See, as I've said many times, the most mesmerising Origin player of the lot, was Wally Lewis. He wasn't the fastest, he wasn't the most skilled, he wasn't even the most creative, but somehow, some way, he was the "gamer" to beat them all, the bloke who would find the way to win, able to see opportunities that remained invisible to mortal men, all while creating superb sporting theatre along the way. But Thurston? He really is something all again. Because he too, is the gamer to beat them all of his generation, AND he is the most skilled and creative to boot! It won't be just his input though, but the effect he will have on the rest of the team, who will lift to meet him.

Thank you,

Captain Obvious.

Kiwis, You auld mugs

Bring it in tight you Kiwis.

I know, I know, you're panicking, now that you're in the finals of the America's Cup, against the Americans. I know you're thinking of the last time this happened, how you were ahead 29-1, and proceeded to lose the next 30 races straight, but forget that!

Think of the All Blacks!

Think of a sunny day in the South Island!

Actually, lie back and think of England. I am told, for some reason, it helps ...

Must not go down to the sea again

Meantime, in interviews with the NZ media this week, I have had to gently explain that not only have most of us not been following the America's Cup, most of us didn't even know it was on; that while winning it three and a half decades ago was probably this nation's most exciting sporting moment, interest has fallen off a cliff thereafter. And as a small example of how absurd the whole thing has become, though the Kiwis will nominally be taking on the defending champions, the Americans, they will actually be racing in Bermuda, against an "American" team, on a boat 90 per cent built in Auckland, skippered by Australia's own James Spithill. What, you still don't care? Good luck to Spithill, but me neither.

Women's game guarantees a return

As if you didn't know, on Thursday TFF had a crack at the absurdity of the federal government putting up more money to go after getting hosting rights from FIFA to host the Women's World Cup in 2023, after what happened last time we dealt with FIFA. You remember, we put $45 million towards hosting the 2022 World Cup, only to garner a stinking one vote, while Qatar - Qatar! - went on to win.

I stand by every word. By all means put money towards women's soccer, but make it grass-roots soccer, where there is a guaranteed return, rather than throwing good money after bad, by trying to prove our virtues to a virtually virtue-less FIFA.

Just one thing, however. Should Australia go on to win the bid, all the credit is mine. Why? Because, using my extraordinary powers as the Kiss of Death, which can sometimes affect matters of international moment I wrote much the same thing back in 1992, when the news first broke that Australia was going to bid for the Sydney Olympics! We would never win it, I said. We were wasting our time, I said. Turns out, I was wrong. Ish.

FIFA money scandal? makes a change

Meanwhile? Meanwhile, in not entirely unrelated news, on the same day that Sports Minister Greg Hunt assures us that FIFA has cleaned up its act, the Financial Times of London reported: "A former Swiss banker pleaded guilty to helping facilitate bribe payments to high-ranking football officials, in the US government's first charges against a banker in the Fifa scandal. Jorge Luis Arzuaga, an Argentine who worked for Julius Baer and Credit Suisse, pleaded guilty in federal court in Brooklyn, New York, on Thursday to his role in an international money-laundering conspiracy. Prosecutors allege that Arzuaga set up shell companies to disguise $25m in payments from Torneos y Competencias, a sports marketing company, to Fifa officials to win multiyear media and marketing rights for various football tournaments ..."

Etc, etc, etc. I know, I know, these scandals are from months ago, and FIFA has somehow just completely cleansed itself since, and is now a reputable organisation for the Australian government to do business with. Magic!

Look, Mum, no hands ... in the till!

Indigenous exchange volunteers

A great day! Yesterday, Gary Ella, Nick Farr-Jones, Simon Poidevin and Brendan Nasser were joined by the Minister for International Development and the Pacific, Senator The Hon. Concetta Fierravanti-Wells to farewell eight young Indigenous Australians at they depart for South Africa to help build large vegetable gardens, refurbish classrooms for host organisation, Eco Children, as part of the five-week Classic Wallabies Indigenous Exchange. CWIE is an government funded initiative that provides young Indigenous Australians life-changing experiences through overseas volunteering. Bravo!

Double digits payday

In 30 years at the mighty Fairfax, Max Presnell is the third nicest bloke I've worked with. You other two know who you are! Anyway, Max has just released a terrific memoir, In Good Losers Die Broke where he gives the good oil, on the salt of the turf characters - the good, the brilliant and downright outrageous - who seasoned him since he started as a copy boy on The Sun, a Sydney afternoon newspaper, in 1954. Their numbers include the legendary "Break Even" Bill Mordey.

"I followed Mordey as a racing cadet on The Sun," Max writes. "No journalists and few others matched his gambling. At one stage the pub near Central Railway handling his action had the biggest betting turnover in Sydney. Once Mordey was told of a standover team, 'The Toe Cutters', employed by illegal S.P bookmakers to redeem bad debts. A toe was removed with wire cutters for every month a punter owed.

"'At least you were given 10 toes to pay,' Mordey quipped."

Team of the week

Ashleigh Barty/Casey Dellacqua. The Australian women played fantastically well to make it to the women's doubles final.

Kevin Durant. MVP of the NBA finals, as Golden State Warriors thumped LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers.

Wallabies. Play Scotland today, after a successful first outing of the season against Fiji last week.

Knox Grammar Prep School. Have made it through to the state finals of the Paul Kelly Cup - the largest AFL primary school competition in NSW. (I know - unthinkable, just five years ago.)

Je??ena Ostapenko. Latvian tennis player won the French Open despite never having won a Tour-level title before and was playing in only her eighth Grand Slam. She is the first unseeded woman to win at Roland Garros since 1933.

Rafael Nadal. Won his 10th French Open, 15th Slam overall. Now has a 79-2 record at Roland Garros!

Alexei Popyrin. The Australian junior won the boys' singles at the French Open.

Pittsburgh Penguins. Back to back Stanley Cup winners.

GWS Giants and Sunshine Coast Lightning. Contesting inaugural Super Netball Grand Final later today.

Muswellbrook Heelers Rugby Union Football Club. Will be celebrating their 50th Anniversary Celebration on the weekend of 14th, 15th and 16th of July 2017. Call Mudguts. Meantime, the Hunters Hill Rugby Union is holding their Back To Boronia Day on 24 June.

Northern Suburbs Basketball Association. For their annual basketball week, July 10-14, they have succeeded in securing the services of the likes of Dante Exum, Lauren Jackson, Joe Ingles and Chris Anderson. You can go online to nsba.com.au to access single and five-day tickets, VIP Packages and Adult Skills Sessions.

RIP David Woods. The former Olympian - representing Australian at two Olympic Games in water polo - outstanding public school educator and great servant of high school sport passed away last week, after a lifetime of giving back to sport. Vale. The Herald extends its deepest condolences to his wife Judy and family.

RIP. Lachlan Ward. The 25 year-old Warringah Rat was playing 5th Grade last Saturday when, after a tackle, he tragically died on the field. By all reports, a very fine young man.

What they said

Ricky Stuart on yet one more last minute loss, this one to the Panthers, when asked "Where do you go from here?": "We get on the bus and go home." Fair enough. The Raiders are dinkum due for a change of luck, after so many narrow losses.

Rafael Nadal before the French Open final: "It's true that 10 is a beautiful number, but actually my favourite is nine. For sure if it becomes 10 it will be my favourite. But the thing that I am more proud of in my career probably is 2013. It was amazing."

Mick Jagger once said he didn't want to be singing Satisfaction when he was as old as 30. Nadal, on the other hand: "In 2005, I thought in 2017 I'd be fishing on my boat in Mallorca."

Zac Guildford on going from World Cup winning All Black to being more anonymous than a wrong number: "It all happened so fast. I made my debut at the Millennium Stadium in 2009 in front of 70 odd thousand people. I was only 20 back then and it was an awesome experience. I was driving around in free cars, flash cars, and now I am driving around in work vans."

Graham Arnold, on why he recruited an "Emotional Intelligence coach" for Sydney FC: "I feel that with my man management skills I can get 60, 70 per cent out of the players but for that last 20 or 30 per cent - [considering] modern day media, social media, negativity, self-doubt all that type of thing - I needed to get an expert in."

Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon still feeling the Champions League final loss: "There was too much optimism going into a game where even the stupidest Real Madrid player had many more trophies and appearances in big finals than me."

AB De Villiers on another failed tournament for South Africa: "We've covered all the bases. We've had camp after camp. And we've worked really, really hard on the nets, and we back each other, we trust each other, and for some reason, things like that just keep happening." I think I have spotted the problem? Instead of covering the bases, they must start running between the wickets!

Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson unhappy after the loss to the Gold Coast Suns: "I'm not allowed to comment on disgraceful umpiring so I'm better off not saying anything, aren't I? We didn't lose because of the umps this afternoon." This sounds like the bloke, pulled over by the speeding cop and advised that everything he says is being recorded and will be used in court saying, "Stop beating me, Officer!"

Darren Lehmann on the pay saga not being responsible for Australia's poor form at the Champions Trophy: "It's always there. It's the elephant in the room. It's always going to be talked about. But from a playing point of view, you're out there, surely you're not thinking about the MoU when you're batting or bowling. I wouldn't think that would have affected the players' performance at all."

Ernie Els penalising himself: "The ball came out way too good so I felt I probably didn't quite put it exactly where I should have ... so we took a two-shot penalty. I called it on myself. The game of golf, it is what it is. I know deep down the ball wasn't quite where it should be and, you know, I wouldn't be able to live with myself." Golfers. They're a weird, admirable breed. Discuss.

Andre Agassi wasn't going to coach Novak Djokovic but Steffi Graf changed his mind: "I said no at the start, but my wife said, 'you should go, you will love it'. We had organised a family trip during Roland Garros, it was planned for a long time, so I hope to see one or two of Novak's matches and try to bring him what I can because a small remark can do a lot."