Supershorts: Bronco bucks the odds

Big League Cheergirl of the Year. Photo / Supplied

It's been a season of shock results in the NRL - but nothing on the field has matched the incredible round 20 boilover in Big League magazine's cheerleader of the year competition. Supershorts was left speechless when office favourite, Cowgirl Rebecca, was upset by the Broncos' Renee.

It would be no surprise to us if bookmakers reveal highly suspicious betting patterns occurred in the days leading up to the result.

Knife play
Smashed em Bro almost turned into stabbed him bro at a league match in Victoria last week. A Chaffey Titans player is facing a possible life ban after reacting to a big hit by running off to his car to get a knife.

Police say teammates had to restrain the 26-year-old during the Sunraysia Rugby League semifinal, and his coach quickly disarmed him. The Mildura Tigers were awarded the match.

Tough love
If it's sporting violence you want, nothing quite matches the beautiful game. Brazilian prosecutors this week charged Flamengo goal keeper Bruno (not to be mistaken with Sacha Baron Cohen's gay Austrian fashionista) with the murder of his mistress.

Bruno allegedly ordered the kidnapping and killing of 25-year-old Eliza Samudio, who was pregnant with his baby. Police allege Samudio's body was cut up and fed to dogs. No remains have been located. Eight people, including Bruno's wife, have been charged over the killing.

Dropping a purler
Ray Warren, the godfather of Australasian sports commentary, has been in reflective mood lately. A week after lashing out at those who criticised his promotion of gambling by reading out the odds during league matches (something he is instructed rather than volunteers to do), Rabbits realised he'd gone too far with a quip about old women knitting. "I apologise as well to younger women that knit," he said as a game went on without him. "I think I made out that it's only old women who drop onepurl one and that sort of thing. I don't really know what I'm talking about, but I did see a 12-year-old doing some knitting the other day, so I don't know what made me think it is only old women who knit. Anyway, I'm sorry if I've upset anybody in the older generation." Apology accepted.

Everton 2 Everton 0
Talk about a match report that writes itself. Still, nice work Reuters: It was the match that Everton simply could not lose - and they did not let anyone down by beating Everton 2-0 in a prestigious pre-season friendly at Goodison Park on Wednesday. Everton of England, that is, who beat Everton of Chile in the first meeting between the two clubs, the South American one being formed 101 years ago after the other one went on a tour of South America in 1909.

Plutonic love
People in glass houses and all that, but what the hell. Us here at Supershorts were intrigued by a line in Scotty "Sumo" Stevenson's latest column in Sky Sport magazine. While kindly informing us as to just how various telly types would be buying into this season's ITM Cup, Sumo revealed: "[James] McOnie will start to get excited about Waikato. There are two reasons for this: one, he is in love with Stephen Donald - it's plutonic but still a bit creepy." Plutonic love? Is that, like, when the planets align? Good luck with that then fellas. It's 2010 after all.

Good week for...

Anna Scarlett
Back in the Silver Ferns without having to step on the court. The beach volleyballer, who has been away from netball for three years playing on the world circuit, also signed a contract with the Northern Mystics to play in the next ANZ Championship.

Bad week for...

Cobus Wessels
The South African touch judge was publicly criticised by his boss Paddy O'Brien for the Drew Mitchell yellow card fiasco and then kicked upstairs to be TMO for tomorrow's Bledisloe, being replaced on the touchline by Kiwi ref Keith Brown.

The number... 70
Is the number of yellow cards South Africa have been dished out in international rugby. Flanker Schalk Burger also leads the individual tally, with six.