Welcome back, dear reader! And apologies for not publishing your favourite column last week; I have been quite busy navigating my new job.
I have been considering making the column every other week, but no official decision has been made yet. I will keep you posted.
Anyway, let’s dive into it, shall we? (The answer is obviously yes)
Vale Steven Munster, Julian McMahon and Michael Madsen
To say the last week has been horrible is an understatement. Two legends of Hollywood passed away: Michael Madsen and Julian McMahon. Madsen is best known for starring in movies such as Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill and Species. Madsen died on July 3 at the age of 67; the Hollywood Reporter reported he passed away from a cardiac arrest.
Australian actor Julian McMahon passed on July 2 from cancer at the age of 56. McMahon is best known worldwide as Dr Christian Troy on the TV show Nip/Tuck, Cole Turner on Charmed and Dr Doom in the Fantastic Four movies. Aussies would remember him as Ben Lucini from his days on Home and Away.
Steve Munster is the father of current rugby league player Cameron Munster. Getting ready for the State of Origin Decider, Munster left the Queensland camp to be with his family during this difficult time. Munster will be back to play for Queensland on Wednesday night.
Condolences go out to each man’s family and friends.
The Decider
It all comes down to Wednesday: who will take out this year’s State of Origin? The Blues have a chance to go back-to-back, while the Maroons will be hoping to win one back.
It will be in Sydney, so home-ground advantage goes to the Blues, but you can never count out Queenslanders and their famous ‘Queensland Spirit.’ It has the makings of a cracking game!
Though the NRL is the real winner, they got what they wanted with the Maroons winning in Perth to make game three a decider; they will be rolling in the money!
Anyway, here’s to a great game of football and a Blues win.
NRLW starts
Round one of the NRLW kicked off with some big wins and surprises amongst those winners. This season, the Warriors made their return to the competition but faced the defending premiers, the Roosters, resulting in a loss for the Warriors. The Broncos had a big win over the Tigers, the Bulldogs won their first game against the Knights, the Dragons belted the Raiders, and the Eels had a two-point win over the Sharks.
The surprise win, however, was the Cowboys’ defeat of the Titans. I was lucky enough to attend the season launch for the Cowboys, and the atmosphere was great. Adding some new players, such as Rosie Kelly, to complement existing players like Jakiya Whitfield and Emma Manzelmann might just be enough to see the Cowboys make the finals this season. However, it’s a bit early to tell.
The Champ is still here!
Between this column and the last, Night of Champions came and went, with John Cena defending the WWE Universal Championship against CM Punk. You probably know by now that despite Seth Rollins trying to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase, Cena came out victorious and remains the Champion. It’s safe to say that the farewell tour is going pretty well so far, and no doubt WWE will keep it that way.
The best approach is to keep Cena winning and building him up, and then have him drop the belt when the fans are sure he will retain the title. Boom, that’s when he should drop it. Well, that’s what I would do if I were a WWE writer (it’s one of my many dreams).
Fantasy booking aside, I’m enjoying being a wrestling fan again.
Well, my friends, we have come to the end of this week’s edition of Mercer’s Mondayitis. Thank you for taking the time to read. If you have any comments, questions, or criticisms, please don’t hesitate to share them in the comments section.
Until next time, take care!