How to explain the inexplicable decision to run the Finals at a B-grade spot when the A-grade spot across the channel was firing?
You couldn’t avoid one glaring takeaway from Finals Day today in glistening four-to-six foot Main Break rights: There really is a God and Brazilian pro surfers are her Chosen People.
God obviously whispered into Jessy Miley-Dyer’s ear in the wee hours that Main Break was the spot to be despite a fan base clamouring for a tube-riding shoot out at the Box. How else to explain the inexplicable decision to run the Finals at a B-grade spot when the A-grade spot across the channel was firing?
Would Tati and Filipe be hoisting trophies overhead if the Box was the venue? Lets just say no, and be done with that counter-factual.
The more glaring counter-factual was, what would have happened if John John was there?
His absence from the quarters lent a very downbeat tone to the opening proceedings, obviously not helped along by the news that Jack Macaulay had come to fatal misadventure in the near past. That made me feel sick in the guts, for what was not said, in the same way the Westpac rescue chopper doing laps around my place behind the Point makes my blood run cold. Last time was a young man in his twenties, same as Jack.
Brutal day for the Macaulays, God knows how you move on from that.
John’s quarter-final appearance in 2017 netted a 18.04 total.
In 2019, a 17.73 haul.
No one was anywhere near that level today.
Miles away from those performance benchmarks. It was flat viewing.
Knowing the best guy was on a plane for home, nursing a dicky knee. Perhaps reluctantly now coming to terms that the Florentian World view as far as surfing goes is a metaphysical cheque the two-time champ’s body can’t cash. At least not consistently or in competition.
Apples to apples comparisons are valid, I think, at cut-glass Main Break when it comes to John and the rest of the field today. The day was incredibly similar to the 2017 high point in terms of size and surface conditions.
For cosmic justice to be served, Griff needed to really be the guy to step up and smash Jordan Smith and go on to win the comp.
He could have.
He got the best wave of the heat, a wave Jordy gifted him with priority after scoring himself an eight, his first excellent ride of the Aussie leg. With plenty of time, Griff couldn’t conjure up a high six to match Jordy’s seven and the spectre of John continued to haunt the draw.
The semi between Filipe and Matt McGilivray was lacklustre, highlighted by the appearance of Robert Kelly Slater at 5.15 Honolulu time. Zinced-up Kelly fresh obvs from a full day surfing laid down the classic line, “I’ve been out running some errands.”
The busted hoof is the right one but Slater claimed it was now the left one and back that was giving him gyp, although he has been surfing “in the last couple of weeks”. A question from Ronnie Blakey about being ready to compete in the Olympics was unfortunately cut short but I’m quite certain Kelly said “that’s the plan.”
You would lay down good money he will be right for the Surf Ranch Pro next month.
“God has a plan and he loves you,” said Tatiana Weston-Webb after easily accounting for Steph Gilmore in the final. He obv’s don’t love the Australian male pro surfer. No Aussie anywhere near the finals again after Ryan Callinan fired thirty minutes of blanks in his quarter. Increasingly likely no Aussie male anywhere near the September Finals Day at Trestles.
What are we supposed to do God? What’s our plan? Dress in sack cloths and wander along the beaches whipping ourselves with chains and leather?
I guess we can blame God for whispering into Elo’s ear that the Ziff dream of a guaranteed Finals surf-off (ironically inspired by the first JJF world title) should be held at Trestles. Where one man holds a massive advantage over the rest of the field.
Well, two men actually, based on results.
They finalled today.
The Final started with a quartet of waves, which went unseen by the live viewing audience. I feel like a jerk for kicking the Woz in the nutz so repeatedly but as Derek Rielly questioned: is there another global sporting franchise that so deliberately refuses to broadcast the (critical) opening minutes of its Final?
Why?
Is it because we are sinners and need to be punished? I can’t think of any other reason they would be so vindictively bloody-minded.
Filipe and Jordy traded sets, for a clear advantage to Jordy, then smaller insiders where both fell. The second exchange though revealed a clear performance gap. Filipe was sizzling on a bladey swallow-tail on the smaller insiders. Jordy, more ponderous on a bigger board, aping the John John Florence long arc line.
Would judges pay the clearly superior surfing on a smaller wave or would it come down to, as Jordy Smith repeatedly intoned during the event to “getting the best waves”?
That was the only live question during the first half of the Final.
It was answered emphatically on the next exchange. Pip tore a clean mid-sizer several new orifices. The difference in turn speed, rotation and repertoire was stark. The JJF benchmark of long arc power surfing was being upturned by a new approach of savage short arc power.
Going back to the apples to apples comparison, this time between John and Filipe. John’s 2017 Final: two nines for a 19.03 heat total.
His 2019 reprise: two nines for an 18.05.
The numbers alone say that he would have easily accounted for Filipes 17.40 total.
I’m not so sure, though. Only one wave this event for John went excellent from turns alone.
Just one.
Absent the ten-point ride, the only excellent ride from his now aborted Australian leg.
I take that as evidence of repertoire fatigue from the panel who wanted evolution from John and responded with disinterest when they didn’t see it.
Filipe brought something new, which would have forced judges to make a new decision about where the state of the art is, with huge ramifications for the Finals Day at Trestles.
John’s day of judgment at the hands of our Brazilian favouring deity has been avoided, for how long, who knows.
WSL Women’s Championship Tour Leaderboard Final 5:
1 – Carissa Moore (HAW) 29,970 pts
2 – Tatiana Weston Webb (BRA) 26,495 pts
3 – Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 22,035 pts
4 – Caroline Marks (USA) 21,305 pts
5 – Tyler Wright (AUS) 19,965 pts
WSL Men’s Championship Tour Leaderboard Final 5:
1 – Gabriel Medina (BRA) 28,920 pts
2 – Italo Ferreira (BRA) 24,150 pts
3 – Filipe Toledo (BRA) 20,735 pts
4 – John John Florence (HAW) 19,395 pts
5 – Jordy Smith (ZAF) 19,185 pts
Always un excuse . Mimimi. Sucked up. Brazilian Storm taking over hahaha
Hey Felipe should be on our( USA), Olympic team.Soon he will be a welcomed citizen.Learned superb English, lives here and San Clemente adores.Him.One great human being and a pretty good surfer too.
Um… did yo miss the memo about the global pandemic? And the fact that QLD and Vic state governments were not going to let a traveling circus in? I think they’ve done a decent job of patching together a band-aid tour at short notice.
It’s the judges that take the longest to move. They need to be sitting
in front of the wave to judge how deep they are in the barrel. Entire judging booth needs to be pulled apart and set up at the
new site. A lot of the gear has to be hand carried and the sand there is soft as heck and hard to walk in at the best of times. Cameras are pre-cabled at the slightest sniff of a Box swell
so just requires one or two cameras to be repositioned and plugged in.
In Jessi’s defence, it was pretty slow at the Box when she made the call not to run there. But, she also should have known that it would improve with the rising tide. Even I knew that and I’ve got fuck all personal experience out there.
Box was definitely to inconsistent for them to switch over from the semis onward
chazz just learned the word adjacent
Totally. No elimination rounds, if you loose you have to go home. And with that, the contests could run in two days and get the best out of the swells.
Well filled!!
where people stick their junk is so not intersting
Unless it’s me sticking it
Camera on a ski and one on the beach would have got it done.
Most definitely.
More and more knees and ankle injuries because of the airs.
The overall winner is surely Tatiana WW , she put massive daylight between her surfing and Jordy Smiths at Margs and in a final , love to hear Jordys recap whats his excuse for safe surfing what he considers a soft wave ?.
What really struck me was how brittle/fickle the surfers are.
JJF Obviously has a problem with his body, and he sometimes doesn’t quite show up mentally.
Gabriel went from invincible god at Narra to bumbling kook.
Ryan Callinan did the same yesterday.
Italo declined too, if not quite as drastically. When will he reach Peak Weird, though, and self combust mid-heat?
Jordy needs a kick up the clacker and a good shrink.
A year in the army for Griff. Talented yes, but needs some steel.
Pip was the only one to go the other way. What happened to make him all of a sudden realise that he can actually lay down hard turns and surf world class? Damned if I know.
And the Bemmy/Bryant/Robbo show was priceless.
Edit: the Kelly phone-in was unreal.
Wot?
Its literally aiming the cameras more to the right, that’s it. As david f said, its literally across a small channel with nothing in the way.
And let’s not get started on the gender thing. In no way should the womens inability to surf a wave play into the choice of where to hold the contest. If that’s the case, detach that pitiful excuse of a tour from the men’s tour so they can surf quality waves instead of dogshit waves so the women can surf.
miley dyer couldn’t surf for shit….she’s deciding things? great operation.
she reminds me of a frightening gym teacher in junior high
Jess is a shredder…
🙂 we talking about the same overweight chick?
Great write up as per usual Tom.
Legit question though: is JMD truly acting independently or is she a spokesperson for others who make the decision where and when to run? And if so who are they?
Remember the Fiji massive day they called off and had a televised free surf instead? 3 man panel, Renato Hickel, unnamed surfer Rep (supposed to be Keiren Perrow but apparently not there that day) and some other third guy supposed to make the call collectively…the some other guy gets all the blame for not running the contest. RH and KP (or his unnamed replacement) walk away scot free.
The cynics might suggest the organisers made the decision and the poor old other guy copped the shit when it blew up in the media….maybe same this time, JMD going to have to take the shit when she has nothing to do with the call?
Are the Australians on tour about to go the way of the Americans? No way… right? Far more hope for Oz than for us Seppos on the Mainland U.S.
Will be interesting to see how Liam O’Brien goes at Rotto – perhaps our first glimpse at Australia’s next genuine contender?
Just found some footage of the IRUKANDJIS’ training camp, Aussie surfing is in good hands.
https://www.youtube.com/wat…
Kieran would never have let good Box go unmolested
kieran’s box would be getting drunk on cask wine, again.