test the smaller bodies of Pendlebury, Thomas and Beams, although Swan won't be phased by the size difference. Although the Collingwood faithful claim it was poor kicking that lost them the last game, it was evident their inaccuracy was as a result of the Saints pressure, and we should see a similar result this week with the Saints getting up in a really close game. Saints by 11Saturday 17th July - 2:10pm. Hawthorn vs. Brisbane Lions Aurora Stadium, Tasmania. Telecast: Fox SportsAfter a shock loss to the Cats on Saturday the Hawks will be desperate to get back to their winning ways, and they shouldn't face too great an opposition in the Brisbane Lions. With Jonathon Brown still in doubt, and Fev left to do all the goal kicking, the Lions haven't been able to make the scorebaord reflect the hard work they've been doing in the midfield. Despite Travis Johnstone's return to form, he hasn't found consistent support from players like Rich and Power, so Black and Johnstone end up doing most of the work in the middle, with the occasional support of Rischitelli. What was most telling was Brisbane's game against the Saints - it seemed that the Lions threw everything at the Saints. Black had 29 touches, Rischitelli 27, Rich 25 and Power 24. In their best form this should have produced a win for the Lions, but even when all four cylinders of their midfield fire, they still don't have that extra body up forward to kick to and create goal opportunities. ...