I couldn’t let today pass without writing a few words about the great race caller Wayne Wilson.

Wayne today announced he will stand down from race calling at the conclusion of the upcoming Winter Carnival in Brisbane. In my mind he will be missed. Saturday afternoons won’t be the same without Wayne’s unmistakeable tones hovering over the track at Eagle Farm or Doomben.

Wayne has that uncanny knack of making you feel like you’re at the races when listening to him on the radio. Whether you’re in the office or in the car Wayne’s calls nearly put you in the saddle, particularly when you’ve backed the winner!

What Wayne has gone through over the past decade away from the microphone is also amazing. Wayne has battled through numerous forms of cancer and he came out on top each time. It was during this period Wayne’s finest moment arrived. In my opinion his call of Media Puzzle winning the Melbourne Cup captured the emotion of the race perfectly, Damien Oliver looking to the heavens, standing high in the irons saluting his late brother. The Call still sends shivers up my spine.

Wayne Wilson the voice of Brisbane Racing. A voice that conjures up many memories including Might and Power winning the Doomben Cup, Chief De Beers, Falvelon, Show A Heart, Apache Cat and many more. Whether it’s a maiden or class 1 to a Stradbroke or 10 thousand, Wayne calls them all accurately with the excitement that gets all punters and race goers on edge of their seat.

I’ll enjoy listening to Wayne over the coming months but when the curtain comes down on such a great career so will end such a magnificent chapter in Brisbane and Australian racing.

 Well here we go again. Here are my fearless predictions for the 2010 NRL season.

TOP 8

Parramatta
Bulldogs
Brisbane
Gold Coast
Dragons
Melbourne
North Queensland
Souths

GRAND FINAL

Flip a coin and don’t let anyone tell you that you are wrong. It’s going to be a close season. I think we could be seeing a Parramatta – Bulldogs decider. Brisbane, the Dragons and Gold Coast are the biggest dangers. But you can’t write off anyone!!!!!!!

BUY OF THE YEAR

This is a tough one because a lot of clubs have seemingly bought well for the 2010 season. Dave Taylor and Sam Burgess look the goods for Souths. But for mine Justin Poore’s signature is a massive one for the Eels. Along with Shane Shackleton he will provide much needed depth to the Parramatta pack.

WOODEN SPOON

Another hard one in what is shaping up to be a closely fought out competition. I can see the wooden spoon ‘winner’ still winning up to 9 or 10 games. I think the Warriors may struggle in 2010

STATE OF ORIGIN

Queensland 2 – 1 for 5 series wins in a row

Enjoy the 2010 season. It’s going to be a great one.

Feel free to leave a comment and don’t forget to include your own predictions……….

Excuse me while I jump on my soapbox once again.

When are the TV Stations going to treat Brisbane audiences with the respect they deserve? It is disgraceful that just because there is a one hour time difference between us and the Southerners that we have to watch sport on an hour delay.

Here is a list of sporting events that have been live down south but delayed up here –

Super Bowl – Channel 10

Australian Open (night session) – Channel 7

Moonah Classic Golf – Channel 10

2009 opening 4 Nations test – Channel 9

And I’m sure there are a lot more……..

The crazy thing is that the golf and Super Bowl on Channel 10 were live on their ONE HD channel, go figure that one out.

It is quite obvious that these decisions are made by the powers that be in the Southern states who think the country ends at the Tweed! Either we get Daylight Saving (I like that option) or we start demanding more of the TV networks.

I realise that I may be in the minority on this one but for me I enjoy watching sport live. It frustrates me that I can watch European, English and American sport live but when something is on in our own backyard we have to watch it on an hour delay.

Hopefully the situation will change in the not too distant future.

I appreciate your feedback.

Earlier this week I caught up with Broncos skipper Darren Lockyer. Having not seen Darren since late last year I was shocked with what I saw.

I saw a man who is in full control, whether it be on or off the field. I saw a player who I believe is ready to have a season out of the box. Darren gave me the impression that he is about to have one of ‘those’ seasons, a season that so many veterans have. One that he will enjoy and the fans will never forget.

Terry Lamb in 95, Mal Meninga in 94, Brett Favre for the Vikings this year, they are just a couple of examples of players who have shone for a season in the twilight of their careers.

You may think I’m wrong? You may think I live in dream land?

Many doubt whether Darren has what it takes to compete at the highest level these days but when you see him train alongside players a decade younger than him he more than holds his own. I maintain that Darren is one of those players who will only be truly appreciated after he retires from playing the game.

Darren has always been a player who has lived in the moment. He can turn a game on its head even as the fulltime siren is sounding. If he hangs up the boots after this season, or the next or whenever he decides to retire he will definitely go down as one of the greats of the game.

So another year is upon us and what a year it is shaping up to be!

At least on the surface it looks to be a great year which lies ahead but I must be honest, I fear for what we might face in 2010.

We look at the dates and see Football World Cup and Commonwealth Games. Then we look at the venues – South Africa and India.

It is way too early for South Africa to host a sporting event with the magnitude of the Football World Cup. The continent of Africa is a basket case and I fear the many separatist groups and terrorist organisations will use the World Cup to get there moment in the sun.

We have already seen what has happened to the Togo national team at the African Cup of Nations in Angola. We must not see a repeat of this tragedy, but I fear we will.

Currently it seems the terrorists are targeting the teams involved in these tournaments. It is only a matter of time until the packed stadiums full of international supporters become the target.  I also fear that FIFA have become reactive rather than proactive in dealing with these issues.

Then we have the Commonwealth Games in India. Given the current climate this is the last place in the world that should be hosting a major sporting event. A staggering amount of people die in India in terrorist related incidents each year. Not to mention some of their very ‘questionable’ next door neighbours.

Let’s just hope that security for the teams, venues and fans will be up to scratch and we can sit back and enjoy the magnificent sport that will be on offer during these major events on the calendar during 2010.