"Performances in Hawaii still count!
But do you remember the last time brave Australians carried out an assault in Hawaii, on Oahu’s North Shore? Of course you do. Of course you remember it like you were there yourself, island rot filling your nostrils, tension lingering on less-than-inviting trade winds because you have seen the now classic documentary Bustin’ Down the Door.
The year was 1975 and Rabbit Bartholomew, Ian Cairns, Peter Townend had come to Hawaii to test their mettle, winning contests, causing much ruckus. It was a watershed moment in professional surfing, one that echoes through eternity and let’s watch a short clip and listen to Edward Norton’s unmistakable drawl.
Very inspiring and is history repeating itself some 45 years later?
Maybe, for a new quadrant of Australian surfers has busted through the floor at the very last minute, officially qualifying for the Big Dance and let us go to Peter Townend’s Facebook for context.
For the first time in a long time we’ve had an “Aussie Assault” on WSL/WQS final rankings with four(4)Aussies qualifying for the 2020 WSL Championship Tour lead by Jack Robinson’s win at the Vans World Cup at Sunset and solid North Shore performances from Ethan Ewing, Conner O’Leary and Morgan Cibilic proving Ian Cairns’s theory that the performances in Hawaii still count as a few that had been WQS “Top Ten” for most of the year didn’t make the cut with poor performances at Haleiwa and Sunset!
Very exciting.
Which one will shine brightest next year? The smart money says Jack Robinson but I’ve got a feeling about Morgan Cibilic. I’m smelling a rookie of the year push.
No?
Also, has Edward Norton stopped acting? I can’t recall a recent movie starring him.
More as the story develops.
For an interesting look at Hawaiian Australian North Shore relations , post « The Breaking Down the Door Epoch “ , I can highly recommend Kong’s Biography ….. In the book he explains how Quik , employed Mickey Neilson and others, to chaperone , educate and help Kong and Chappy , assimilate into the North Shore Culture .
Hold up. I can clearly remember the Bronzed Aussies being an obnoxious trio of gay blond sissy boys with a penchant for wearing pink who performed behind locked doors at Turtle Bay.
Sounds about right.
Because you started with ” I can clearly remember”, we know you’re lying
I think this is why they moved to California …. to feel at home ?
That long sentence exhausted me. I’m going to lie down now for the whole day.
Hopefully this gen don’t carry on and get the snot kicked out of by the locals and banned.. Can’t see it based on what I’ve seen of them so far, they all seem humble.
No doubt. What passed for heavy locals on video (Rothman) and great surfing (dude posing for the barrel and getting axed in the head by the lip at end of this vid) is comedy today!
I know men were men back then (see above photo) & women sat on the beach, but actually PT it’s five, if you count Isabella!
Given the beat down the BAs took in ‘75 I’m sure the new crew is begging PT to STFU.
So does this mean Fast Eddie and co. Are gonna crack some Aussies again?
O’Leary and Ewing are WQS recidivists. Look forward to seeing Cibilic and Robinson.
So was Andy Irons …… Kolohe qualified 4 times by the QS before finally getting into the top 22 and Freestone finally after qualifying 3 or 4 times by the QS could finish in the top 22 not to mention Wilko who did the same before stellar years at the end of his career….. ? It is no shame to drop off and then requalify …. shows guts !
I like O’Leary’s chances the best out of this group. Seems good in everything. With Robinson on the tour we will be doomed to sub-par conditions at every event and Turpel blathering on and on about his heavy water talent as two foot windy closeouts decide the winner.
Black Caviar , as my mate and Connor’s mentor calls him , is a big powerful lump of a bloke , great technique and I really hope he can hustle into better waves this year . He just got dropped by Quik so am hoping he will use it as motivation and fight tooth and nail in every heat . He needs the wins to make hay while the sun shines !
Robbo , win or lose is set for life , I would imagine , so does he want to be remembered at the end of his career as the world’s greatest tuberider and / or a world champ ?
it’s a fairly rough state of affairs when we’re stoked at getting 4 out of 10 qualified. are any of them top 10 surfers?
I would like to see zeke get off boardriders and into something more fitting, TAPOUT or join my jiu jitsu dojo here in San diego. I am partially recruiting him because of his blood thirsty hunger to run over Jack. Trying to win at all cost is so satisfying when you lose.
Seems like the groundswell started at the US Open ( though not the swell , that started on the European Leg and continued to Robbo’s Opus yesterday ) … you could hear them cheering each other on on the live stream …. screaming when the ones in the water opened up on a good wave or got the score needed …. Solidarity Brothers and Sisters from Oz !
Considering that Griffin Colapinto has underwhelmed thus far I am very excited to see what Jackie can do.
Winning at Pipe AND Sunset in one QS season is pretty impressive stuff.
To be fair…I like Eddie’s real estate on the NS better than Trump’s in Waikiki,
Last movie I saw he was kerb stomping a black dude, getting raped in jail and being a good brother.
Not my cup of tea.
Yeah, Australia on fire!
Literally.
It stinks.
https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
Maybe Chas should start reporting on bushfires? Bushfires and sharks?
I’ve heard the greenies and lefties are lighting them in desperation to create a new world order
One where criminals are held in high esteem and hard working innocents are spat on in the street.
Say it ain’t so St Channel Bum.
Nah, I’ve heard if your look at the Google earth version at the right angle, all the fires create the pattern of Scott Morrison’s face getting porked by the patron saint of the root of all evil.
Thank the lord!
They say God will return dressed as the devils pet lamb.
Have I got that right Sammy?
Could I have my lamb roasted …. rare if possible ?
See you in hell !
Some like it hot ? If you buy the beers I will bring the marshmallows … ok Bex
Its a date!
Lots of folks blaming the Greenies for the fires, who, as the Left, work with the penny pinching imperialist Right. My info source claims its very difficult to cold backburn now in NSW because of the Greenies and the Right Scrooge govt ain’t doing enough to remove leaf litter fuel.
That’s all true
And the feral grubs are lighting them too.
Cibilic still not qualified yet, he needs Dora and Silva to do well at Pipe.
Surely I’m not the only one that sees a bit of the Irons brothers in Robbo? But hard to tell which career/tour performance trajectory he will follow, Bruce or Andy’s.
Jacks also got some JJF Margs type carves in the tank also.
I’m beyond stoked to see him make the cut we need more of the freak factor on the WSL.
The journeymen QS grinders bore the hell out of me.
110% he’s the most exciting qualification since Jon Jon or Gabby. Potentially a third super power in the race – if he can harness it.
Hey don’t write me off just yet!
If I could just get a couple’o go-outs in the next few months I’m maybe a contender!!!
Did you hear his interview after the final? His head seemed in exactly the right place to be a world title contender to me.
I predict 3 years to the top-
Year 1- exciting, yet inconsistent results of finals and last places, caused by 100% or nothing surfing; his turns not maturing enough yet to fill the void between airs and barrels.
Year 2- he gets on board with the Aussie high performance centre/Bede to learn how to surf at 70% and win ordinary heats with turns, not hail Marys. Ala JJF.
Year 3- true WT contention begins
It sounded to me more more like he was tweaking, but most likely it was just adrenaline.
Totally agree about his turn game though – he’s certainly not on JJF’s or even Ethan’s level when it comes to surfing on rail. Obviously he makes up for it in other ways, though.
Ethan looks a totally different surfer to the junior of a couple of years ago. Hes a couple of inches taller and heavier set and surfing with spot on timing and precision…
Can someone without a full time job please put together a show reel of his turns at Sunset?
You’ll have to go to a surfing website.
In 5 minutes with the heat analyzer , available on the WSL web site , you could see all his waves and only his waves in every heat he surfed at Sunset 2019 …. I am a lousy film editor but hope this solution helps Harry D ?
I believe he was using his learned sports psych skills to hold back from spilling over with emotion, reframe, and deliver a professional message.
I thought he was brilliant.
Nearly anybody else would have been overcome with emotion (crying etc).
He was ready to fight another 12 rounds.
His mental game looks strong.
More freaks for Negs.
And no cum jokes.
I’d prefer you to keep cum remarks in your mouth Bex.
When it’s dribbling out and all over your face. It just looks a little too trashy for these parts hence the deleted comment.
Well
La Dee Da.
The last comp at main break MR, his rail game was heavily criticised by some. In my eyes it was as good as anyones at Sunset. And if he can find the barrel, even at the beach break events, hopefully he can slow the march of the small wave tricksters. Boring = Nat Young
some good comments on Robbo by Ross Willams, being awkward on land [interviews] ‘yeah, you know. yeah’. And how he reads and finds waves in tricky lineups that no one else sees, Sunset, Pipe, Box etc. People that know him point out that home schooling, where he obviously did most of his lessons in the ocean, neglected the books and social interactions of traditional school.
At least he turned up to the presentation , something which MP often failed to do ?
haha, you can imagine how some of the old characters would be viewed by the sanitised WSL today.
Persona non grata !
yeah yeah another batch of matt bantings…
Not Jack and Ethan- they’re both the new Taj
jack got a pass…
I’d much prefer a batch of Matt Banting’s that Miguel Pupo’s or Alex Ribiero’s or Peterson Crisanto’s or whatever other interchangeable Brazilians the WQS has been spitting out over the past few years.
Matt Banting has got to be one of the most well rounded and technical surfers around.
True that. He just cracked under pressure. Speed, power and flow all get ticked by Banting.
so you like him, have a load of his edits then, nowhere to be seen on comp news…
Banting didn’t make the final at Cloudbreak , drop 9s and 8s at Chopes , Rio , Portugal and JBay like Connor did or qualify by great results in the Hawaiian QS trouble like Ethan and Jack ?
banting didn’t make anything ever, jack is legit…
It was strange , in his first year on tour he was being penalized by the judges for being to light footed . A year later Kanoa was getting handsomely rewarded for doing the same type of surfing … go figure ?
he surfs identical sally fitz, maybe if he goes trans…
The Australian Onshore Breeze?
This comment made me blow air out my nose in an almost laugh. Excellent
Nor Easters or Southerly Busters ? Or directly onshore …. the blue bottles kiss !
The merest whiff of a southeaster. Just enough to keep the crowds away
The secret offshore ……somewhere , if only I could remember ?
I’m stoked to see such a strong performance from the Aussie rookies. It does remain to be seen how they do on the CT, that often has less than inspiring surf. For those of us old enough to remember the actual incident, it was Top LEL when Fast Eddie punched out Rabbit… a defining moment in surf history. No matter who you are or where you surf, a little bit of respect for the locals goes a long way.
What HAS happened to Edward Norton? He’s probably fairly old now. Perhaps he’s no longer acting? I got to sit behind him at a friend’s memorial a number of years ago. The d00d is a lot taller than I’d imagined… at least 6’3″.
I think “Grand Budapest Hotel” in 2014 was his last real good one, but there’s one he directed just out called “Motherless Brooklyn” that looks like a full retard vehicle.
What’s the back of his neck look like?
Oof… I was thinking of Warden Norton, i.e. Bob Gunton (from Shawshank Redemption), not Edward Norton. Movie trivia fail! I am embarrass.
Don’t be embarrass…I always get him and Alan Ruck mixed up [“Cameron” in Ferris Bueller]. Have to look it up each time.
Kooky lookin teen
Handsome man.
Like us guys, hey bexy?
Very much so.
With a Thom Yorke soundtrack!
…and a good cast. Reviews say it’s a long movie and you need an attention span to enjoy it, so it was doomed from the get go.
went for a surf with him in May this year , very cool dude lotsa funny stories and is really getting into surfing.
eddie?
If a Jewish guy from Philadelphia turned up at my home break and supplied us all with drugs I still wouldn’t consider him a local even if he did go around bashing all the tourists.
Edward Norton is actually Brad Pitt, you obvs didn’t watch the end of Fight Club. Brad Pitt has quit drinking now so the schizophrenia has eased, hence the absence of Edward Norton.
This will have me chuckling all week. Thank you.
still chuckling I hope! What else we got? 🤷♂️
He was in Birdman – 2017 maybe?
Not sure if Fast Eddie ever punched out Rabbit, though he and Squiddy did give PT a good thump one time. Rabbit got banged on by some of BK’s mates at Sunset Beach, in return for taking too many waves the previous year, and also swearing “fuck” out loud in frustration after BK dropped in on him at the Coke comp in Oz, which BK misinterpreted as being told to “fuck off” and hence disrespected. Rabbit’s well documented punch up at Sunset had nothing to do with Fast Eddie. But still, you are right, respect for locals anywhere goes a long way.
I thought BK was a Jehovah’s Witness or similar?
Could be, I don’t know Nick. The Polynesian Cultural Center, where they used to stage the Duke presentation ceremonies, is a Mormon production.
Sometimes the truth has to get in the way of a good story ….
« Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.”
George Orwell