d.Its been 22 years since there have been 10 A | Forum

South Sydneys incredible record under Michael Maguire will end at Allianz Stadium on Monday if the Rabbitohs finals hopes this season die with a loss to Manly.It would be ironic if Souths run under Maguire, which includes two preliminary finals, a premiership an an elimination final in his four years in charge, ends at a ground that brought such anguish to the proud club throughout the 1990s and early 2000s.Souths were perennial easy-beats when they called Allianz Stadium home, and some of those memories would have come back for Rabbitohs fans this year as the club has slumped to six losses in a row.Key to those losses has been the poor form of Sam Burgess, who has made 21 errors this year, the most of any forward this season.Five-eighth Luke Keary is also struggling, failing to produce a try assist in his last four games.Maguire has come under fire with continued reports his players are unhappy under his tutelage.That forced Souths head of football Shane Richardson to publicly back Maguire this week.Its a move that has buoyed Maguire ahead of the must-win clash with the Sea Eagles, who need to win six of their last seven to make the finals.I didnt know that was going to happen, but it is great that I have that support here, Maguire said.I am very comfortable with where we are at as an organisation.We are a fairly strong force here.Defence has also been an issue for the Rabbitohs. They were beaten 30-10 by Brisbane last week and 20-0 by North Queensland the week before.Its an area we need to get better at, Maguire said.That part of our game we have worked hard on but we let in a few easy tries last week.I know I have a very capable squad here and we will be strong on Monday.Souths halfback Adam Reynolds has been named to make his return from a shoulder injury, likewise Bryson Goodwin who has been sidelined with a broken arm.Greg Inglis remains suspended for Souths, who play one home game a year at SCG Trust venues.Nate Myles returns for Manly, who need to win six of their last seven games to make the finals, after struggling with a knee injury.KEY STATS* This will be the Rabbitohs first Monday Night Football match for the season. They have won just two of their past five MNF matches* Manly will make their sixth appearance on MNF this season, having won two of its previous five, however both of those wins came at Brookvale oval.* The Rabbitohs current six-match losing streak is their worst since losing nine straight in 2007-08.* The Rabbitohs have averaged just 1372 run metres per game this season, less than every team except Newcastle (1290).Source: Fox Sports Stats 1. Tigers vulnerabilityA good bit of soul searching and honest reflection went into Tiger Woods decision to skip last weeks Safeway Open with the rare admission that his game was vulnerable, causing the golf world to shutter.Now after more than a week has passed to allow all that to absorb, perhaps the good to come out of all of this is that Woods has finally allowed himself to lower his own expectations with a hint to the masses that they should follow.This comeback was never going to be easy, regardless of the time, place or state of Woods game. Two back procedures in consecutive months followed by no meaningful golf for six more? More than a years worth of professional golf events played without him? The lost practice time? The toll that it takes mentally?All of that adds up to a healthy dose of perspective as it relates to how Woods will look when he does come back, which he now hopes will be the Hero World Challenge in December. Nobody, himself included, can possibly expect to see any semblance of the Tiger who ruled golf for so long, and that apparently is sinking in with him.Of course, that wont stop us from wanting to see every bit of it, with comments and conjecture and analysis coming from every single angle. It is the downside to being Tiger, and perhaps the reason he is reluctant to return: He knows he is being judged by his past.But if Woods can lower his expectations -- still a big if -- then others should as well. Numerous observers, including players who have undergone back surgery, have commented that returning to any level of competitive golf, let alone the highest, is going to take time.So Woods first tournament back, whether it be the Hero World Challenge or some event in 2017, should not be viewed as some sort of referendum on his game and his future. Its only one tournament, and it might just be the beginning of what is a slow, frustrating process.2. Reinventing TigerIf you happened to catch any of the video that made the rounds last week from a clinic Woods conducted near Pebble Beach, it wasnt hard to notice a golf swing that looked serviceable but one that was far from full speed. You can make too much out of such a thing -- he was giving a clinic, after all -- but it does make you wonder if Woods can play the game differently than the way we are used to seeing.In other words, can he dial it back? Can he better manage his game and not be worried about distance? Can he be effective in that manner while perhaps lessening the physical toll?When Woods was seemingly at his lowest point during last years World Challenge -- unclear when a comeback might take place, if at all -- he addressed how he might reshape his game.If I dont hit it as far, hopefully hit more fairways, Woods said. Understand how to play more iron shots into the correct spots. Ive learned a few more shots around the greens in the past couple years. Implement those in my short game. Putting ... some of the things I was working on at the end of (2015) were starting to click. Its putting all those things together. The game is so fluid. Thats the thing I need to be aware of going forward.In essence, Woods was talking about reinventing himself. Whether he really believes that, or will seek to follow that path, is purely conjecture. It could be that is part of his game plan now as he attempts to return.3. The Tiger clinicHere is how Woods looked on Oct. 11 during a clinic he gave for his foundation at Monterey Peninsula Country Club.4. The Parnevik interviewJesper Parneviks quotes in which he said Woods was flushing it when he saw him earlier this year at The Medalist in South Florida appear in the November issue of Golf Digest. The magazine created a bit of a stir two weeks ago when its website exccerpted those quotes in which Parnevik said Woods was flushing everything and that regarding his comeback something tells me this might be spectacular.ddddddddddddIt heightened the chatter as Woods sought to come back, but Parnevik said in an interview last week that he had seen Woods play in May and that the interview had taken place months ago. I thought his swing was great, Parnevik said. With all the injuries he had been through, his back, he looked really good. But I never saw him all summer. I wish I had more to update.The entire interview with Parnevik is now posted.5. The Phil pairingMuch has been made of Woods being grouped with Phil Mickelson for the first two rounds of the Safeway Open. Such an early-round pairing on the PGA Tour of the longtime rivals had been rare, and some saw it as another reason for Woods to withdraw: He didnt need to be shown up by Mickelson.None other than Mickelson himself squashed that theory. Last week during the Safeway Open, Mickelson acknowledged that he and Woods had spoken about the grouping during the Ryder Cup, and that Tiger was fully on board. He noted that the PGA Tour came to both parties and asked if it would be OK.And it should be pointed out that there would have been no shame in Woods shooting a higher scorer than Mickelson, as tough as it might have been for him to take: It occurred numerous times when they played together over the years.6. Long time comingThe World Golf Hall of Fame announced its latest inductees, who will officially become part of the Class of 2017, and the big question is what took so long for Ian Woosnam? The Welshman will join Davis Love III, Lorena Ochoa, Meg Mallon and writer/broadcaster Henry Longhurst.Woosnam was part of Europes Big Five along with Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo, Bernhard Langer and Sandy Lyle. All contributed to the European Ryder Cup resurgence. All won major championships. And all are in the Hall of Fame -- with Woosnam finally joining the others. He had 59 worldwide wins, including 29 on the European Tour, and won the 1991 Masters.7. The PGA Tours Asia SwingA new event in South Korea next fall will bring to three the number of events being staged in Asia as part of the official PGA Tour schedule. This weeks CIMB Classic in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and next weeks WGC-HSBC Champions in China have been officially part of the schedule for the past few years, and now a third option is set to come on board.The Associated Press reported that the PGA Tour will announce the details next week and it is in keeping with the tours desire to enter the Asian market. What will be interesting to see is how the event fits into the already diverse fall schedule that sees the tour this year go from Napa, California, to Kuala Lumpur to Shanghai (with an opposite event in Mississippi) to Las Vegas, to Cancun, Mexico, and then to Sea Island, Georgia.8. This seems kind of cruelDavid Howell hit a pretty good shot during the second round of the British Masters last week on the par-3 13th, one that appeared headed toward the hole.9. Quote of the WeekLeave it to Phil Mickelson to sum things up when asked last week if he expected to be a player on the 2018 U.S. Ryder Cup team, when he will be 48 years old.Its been 22 years since there have been 10 Americans that have been able to beat me [to make the team] so I dont know why it would stop now, he said. I plan on being on the team in France and absolutely one of my goals is to play in France because Ive never been on a winning Ryder Cup team over in Europe. I want to win a Ryder Cup over there and I want to be part of that as a player. ' ' '