A word, if you would, Michael Clarke. Mate, the deepest condolences from us all on the loss of your dear friend Phillip Hughes. Of course, in the face of that tragedy, it is the time for wreaths, not bouquets, but at least a couple of roses should be sent your way. The manner with which you have carried yourself throughout, your care for him and his family first and foremost, your public and private concern for Sean Abbott, your stewardship of the whole affair ... has been not only worthy of an Australian captain, but inspirational to the nation. And Malcolm Knox was right, your eulogy, its inclusiveness, its tone of regret but resolution, was pitch-perfect and the best speech by an Australian sportsperson in memory.

You did Phillip Hughes proud, and he would have been proud of you.

We all were.

David Pocock should be lauded, not warned

It is rare, indeed, that the arrest of an Australian sportsperson should come as a breath of fresh air but I, like most, put David Pocock's brief incarceration last weekend in that category. For after decades of arrests for drunkenness, drugs, dramas, crashes, cruelties, stompings, stinks, rapes, ravishing, harassments and hooning ... 'ello, 'ello, 'ello, what have we got 'ere, then? A man of impeccable integrity, standing up for what he believes in? A brave bloke engaging in completely non-violent protest, in the great civic tradition pioneered by the likes of Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King and – in this country – Charles Perkins AO and former chief justice of the Supreme Court, now chairman of the ABC, Jim Spigelman AC QC. (The latter two famously led the 1965 "freedom ride", protesting discrimination against Aborigines in NSW).

Whether you do or don't agree with Pocock's cause – broadly, not starting a coal mine in virgin State Forest – is it not refreshing to see a sportsperson putting their fame into harness for something other than themselves? As to the "written warning" given to Pocock by the Australian Rugby Union, I agree with Andrew Slack. I suspect that warning was written "with a very light pen", something they had to do as a matter of form, not fury.

So let me reply in the same tone: Oi! Yes, you had to write that, but still, get nicked, just on principle! Australian rugby and Australia itself needs more David Pococks, not fewer. And the ARU's credibility in wagging their finger at anybody right now for questionable behaviour is not too far north of zero after the Kurtley Beale affair: put on a plane to join the Wallabies, just weeks after causing an ocean of ink to be spilled in damaging headlines, and still without having paid the fine imposed on him.

I will get onto to the issue of registration fees, I promise

Still on the rugby, and TFF has been buried under correspondence on the issue of the rises in registration fees, asking me to write on it. I will, next Thursday, pinky promise. It is too long for TFF, and this week the Hughes funeral was more pressing.

Our lives at the beach are in safe hands

You gotta love this city. Last weekend, see, a hundred odd 12-year-old and 13-year-old junior lifesavers attended the Sydney branch surf lifesaving development camp at Deer Park on Port Hacking. These kids are the best of the best in surf lifesaving, representing their clubs from North Bondi to Burning Palms.

The gathering involved two full days of fun and serious instruction, before Sunday afternoon's Club Rescue and Resuscitation Championship between the top 20 clubs – effectively the last time the boys and girls can compete on roughly equal footing before the puberty power game takes over. The five Clovelly girls, together since the under 6s, are a formidable team, thus leaving two Clovelly lads to seek a composite team. But hang on, what's that over there? Three tall, bronzed, athletic North Cronulla girls ... Umm, would they be interested in forming a team with two skinny lads from the east? Absolutely, no problems!

The heats start, Tim and Fearghus are the swim rescue members, Daisy and Taylor are the resuscitation specialists and the unflappable Renee is the team captain. Iconic club teams start falling away, a semi-final place is suddenly in the offing, and coach Dave fires up as they sweat and strain their way to win after win. "We can have a real crack at this!" They make the semis! And it's against the Clovelly girls! As they hit the water, pound the beach, and the chests of the dummies to bring them back to life, chief judge Doug is all over them like an XL rashie on a 6-year-old nipper. His face shows the anguish of competition – just a few grains of procedural sand separate the teams but, alas, a small slip sees both teams eliminated from the final ...

So, who finally won?

We did.

Swim easy Sydney, our lives at the beach this summer, and for many years to come, are in great hands. Bravo, you junior lifesavers, and the volunteers who shape them.

Gotta love this city.

Forward planning essential

Where to from here for the Wallabies? I thought you'd never ask. The most obvious thing, the starting point for the whole renaissance of Australian rugby, in time for the World Cup, is to rebuild the scrum. Back in the day, our saying used to be that the two most important players in the team were the tight-head prop and the reserve tight-head prop, as without that anchor you didn't have a scrum and without a scrum you didn't have a platform on which to build a victory.

At the moment we clearly don't have that platform, and Michael Cheika's key job in the time that remains will be to work out how to do exactly that. With it, we actually have a world-class game. Without it, we are wasting our time and may as well watch the A-League. Well, nearly anyway ...

What they said

Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke at Phillip Hughes' funeral: "I don't know about you but I keep looking for him. I know it's crazy, but I expect any minute to take a call from him or see his face pop around the corner. Is this what we call 'the spirit'? If so, then his spirit is still with me and I hope it never leaves."

Clarke on what the rest of the Australian team must do in Hughes' absence: "We must dig in, and get through to tea. And we must play on. Rest in peace my little brother. I'll see you out in the middle."

James Sutherland on the score being amended so that Hughes will not be "retired hurt": "It might seem like a little thing, but it's an important distinction. Phillip will forever remain 63 not out."

Elton John at a concert in Germany, introducing Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me: "Today an Australian batsman called Phil Hughes died of injuries he received while batting in Sydney in Australia and the man who bowled the ball is a 22-year-old called Sean Abbott, and it wasn't his fault, it was a freak accident. I want to dedicate this song to the memory of Phil Hughes ..."

Mark Webber after crash in a World Endurance Championship race: "Yesterday I was a lucky boy. The correct angle of impact saved me."

Michael Cheika, after the Wallabies lost to England, their third loss in the four Tests of the spring tour: "There is a certain stigma about our scrum. We're the only ones who can change the situation by doing something different, because if we keep doing the same thing we'll keep getting the same result."

Clive Woodward relishing the situation: "It's encouraging to know once again England dismantled the Australia forward pack. Australia can't get that fixed in the next eight months." Perhaps not with that personnel, Clive, but with different blokes, maybe.

Australian great Michael Lynagh was similarly dismissive and said the Wallaby forwards were: "The worst I have seen all year."

Experts from the Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research showed that domestic abuse doubled on football match days: "All the research we looked at suggested there was an increase in domestic abuse reports around football matches ... But what we don't know so well is why that link might be there." One report had an increase of 138 per cent on match days between Scotland's big rivals Celtic and Rangers.

Former Wallaby captain David Pocock after being arrested as part of a group of 30 protesters who had converged on the Maules Creek coal mine: "It's incredibly important that we have conversations about this. In 2014, to put a coal mine in the middle of a state forest just doesn't seem to make any sense. The local people are not only concerned about the effects of this mine on the climate in the future but also how it affects the water table."

Tiger Woods on getting older: "Father time is undefeated ... We all lose some things we could do. I can't blow it out there with some younger guys any more. But there are other ways. You can win at a late age. You don't have to physically dominate in golf." Sure, Tiger, but Father Time's imperial consort, Mother Nature, seems to be taking a dim view of you, regardless.

Ohio State University football player Kosta Karageorge, shortly after suffering a series of concussions, and just before taking his life, wrote his mother a note: "If I am an embarrassment, but these concussions have my head all f—ed up." (Lifeline 13 11 14.)

Team of the week

Michael Clarke. The Australian cricket captain has been a credit to cricket, throughout the whole Phillip Hughes tragedy.

Wallabies. The stats are grim, the time is tight. Less than a year before the World Cup in England went on the spring tour and were handed their hat by France, England and Ireland, only narrowly managing to beat Wales.

David Pocock. Back home, the former Wallaby captain stood up for something he believed in. As good a man as you'd meet, in six days march in any direction.

Stephanie Gilmore. Won her sixth world surfing title. Just one behind Layne Beachley's seven. Australian women rule, ok.

Mullumbimby Brunswick Cricket Club. Once again, the mighty Bobsledders are helping to raise money for prostate cancer research. The final of their T20 comp saw Ocean Shores Taverners take on Brunswick Bakery.

John Farrow. Helped guide the Australian mens' skeleton team to first place in the four North American Cup skeleton events. They raced in Canadian and US colours as they don't have a sponsor.

Tony Popovic. AFC coach of the year.

Isaac Heeney. The new Swans player has been christened by his teammates "Zucchini." Great to see the Swans bringing back innovative nicknames.

Twitter: @Peter_Fitz