Gatland bemoans Lions' turnovers

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Mistakes aplenty ... Gatland wasn't happy with his side's turnover rate. Source: Cameron Spencer / Getty Images

Warren Gatland criticised the Lions' game management after the nail-biting 16-15 second Test defeat to Australia in Melbourne.

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The tourists appeared to be edging towards a series victory having built a 15-9 heading into the latter stages - but Adam Ashley-Cooper's 75th-minute try allowed Christian Leali'ifano to kick the winning points with a conversion.

Lions fullback Leigh Halfpenny had a chance to snatch an unlikely victory with the last kick of the game - a penalty from the halfway line - but his effort fell well short, leaving the Wallabies to celebrate.

Gatland said afterwards: "It was tight for both teams. We gave away too many turnovers in that second half and didn't control territory well enough. We put ourselves under pressure when we had a chance to keep momentum going and get a bit of ball. The turnovers really hurt us.

"It shows you how close these two teams are. It's 1-1 now and we've got to get up for it.

"It's just about game management. It's what Test match rugby is about. There were a couple of crucial lineouts and turnovers. When the referee said 'advantage over,' we didn't look after the ball well enough.

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"We felt pretty comfortable at half time but it just shows that they never give up and they took the opportunities that came their way.

"We're disappointed to concede the try at the end at the end. We've got to keep working hard. We missed a few collisions and we didn't control the territory very well in either half."

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Prop Mako Vunipola, deputising for injured England team-mate Alex Corbisiero, endured a torrid first half in the scrum with referee Craig Joubert continually awarding Australia penalties, and Gatland admitted he was left frustrated by several decisions.

The New Zealander said: "We were disappointed with a few things but until we get some clarity from them, you've got to take the good with the bad. It's just the way the scrum is refereed in the modern game.

"I haven't spoken to them (the players) yet. It's a big game next week. There'll be a couple of days off to recuperate and then it'll be heads on for next week."

22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Hamilton on pole for British GP

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Mercedes' driver ... Lewis Hamilton during the third practice session at the Silverstone circuit. Source: ALEXANDER KLEIN / News Limited

Lewis Hamilton resisted pressure from his Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg and the speed of both Red Bulls to claim pole position for Sunday's British Grand Prix.

The 28-year-old Englishman gave his home fans good reason to cheer with a fastest lap of one minute and 29.607 seconds, four-tenths of a second quicker than his German partner who wound up second on the grid.

It was Hamilton's second pole this year, after three successive second place starts, and the 28th of his career.

It was also the first pole by a British driver at Silverstone since Hamilton last succeeded in 2007.

Defending triple world champion German Sebastian Vettel was third quickest for Red Bull ahead of his retirement-bound team-mate Australian Mark Webber.

Scotland's Paul Di Resta was fifth fastest in his Force India car, to give the British fans two drivers in the top five, ahead of Australian Daniel Ricciardo of Toro Rosso, pressing home his credentials for consideration as Webber's successor at Red Bull.

German Adrian Sutil was seventh in the second Force India ahead of Frenchman Romain Grosjean and his Lotus team-mate Finn Kimi Raikkonen and two-time champion Spaniard Fernando Alonso of Ferrari.

"It's an incredible feeling," said Hamilton.

"It feels like 2007. The crowd have been great - such a great turnout - that was a lap for them.

"I hope we can do something special in the race. It's phenomenal because I haven't been feeling 100 per cent comfortable in the car."

Vettel could not resist referring to Mercedes' recent 'secret' tyre test, suggesting it has given them some advantages.

But, he added: "We will see what happens tomorrow. It is a long race. I'm honestly very happy today. I don't know if Lewis (Hamilton) found a short cut or he just found something special here - it was a phenomenal lap."

On a warm, dry and overcast afternoon, the Mercedes men set the pace from the start with Hamilton fastest, in Q1, and Massa delivering the drama with a late saving lap in his Ferrari to avoid early elimination.

The drivers removed from the fray were the usual suspects Finn Valtteri Bottas of Williams, Mexican Esteban Gutierrez of Sauber, Frenchman Charles Pic and his Caterham team-mate Dutchman Giedo Van Der Garde, who sandwiched Frenchman Jules Bianchi of Marussia. Briton Max Chilton in the second Marussia was down in 22nd.

By mid-session, with Q2 underway, the air temperature was 19 degrees and the track temperature had climbed to 30, a big change from Friday morning's cold and rainswept conditions.

This may have spelt difficulties ahead for some teams given the unknown factor of tyre wear, but nothing seemed to have changed as Rosberg and Hamilton soared to the top of the time-screens before Vettel, on new tyres, topped the lot with a best lap for Red Bull.

Within seconds of the flag falling, Webber threw his Red Bull up to second with others following suit to push Hamilton down to sixth, separated from Rosberg by Sutil and Ricciardo.

Out after Q2 went the 2009 champion Briton Jenson Button of McLaren in 11th ahead of Brazilian Felipe Massa of Ferrari, Frenchman Jean-Eric Vergne of Toro Rosso, Mexican Sergio Perez in the second McLaren, German Nico Hulkenberg of Sauber and Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado in the leading Williams on the weekend of their celebrations for starting 600 Grands Prix, a landmark they reach in Germany next Sunday.

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Skippers in doubt for Lions decider

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Worrying ... The Lions lost their breakdown dominance when Warburton left the field. Source:AAP

Both Australia and the heart-broken British and Irish Lions have their inspirational captains in serious doubt for next Saturday's series decider at Sydney's ANZ Stadium.

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The Wallabies kept an epic three-Test battle alive with a remarkable escape act for a thrilling 16-15 victory at a packed-out Etihad Stadium on Saturday night.

While Wallabies lock James Horwill fronts his IRB appeals hearing on Monday night, Lions skipper Sam Warburton is also in grave danger of missing the third Test with a strained hamstring.

Warburton was forced off with 13 minutes left in Melbourne and will be racing time to be fit for the decider.

It was a massive late blow for the tourists who sorely missed the Welsh flanker's influence at the breakdown in the tense closing stages as Australia came back from 15-9 down.

Lions coach Warren Gatland lauded Warburton as "brilliant", especially in the first half as he forced a number of turnovers at the ruck and also won two penalties which led to three-pointers by Leigh Halfpenny.

The captain said he'd "do everything I can to play" in Sydney.

"Normal protocol is to ice every two hours and the physio won't make a proper assessment for 24-48 hours so we won't probably know until Monday," Warburton said.

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"I'm not sure, I've never really done it before.

"If we win next week it will be in even more dramatic fashion than this week so it's still everything to play for and still the dream situation to win the Test series."

Irishman Sean O'Brien replaced Warburton and looms as a potential starter at No.7 while veteran centre Brian O'Driscoll could play his last Lions game as captain.

A cloud hung over Horwill before the second Test as the IRB launched their appeal of his exoneration of a first-Test rucking incident on Thursday night.

The lock was as inspirational as Warburton and is a near irreplaceable figure for the Wallabies.

Man of the match Will Genia would take over as captain but Horwill was allowing himself the chance to lap up a tense triumph before considering the gravity of Monday night's hearing.

"I'm hoping not to think about (missing the third Test)," he said. "I'll cross that bridge when I come to it, hopefully I don't come to it.

"I'm expecting it to be the toughest game of the tour.

"These are intense, big battles and comes down to tiny moments, as we saw tonight."

The only injury concern for Australia is the knee of centre Adam Ashley-Cooper.

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Wallabies v Lions: Melbourne mop-up

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Decider ... the Wallabies level the series against the British and Irish Lions. Source: Colleen Petch / News Limited

It was a game the Wallabies never should have won and was far from the spectacle we witnessed in Brisbane, but the hosts held firm to set up a mouth-watering decider against the British and Irish Lions in Sydney.

Foxsports.com.au reviews the Wallabies and Lions match in Melbourne.

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THE MATCH

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It was do-or-die for the Wallabies against the British and Irish Lions in the second Test and after 80 heart-wrenching minutes the hosts forced the series to a decider. The Wallabies had no right to escape with victory after committing 14 handling error and an incredible 19 turnovers. From the opening whistle, the Lions pressured the Wallabies at the breakdown and with rushing defence and completely out played the Wallabies in the opening stanza, and for the whole match for that matter. The first half saw sharpshooters Christian Lealiifano and Leigh Halfpenny trade penalty goals with Halfpenny missing his first shot of the match. Surprisingly, the Wallabies were dominated across the park but their set-piece, especially their scrum, kept them in the game. At the break the Lions led 12-9 as both teams struggled to hold onto the ball. The second half continued in the same vein, dropping ball and kicking penalty goals. At 15-9 and with ten minutes remaining, Wallabies captain James Horwill resisted the temptation to take three points, backing his team's scrum and packing down. Although the Wallabies bungled their set move from the scrum, they were gifted good field position after a poor clearance by Jonathan Sexton and in the next phase scored after James O'Connor went to the short side and put Adam Ashley-Cooper through a hole. Lealiifano converted the pressure kick to give the Wallabies a one-point lead with three minutes to go. Another turnover from the Wallabies gave possession to the Lions and they earned a penalty on halfway. Halfpenny had the chance to seal the series put the distance was too much for the Welsh fullback.

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TURNING POINT

In a game dominated by penalty goals it took a gutsy captaincy move from James Horwill to shun a guaranteed three points in pursuit of a greater reward. It proved to be a masterful call as the Wallabies converted their field position into seven points via Adam Ashley-Cooper and Christian Lealiifano. It didn't happen instantly however, with Israel Folau spilling an inside ball from James O'Connor in the first play after Horwill opted for a scrum. The Lions were only able to clear their line by 15 metres however and after the Wallabies sucked in a few defenders in tight, Ashley-Cooper ran an excellent line to burst through for the try. Liam Gill's amazing lineout steal with three minutes on the clock was also crucial.

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LIONS' BEST

The much maligned Sam Warburton proved to all the doubters that he is the man to lead the British and Irish Lions after a sublime performance in Melbourne. The 24-year-old flanker was the best on ground, scoring three breakdown penalties for his side and pilfering on two other occasions. However, late in the second half Warburton was the victim of a fierce cleanout, trapping his leg and hyper-extending it which forced him from the field. The injury looked remarkably like the injury Horwill suffered in the 2012. "I felt something in my hamstring in a ruck area, so I guess I'll get it assessed by the medics. "I'll be icing it tonight and I'll see how it is in the morning," said Warburton. Let's hope he is available for the deciding Test in Sydney because he is a talented and exciting player.

WALLABIES' BEST

He may have been overshadowed by Israel Folau's sensational debut in Brisbane, but no one was going to deny Will Genia the limelight at Etihad. The Wallabies No.9 was at his sniping best in and around the ruck, and kept backing his ball-runners despite some poor handling from both backs and forwards. His service was, as usual, exemplary and he played a key role in the lead-up to the game's only try as the Wallabies forwards finally got a roll on. Special mention must go to Adam Ashley-Cooper however, with the outside-centre probably the second-best player on the field.

NEXT WEEK

After making several key changes for the second Test despite winning at Suncorp, Lions coach Warren Gatland could wield the axe again for the deciding game in Sydney. If Sam Warburton's injury forces him out of the game, Sean O'Brien will grab the starting spot (not a bad replacement). Lions centres Jonathan Davis and Brian O'Driscoll have been surprisingly quiet in the opening two Tests, opening the door for Jamie Roberts if he can overcome a fitness test. Wallabies coach Robbie Deans who won't tinker with a winning formula but improved lock Rob Simmons will return to the starting side if James Horwill is found guilty of stamping. The Wallabies will need to improve their handling in the greasy Sydney conditions after dropping a mountain of ball despite the roof on Etihad being closed. After two Southern Hemisphere referees for the opening Tests, French whistle blower Romain Poite will control the match. This has the potential change the dynamic of the game completely.

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Swans beat Blues in big wet

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Triumphant ... Kurt Tippett celebrates as Sydney win in the wet. Source: PAUL MILLER / AAP

Sydney posted one of their most impressive wins of the AFL season on Friday night, scraping to a 22-point win over Carlton at a waterlogged SCG.

The Swans booted the opening five goals of the game, including two to star recruit Kurt Tippett, and held on for a 8.17 (65) to 5.13 (43) victory in driving rain. 

4.6 (30)	Q1	0.3 (3)
5.9 (39)	Q2	1.5 (11)
6.11 (47)	Q3	4.10 (34)
8.17 (65)	Q4	5.13 (43)

Ben McGlynn 2	Dennis Armfield 1
Kurt Tippett 2	Joshua Bootsma 1
Jude Bolton 1	Bryce Gibbs 1
Tom Mitchell 1	Kane Lucas 1
Luke Parker 1	Zach Tuohy 1
Mike Pyke 1

The Blues were far more competitive after halftime and eroded the hosts' lead to just 13 points at three-quarter time.

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Zach Tuohy snapped the first goal of the final term and the Blues had all the momentum, but could not land a killer punch when the game was on the line.

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Carlton's Andrew Walker, with time and space and only 15 metres from the goal square, opted to dribble the ball along the ground instead of kicking a standard drop punt.

Sydney defender Dane Rampe came from nowhere to rush a behind with a desperate dive, and the margin was eight points.

It was a perfect snapshot of the game - reflective of the Swans' never-say-die attitude and Carlton's inability to manufacture goals in the wet.

More importantly, it was as close as the visitors would get.

Brandon Jack, Dan Hannebery and Luke Parker all snapped behinds before Ben McGlynn kicked truly after earning a holding-the-ball free kick with a crucial tackle on Lachie Henderson.

The Blues had 13 more inside-50s in the second half, but Henderson, Bryce Gibbs (26 disposals, eight tackles) and Chris Judd (23 possessions, nine tackles) could not drag them over the line.

The Swans, minus nine of their premiership side after the last-minute withdrawal of Mitch Morton, did their best work in the first term.

Tippett, the tallest man on the ground, snaffled a brilliant contested mark over Michael Jamison to lift his side to a 27-point lead at the first break.

In conditions better suited to Carlton's mosquito fleet, Tippett continued to defy his 202cm frame.

The former Adelaide ruck-forward provided the highlight of the night in the second term, when the rain was at its most torrential.

Tippett collected the Sherrin, ducked around would-be tackler Kane Lucas and reeled around to kick a magical goal. 

The Blues looked like going goalless in the first half for the first time since 2009 until umpire Robert Findlay adjudged Nick Malceski to have deliberately rushed a behind with two minutes remaining.

Josh Bootsma, who hustled Maceski over the goal line, kicked the resultant goal.

"`I haven't seen too many of those paid this year. In the conditions, I was a little bit surprised,'' Swans coach John Longmire said of the controversial free kick.

Longmire raised his side's resolve in the wet.

"I thought we adapted well to the conditions ... and I thought our energy levels, particularly early, were strong,'' he said.

"We really applied ourselves.''

Carlton coach Mick Malthouse was disappointed with his side's poor effort in the opening term.

"We haven't trained or played in the wet in months, so it was always going to take us a while to adapt,'' Malthouse said.

"When you give up the first quarter and you're four-odd goals down on a night like this, it's very hard to drag it back.''

Xavier Richards, the younger brother of Swans defender Ted, was a last-minute inclusion for Morton (quad), while Craig Bird was best on ground and tallied a game-high 33 disposals.

Click here to see all of the stats and scores in the FOX FOOTY Match Centre.

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Hughes scores before declaration

Australian batsman ... Phil Hughes stars in their pre-Ashes tour game against Somerset in Taunton. Source: AAP

Phil Hughes produced a timely 76 not out but the Australians put team first by declaring early on day three of their pre-Ashes tour game against Somerset in Taunton.

Hughes looked comfortable at the crease, pocketing 12 boundaries in an innings which might go a long way to helping save his position for the first Test at Trent Bridge.

However, the left-hander was robbed of a chance to push for a century when Michael Clarke made it clear he's playing for the win by declaring with just a one-run lead at five for 321.

Somerset are 0-62 at lunch, and lead by 61 runs.

Hughes' demotion to No.5 for the tour match indicates he has some work to do to play in the Test series.

He's certainly dropped in the pecking order for top-three positions, but Hughes showed perhaps he could work as a middle-order batsman during his composed 163 minutes at the crease.

James Faulkner was the other not out batsman for the Australians with 22, an important contribution as he builds his case for first Test inclusion.

New coach Darren Lehmann already made it clear he wanted to see runs from Faulkner if the Tasmanian was to force his way in as a fourth pace bowling option.

Wicketkeeper Brad Haddin was out lbw on the first ball of the day for 38.

Australian fast bowler Peter Siddle made a better start to the second innings than he did in the first, and had figures of 0-11 from five overs.

James Pattinson and Faulkner also threatened early but with no breakthrough. 

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Tour riders mad at Armstrong claim

Tour de France ... riders Cadel Evans dismisses claims that it was "impossible" to win the sport's most famous race without doping. Source: AAP

Tour de France riders on Friday dismissed claims by shamed US cyclist Lance Armstrong that it was "impossible" to win the sport's most famous race without doping, saying his claims hit at their credibility.

Cadel Evans, who won the Tour in 2011, said he had shown it was possible to triumph without cheating, amid claims the focus was being shifted away from the start of this year's historic 100th edition of the race, which begins on Saturday.

"I think the opposite. I am proof that that is not true," the Australian BMC rider told a news conference in Porto-Vecchio, on the Mediterranean island of Corsica.

"I sometimes read in the press what Armstrong says and I respect him as a human being but really I just focus on doing my own job as best I can and fortunately we are supported by a great group of people.

"We try to do our job as we see fit and within the rules of course."

Evans' teammate, the Belgian Philippe Gilbert, blamed the media for seizing on the comments just as riders prepared for the race.

Team Sky, which includes favourite Chris Froome, said they did not want to comment.

Armstrong was asked in an interview with French daily Le Monde published on Friday whether it was possible to win without taking performance-enhancing drugs when he was riding.

He responded: "That depends on the races that you wanted to win.

"The Tour de France? No. Impossible to win without doping because the Tour is an endurance event where oxygen is decisive," he was quoted as saying by the French daily.

He added: "To take one example, EPO (erythropoetin) will not help a sprinter to win a 100m but it will be decisive for a 10,000m runner. It's obvious.''

Armstrong, who won the Tour a record seven times between 1999 and 2005, later said his claims only applied to the period in which he dominated the sport.

"99-05. I was clear with Stephane Mandard (the sports editor of Le Monde) on this. Today? I have no idea. I'm hopeful it's possible," he wrote on his Twitter account lancearmstrong.

Armstrong was last year exposed as a serial drug cheat in a devastating US Anti-Doping Agency report that plunged cycling into crisis about the extent of drug-taking in the peloton.

The Texan rider, who insisted for years that he did not take performance-enhancing drugs, was stripped of his Tour titles and banned from the sport for life.

He then admitted in a television interview that he used a cocktail of drugs, including the blood booster EPO, testosterone and blood transfusions, to win the Tour.

Armstrong told Le Monde that he was not the first athlete to dope and there would always be a doping culture but cycling was being made a "scapegoat" for the practice in all sport.

"I simply took part in this system. I'm a human being," he said, admitting that he could never erase the past but would strive to make up for it for the rest of his life.

The head of world cycling's governing body, Pat McQuaid, responded: "It might have been true in the past because there were undetectable substances such as EPO," the International Cycling Union (UCI) president told RTL radio.

"So everyone used EPO in cycling and other endurance sports too. But today the system is more strict and I'm convinced that you can win endurance sports by being clean and win the Tour de France by being clean."

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Punter turns pundit for Big Bash

Pundit ... Punter steps into the booth for this year's Big Bash. Source: Hamish Blair / News Limited

Channel Ten has scored a major coup in its cricket war with new rivals Nine by signing Ricky Ponting as a marquee commentator for the Big Bash this summer.

Nine has traditionally been the home of retired captains as the centrepiece of its world class coverage but Ten has usurped the cricket network.

The most successful Test and one-day captain of all time, Ponting has signed a two-year deal with Ten as the network continues its drive to attract more elite sport.

Nine has a 55-year lineage running through its former skippers with Richie Benaud first leading Australia in 1958.

Together with Billy Lawry, Ian Chappell and Mark Taylor the quartet collectively led their country in 133 Tests across more than four decades.

The sudden and tragic death of Tony Greig late last year robbed Nine of a fifth international captain. 

Ponting led Australia in 77 Tests for a record 48 victories and his 165 wins in 230 one-day games as skipper is also unmatched.

"I'm very excited to be joining Network Ten and being part of their commentary team this summer. I can't wait for it all to start in December," said Ponting, who is currently in England playing county cricket for Surrey.

With Ponting moving to Melbourne there was speculation he would join the Melbourne Stars Big Bash team as a replacement captain for Shane Warne.

However the proud Tasmanian recently announced he would be quitting all cricket in October.

It was only last month that Ten pushed Nine to the brink in an attempt to steal the international cricket rights.

Nine was forced to pay almost double to keep Test, one-day and Twenty20 internationals, outlaying $450 million over five years.

Ten claimed the Big Bash League at $20 million a year, outbidding Fox Sports after the pay television network did an outstanding job with the first two seasons of the expanded and revamped BBL.

There was a widely held view in cricket circles that Ten would pick up many of the Fox commentators but Ten's head of sport David Barham insisted the Network would be distinctly different with its cricket coverage.

"We're taking our cricket very seriously and we are very committed. We think we can be the future of the game," said Barham, who expects Ten to make more significant signings in the coming weeks.

"We're obviously keen on big sport and we think this is big sport.

"We need good talent and people who are going to be with us for the long term. We're hoping that's Ricky."

"We're very excited that Ricky has decided to join us as we build a new team.

"He's comfortable with the people he's going to be working with. I think that had a pretty big impact.

"I think there is something new and fresh about us that was pretty attractive and he likes Twenty20 cricket."

22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Wrap: Pies' injury woes continue

Out ... Collingwood's Darren Jolly won't play against Port Adelaide. Source: Scott Barbour / Herald Sun

Collingwood's debilitating run of injuries this season continues, with big men Darren Jolly and Ben Reid the latest casualties.

		P	W	D	L	%	Pts
1	Hawthorn	12	11	0	1	143.00	44
2	Essendon	13	10	0	3	129.51	40
3	Geelong	12	10	0	2	126.27	40
4	Fremantle	12	9	1	2	132.29	38
5	Sydney	12	8	1	3	130.22	34
6	Richmond	12	8	0	4	119.36	32
7	Collingwood	12	8	0	4	108.47	32
8	Port Adelaide	12	7	0	5	115.57	28
9	Carlton	12	6	0	6	116.89	24
10	West Coast	13	6	0	7	110.02	24
11	Adelaide	12	5	0	7	103.55	20
12	Gold Coast	12	5	0	7	92.55	20
13	North Melbourne	12	4	0	8	107.00	16
14	Brisbane	12	4	0	8	76.08	16
15	St Kilda	12	3	0	9	89.80	12
16	Bulldogs	12	3	0	9	73.38	12
17	Melbourne	12	1	0	11	50.87	4
18	Greater Western Sydney	12	0	0	12	51.41	0

Jolly is not the only top ruckman out of action this weekend, with Richmond also losing Ivan Maric.

Jolly will miss the Magpies' big away match on Saturday against Port Adelaide with a toe injury.

Reid is one of Collingwood's top defenders and he is out of the side because of a hamstring problem.

While Collingwood football manager Geoff Walsh told the club website their absences are not expected to be long term, the timing is awful for them.

Collingwood are seventh, only one game ahead of Port Adelaide, and the Power will fancy their chances after last week's stunning upset win over Sydney Swans.

One positive for the `Pies is that star onballer Luke Ball returns from a calf injury, with Jordan Russell also recalled and Ben Hudson taking Jolly's place.

Youngster Adam Oxley was the third omission.

Port regained captain Travis Boak and Travis Trengove for Matt Thomas and Campbell Heath.

Richmond lost Maric with groin soreness for Sunday's match against St Kilda at the MCG and David Astbury (hamstring) is also out.

But the Tigers are confident key defender Troy Chaplin will play after hurting his knee last weekend.

Top side Hawthorn lost three players through injury for Sunday's Launceston game against Brisbane Lions.

After announcing earlier this week that Grant Birchall (knee) will be out of action for around six weeks, they also have left Brent Guerra (back) and Max Bailey (knee soreness) out of their squad.

Brendan Whitecross was named in the extended squad for the first time since his knee reconstruction last September.

Carlton recalled Chris Yarran for Friday night's SCG match against Sydney.

He was dropped after reacting badly to having the substitute's role in the round-11 loss to Essendon.

The Blues lost captain Marc Murphy (fractured cheekbone) and dropped Sam Rowe, with Simon White also returning.

Adam Goodes' knee injury put him out of action and the Swans dropped Tony Armstrong as Andrejs Everitt and Brandon Jack return.

Steve Johnson's suspension means Josh Caddy rejoins the Geelong side for their Saturday night home game against Fremantle, who lost Michael Barlow (jaw) and recalled Tom Sheridan.

Gold Coast emerged from the bye with five changes for Saturday's home game against Adelaide.

Karmichael Hunt is back for his first game since round six and the Suns also named Greg Broughton, Maverick Weller and Steven May.

Adam Boston will make his senior debut.

Apart from losing Michael Rischitelli (elbow), Luke Russell (hip) and Tom Lynch (knee), the Suns dropped Liam Patrick and Jack Hutchins.

Adelaide recalled Brent Reilly, Aidan Riley and Brad Crouch for David Mackay, Ian Callinan and Shaun McKernan.

James Frawley and Max Gawn return for Melbourne, who lost Jake Spencer to suspension and dropped Cam Pedersen ahead of Saturday night's MCG game against the Western Bulldogs.

Ayce Cordy, Mitch Wallis and Tory Dickson are back for the Dogs.

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Slammin' Sam storms into third round

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Sam Stosur ... cruises into Wimbledon's third-round after win over Olga Puchkova. Source: Sang Tan / AAP

Sam Stosur has forged into career-best territory at Wimbledon, gorging on Olga Puchkova's feeble serving to reach the third round.

World No 14 Stosur advanced to the round of 32 at the All England Club for only the second time with a 6-2 6-2 throttling of outclassed Puchkova.

Ranked 85th in the world, Puchkova practically donated the match to Stosur, winning a meagre 11 points from seven service games.

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Miss something? Catch every Wimbledon result here, plus the Ultimate Guide to the A-ll England Club.

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The Russian won two of 18 service points in the first set, winning her only two games with service breaks against the 2011 US Open champion.

She was marginally better in the second set, actually holding serve twice.

But she was virtually an invisble obstacle against Stosur, whose only other appearance in the third round here came in 2009.

Delighted after the 52-minute rout, Stosur will next face 23rd seed Sabine Lisicki.

The German overwhelmed Russian Elena Vesnina 6-3 6-1.

A semi-finalist here two years ago, Lisicki is armed by a wicked serve and, up until the start of this tournament, had served more aces this season apart from Serena Williams.

Slovakian Dominika Cibulkova powered into the third round with a 6-0 6-1 whipping of Spain's Maria-Theresa Torro-Flor.

Impressive young American Madison Keys upset German 30th seed Mona Barthel 6-4 6-2.

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Late Bomber blitz stuns Eagles

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Sweet relief ... Jobe Watson enjoys Essendon's stunning win after a tough week. Source: Paul Kane / Herald Sun

Essendon defender Jake Carlisle booted a clutch 49m goal from the boundary line to help lift the Bombers to a fighting seven-point victory over West Coast on Thursday night.

3.4 (22)	Q1	4.1 (25)
6.6 (42)	Q2	6.3 (39)
12.10 (82)	Q3	10.5 (65)
13.13 (91)	Q4	15.8 (98)

Jack Darling 3	Jason Winderlich 3
Mark LeCras 3	Jake Carlisle 2
Bradd Dalziell 2	Alwyn Davey 2
Josh J. Kennedy 2	Jobe Watson 2
Dean Cox 1	Stewart Crameri 1
Daniel Kerr 1	Courtenay Dempsey 1
Matt Priddis 1	Brendon Goddard 1
	Dyson Heppell 1
	Jackson Merrett 1
	Patrick Ryder 1

		P	W	D	L	%	Pts
1	Hawthorn	12	11	0	1	143.00	44
2	Essendon	13	10	0	3	129.51	40
3	Geelong	12	10	0	2	126.27	40
4	Fremantle	12	9	1	2	132.29	38
5	Sydney	12	8	1	3	130.22	34
6	Richmond	12	8	0	4	119.36	32
7	Collingwood	12	8	0	4	108.47	32
8	Port Adelaide	12	7	0	5	115.57	28
9	Carlton	12	6	0	6	116.89	24
10	West Coast	13	6	0	7	110.02	24
11	Adelaide	12	5	0	7	103.55	20
12	Gold Coast	12	5	0	7	92.55	20
13	North Melbourne	12	4	0	8	107.00	16
14	Brisbane	12	4	0	8	76.08	16
15	St Kilda	12	3	0	9	89.80	12
16	Bulldogs	12	3	0	9	73.38	12
17	Melbourne	12	1	0	11	50.87	4
18	Greater Western Sydney	12	0	0	12	51.41	0

The Eagles led by 23 points late in the third quarter and still held a six-point advantage when Mark LeCras kicked truly with four minutes remaining in the match.

But the Eagles couldn't land the killer blow, with Carlisle converting a tough chance from the boundary to level the scores before a Jake Melksham behind put the Bombers in front by a point.

The visitors held firm in a frantic final minute, Dyson Heppell kicking a goal on the final siren to add the icing to the cake of the 15.8 (98) to 13.13 (91) win.

Essendon skipper Jobe Watson entered the match under an intense spotlight after admitting he believed he had been injected with the banned substance AOD-9604 last year.

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Some pundits questioned whether Watson should have been allowed to play and the 36,451 crowd at Patersons Stadium booed the 2012 Brownlow Medallist whenever he got the ball.

West Coast coach John Worsfold claimed he didn't hear the crowd booing Watson, but James Hird was well aware of it and said he was disappointed.

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"I didn't like that at all,'' Hird said.

"It's not necessary. We've always found the West Australian crowd excellent. We always love coming here. I just don't think it was called for.''

Watson put aside the crowd abuse to play a crucial role in the win, tallying 29 possessions and two goals.

"He's just very happy to play in the win. To play the way he played just shows his character,'' Hird said of Watson.

"Jobe's a great person and captain and footballer. I'm a bit disappointed with what's going on.

"But this win is great for him.

"It's just incredible. The boys fought it out.''

Essendon's last trip to Perth also came on the back of a controversial week in which the depth of their supplements drama first came to light.

In that match, the Bombers fell 37 points behind Fremantle before pulling off a famous four-point win.

The latest come-from-behind win further boosted their top-four hopes, while the Eagles (6-7) are in grave danger of missing this year's finals.

Carlisle was sent forward after half-time and finished with two goals.

Essendon forward Stewart Crameri faces a nervous wait after twisting his troublesome right ankle as he propped to take a mark in the third quarter.

The Eagles were dealt a late blow when star midfielder Luke Shuey was forced out with a hamstring injury.

Shuey's withdrawal tested West Coast's depth after they lost Shannon Hurn (ankle), Scott Selwood (thumb) and Andrew Embley (suspension) earlier in the week.

The Bombers kicked four of the opening five goals of the match, but West Coast dominated the rest of the opening half as their renowned forward press, which had malfunctioned for much of the year, finally clicked.

West Coast created enough opportunities to win the match, but Essendon refused to give in, their perseverance paying off in an exhausting second half.

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Bernie blasts past Blake

Bernard Tomic ... cruises past former world No. 4 James Blake. Source: Sang Tan / AAP

Revelling in perfect conditions, Bernard Tomic has blasted into Wimbledon's third round with a stylish win over American veteran James Blake.

Forced to retire from doubles because of a hamstring strain less than 24 hours before facing Blake, Tomic could scarcely have been more impressive.

The Gold Coaster's deserved 6-3 6-4, 7-5 success over former world No 4 Blake earned him a tilt at either French ninth seed Richard Gasquet or Japan's Go Soeda.

Delivering another clean, virtually error-free performance, Tomic again demonstrated a natural affinity with grass.

The Queenslander served and returned at a consistently high level, moved well and maintained concentration.

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He produced 32 winners and 12 unforced errors to reach the third round for the second time in his short career.

Showing no sign of the hamstring injury which had dogged him since the French Open in Paris, Tomic quickly set about dissecting Blake's solid game.

Breaking serve in the fourth game, Tomic soon turned the match into a grasscourt masterclass.

Pocketing the first set after 28 minutes with a beguiling mix of angles and pace changes, Tomic maintained the offensive with another service break in the opening game of the second set.

Blake dug into climb back on even terms with a forehand volley winner to break in the eighth game, only to immediately lose the gain.

Growing in confidence with every rally, Tomic served out the second set - and then put Blake to the sword.

Preying on the veteran's fading resistance, Tomic continued to punish the tiring American and was rewarded when Blake wearily netted a forehand.

Tomic stumbled when he first attempted to close out the match as Blake delayed the inevitable with a pair of massive forehand winners to break back.

Unperturbed, Tomic grabbed another break in the following game before sealing the match after 97 minutes.

* * *

Italian Fabio Fognini has been fined $US10,000 for unsportsmanlike behaviour in his first round loss to Austrian Jurgen Melzer.

Fognini repeatedly threw his racquet and swore regularly at chair umpire Pascal Maria who, at one stage, broke into laughter as the firebrand baseliner lost composure.

* * *

French veteran Michael Llodra retired with an unspecified injury when trailing Italian Andreas Seppi 7-5. His retirement follows a record seven retirements and walkovers on Wednesday.

* * *

Lleyton Hewitt bowed out of doubles with veteran Mark Knowles. The pair, who are neighbours in the Bahamas, lost 6-3 7-5 7-6 (7-4) to Perth's Matt Ebden and Briton Jamie Delgado.

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Wimbledon injury curse claims four

Out ... Victoria Azarenka receives treatment after her heavy fall. Source: AAP

Second seed Victoria Azarenka and Steve Darcis, the man who sent Rafael Nadal crashing to a humiliating Wimbledon exit, both withdrew from the tournament through injury on Wednesday.

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Azarenka and Darcis were just two of four injury-hit storylines on the third day of the championships.

America's John Isner, famous for winning the longest match in history at Wimbledon in 2010, pulled out after just two games of his second round tie.

Czech veteran Radek Stepanek was also an on-court casualty, quitting his second round clash with a thigh injury.

World number two Azarenka was forced to withdraw just minutes before she was due on Centre Court to face Italian veteran Flavia Pennetta.

The Australian Open champion suffered a right knee injury in her first round win over Maria Joao Koehler of Portugal where she needed a 10-minute treatment period by the tournament doctor.

"Really sad 4 Vika that her knee is bad. seeing the injury when it happened, i was surprised she was able 2 finish her match. Hope she'll be ok,'' tweeted former Wimbledon champion Martina Navratilova.

Pennetta goes on to face France's Alize Cornet for a place in the last 16.

Darcis, the world No.135 who stunned Nadal on Monday, pulled out with a right shoulder injury.

"I was playing maybe the best tennis in my life here,'' said the 29-year-old Belgian.

"Not to go on the court today, it's maybe the most disappointing thing I have had to do.''

Darcis, who hurt his shoulder in a fall during his win over Nadal, had been due to face Poland's Lukasz Kubot in the second round.

"Sadly, this is sport. The greatest moment of his career is followed by the greatest disappointment,'' said Darcis's coach, Reginald Willems.

Darcis inflicted Nadal's first ever opening round defeat at a grand slam with his stunning straight sets win.

Kubot will face either Benoit Paire or Stephane Robert for a place in the last 16.

Wimbledon marathon man Isner, was forced to quit his second round match after just two games.

The 28-year-old, 18th seeded American had to retire against France's Adrian Mannarino with the score at 1-1 in the first set after he injured his knee while serving.

Mannarino goes on to face either former champion Lleyton Hewitt or Dustin Brown for a place in the last 16.

Stepanek was 6-2, 5-3 down to Poland's Jerzy Jancowicz, the 24th seed, when he quit with a left thigh injury.

Jancowicz will face either Nicolas Almagro or Guillaume Rufin for a place in the last 16.

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Origin II player ratings: Blues

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NSW Blues ... concede a try to Queensland during State of Origin 2. Source: Mark Evans / News Limited

New South Wales were extremely quiet in their 26-6 thrashing at the hands of Queensland and we break down the team performance and give every player a score out of 10.

Fullback: Josh Dugan - Looked one of the Blues' most dangerous all night, but never really got into a position to get some points on the board. Rating: 6.

Winger: Brett Morris - Capitalised on the only chance he got when he pounced on a Farah kick for the Blues' only try on what was otherwise a quiet night. Rating: 6.

Centre: Michael Jennings - Was lucky not to be binned for flying into the brawl, which was his most telling impact on a quiet night. Rating: 5.

Centre: Josh Morris - Didn't excel, didn't disappoint. Not a game in which he could really shine. Rating: 6.

Winger: Nathan Merritt - A debut to forget. Exposed defensively a number of times, which was one of NSW's biggest fears coming into the game. Rating: 4.

Five-eighth: James Maloney - The kicking game which catapulted the Blues to victory in game one was nowhere to be seen. Rating: 5.

Halfback: Mitchell Pearce - Ditto for Pearce regarding the kicking game, which Maroons legend Wally Lewis described as deplorable. Rating: 5.

Prop: Paul Gallen - Had just two runs in the opening half with his side staved of possession, but he did his best in the second stanza to get the Blues back into the game. Rating: 7.

Hooker: Robbie Farah - Tackled his heart out, but struggled to make any impact in attack until the clever kick for Brett Morris to score. Rating: 6.

Prop: Aaron Woods - Would have liked to have done more in his first Origin game than five runs for 38 metres, much of which came in the last ten minutes. Rating: 5.

Second-row: Luke Lewis - Gave it everything in both attack and defence. If he'd had a few more teammates do the same, his impact would have been more telling. Rating: 7.

Second-row: Ryan Hoffman - His lack of punch out wide could cost him when it comes to picking the Blues side for the decider. Rating: 5.

Lock: Greg Bird - He gives the Blues a rugged quality, but his decision to run into the brawl proved costly. Rating: 6.

Interchange:

Andrew Fifita - His introduction helped stop the early rot with some powerful runs. Rating: 7.

Trent Merrin - His best display in a sky blue jumper was marred by the punch which kick-started the brawl which saw four players sin-binned. Rating: 5.

Josh Reynolds - Got a taste midway through the second half, but impact was negligible. Rating: 5.

Anthony Watmough - Never seems to go close to dominating Origin games like he once used to. Rating: 5.

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I didn't work hard enough: Hannebery

Lesson ... Dan Hannebery is led to the ball by Port tagger Kane Cornes. Source: Morne de Klerk / Getty Images

Sydney Swans star Daniel Hannebery admits he was tagged out of his side's shock loss to Port Adelaide too easily, but has pledged to work harder to overcome close-checking tactics in future.

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Power veteran Kane Cornes was never far from the young Swan's side in the 18-point upset loss and kept him to just 13 possessions - well down on his season average of 27.

"I think I had a pretty honest assessment of my game … and I think fundamentally he out-worked me – he beat me on the day," Hannebery said on Wednesday night's episode of AFL 360.

"He was harder than me and I didn't work hard enough. It was a real lesson for me and if it happens in the coming weeks I'll be better equipped to deal with it.

"There's no doubt on the day he and a lot of the other Port guys worked harder than us.

"I don't think I consciously didn't bother to run – I think he played it smarter. The way that he persisted and the way he outworked me he probably did get into my head a little bit, but I've got to be able to work through that and be better than that.

"When that comes again I've got to be a bit mentally tougher than I was on the weekend and not give in like I suppose I did."

The unexpected defeat could have dire consequences for the Swans' battle to secure a top-four berth, but Hannebery said it had served as a timely wake-up call for the team.

"We can't just go out there and expect to win games of footy," he said.

"We're not a side that's ever done that and we probably don't have the talent to be able to do that.

"We'll work together as a team and work really hard. That's what makes us a good footy team – when we all work hard together as a unit."

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Hewitt suffers shock Wimbledon loss

Shock loss ... Lleyton Hewitt is knocked out of Wimbledon in the second round. Source: Kirsty Wigglesworth / AAP

Lleyton Hewitt's Wimbledon campaign ended with a shock loss to flamboyant German qualifier Dustin Brown in the second round on Wednesday.

The 32-year-old Australian failed to build on his first round-upset win over 11th seed Stanislas Wawrinka, losing 6-4 6-4 6-7 (3-7) 6-2 to 189th-ranked Brown.

It was only Hewitt's second loss in 13 matches against qualifiers at grand slam events and the defeat leaves Bernard Tomic as the only Australian left in the men's singles draw.

Journeyman Brown, 28, produced one of the performances of his life as he reached the third round of a grand slam for the first time.

Sporting long, dreadlocked hair, the German - who changed his nationality from Jamaican in 2010 - came out swinging from the hip.

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And his high-risk approach paid off with Hewitt, the 2002 Wimbledon champion, troubled from the outset by his big serve and ferocious forehand.

Just when Hewitt looked to be grinding his opponent down, Brown broke serve at 5-4 to steal the set, celebrating wildly with his arms raised.

The Australian tried to pump himself up after breaking serve in the opening game of the second set but Brown hit back soon after and a poor service game from Hewitt allowed the qualifier to go two sets up.

Hewitt won six straight points in in the third tie-breaking, extending the match to a fourth set.

But Brown quickly wrestled the momentum back, breaking twice to race to a 4-1 lead and serve out the match in two hours and 23 minutes.

Brown, who spent four years earlier in his career travelling around Europe in a campervan to play tournaments, was in tears as he walked off the court.

"It's going to take a while to sink in,'' Brown said.

"I'm not normally a guy to cry, I don't really know what happened.

"I'm playing Lleyton Hewitt, a guy that you're watching when you're growing up.

"I've been so often close to winning big matches but couldn't put it together and this is the first time I just went through with it.''

After a surprise run to the Queen's Club semi-finals and his superb first round performance, world No.70 Hewitt had been eyeing a run deep into the draw in his 15th consecutive Wimbledon campaign.

Following the shock opening-round defeat of Rafael Nadal, his section of the draw opened up further when 18th seed John Isner retired hurt with a knee injury on Wednesday, giving Frenchman Adrian Mannarino a free passage into a third-round meeting with Brown.

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Crowley pinched me 300 times: Harvey

Pinched ... Ryan Crowley found guilty of pinching Brent Harvey. Source: Herald Sun

Fremantle tagger Ryan Crowley has been found guilty of pinching North Melbourne star Brent Harvey.

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Crowley denied pinching Harvey but the Kangaroos veteran maintained the Dockers tagger had done so repeatedly.

Harvey twice told umpires during the game about the pinching and repeated the accusation to an AFL investigator on Monday, before giving evidence to the tribunal.

Crowley's advocate Seamus Rafferty put it to Harvey that the reason there was no footage of any pinching was that it didn't happen even once.

"You're right. It didn't happen once. It happened about 300 times,'' Harvey replied.

In the night's other case, Geelong's Steve Johnson had his two-match AFL ban upheld at the tribunal and the Cats star will have extra demerit points hanging over his head for the rest of the season.

Johnson will miss crucial games against the Dockers and Hawthorn, and will carry 79.04 points, rather than 9.28 had he pleaded guilty.

The midfielder-forward instead unsuccessfully argued his high bump on Brisbane's Pearce Hanley during the Cats' shock fade-out loss to the Lions at the Gabba on Sunday was unavoidable.

Coach Chris Scott had earlier admitted earlier on Tuesday it was a big risk by the club to challenge the rough conduct charge, even though the suspension would have been two games either way.

"It's a huge risk, to take that many carryover points into the late part of the season,'' Scott told reporters.

"But we feel really strongly about it that we have an obligation to defend our player.''

It's the second time this season the Cats have gone to the tribunal over a bump and lost, after James Kelly copped a two-match ban for an incident with Essendon's Brendon Goddard in round seven.

Johnson argued that his initial aim was to tackle Hanley, but after teammate Joel Corey reached him first and laid a tackle he changed his mind and braced for contact instead.

His advocate Peter Murdoch QC argued Johnson couldn't have reasonably foreseen that Corey would tackle Hanley before he got there.

But Johnson himself admitted under cross-examination there was nothing unexpected in what happened.

Earlier on Tuesday, West Coast's Andrew Embley (one match), Melbourne's Jake Spencer (three games) and St Kilda's Tom Simpkin (two) all accepted suspensions for various offences.

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Lions boost momentum with Rebels win

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Mauling ... The Lions get revenge on provincial side the Rebels. Source: Mark Dadswell / AAP

The British and Irish Lions' build-up to their crunch Test against the Wallabies got a boost with a convincing 35-0 win over the Melbourne Rebels.

0 Tries 4
	Conor Murray 16'
	Sean Maitland 28'
	Sean O'Brien 50'
	Ben Youngs 73'
0 Penalty Tries 1
	Penalty Try 63'
0 Conversions 5
	Owen Farrell 17'
	Owen Farrell 29'
	Owen Farrell 51'
	Stuart Hogg 63'
	Stuart Hogg 74'

The touring side are looking to wrap up their three-match series on Saturday night in Melbourne after taking game one 23-21 in Brisbane.

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While their first choice Test players watched from the stands, the Lions had too much class for the Rebels, who were without their Test players James O'Connor, Nick Phipps, Kurtley Beale and injured skipper Scott Higginbotham.

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Without those players Melbourne lacked strike-power in attack, compounded by the Lions' focus on the breakdown that starved the home side of quick ball.

Rebels coach Damien Hill said he knew his team couldn't beat the Lions at their own game.

"Playing orthodox rugby against a representative team like the Lions, you're playing to their strengths really,'' said Hill.

"We put a few things in there to change things up; they didn't all come off.''

He said his players told him post-match that the game was a step up from anything they'd ever experienced.

"The great thing was that they never gave up.

"I felt their defence at times was outstanding; it's just a shame we couldn't finish a few things off.''

The Lions led 14-0 at halftime, with their second try one of the best of the tour.

Centre Manu Tuilagi, in his first match back after injuring his shoulder two weeks ago against Queensland, proved a handful for the Rebels defence and was key to that try.

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The English tackle-buster broke through the Melbourne defence and got a one-handed pass away to winger Sean Maitland.

He found No.8 Toby Faletau, who looked certain to score before slipping just short of the tryline.

Faletau, who was among the Lions' best and pushing Jamie Heaslip for the Test role, was able to play the ball back to centre Brad Barritt and he sent the ball on to winger Simon Zebo before Maitland finished off the move.

Their other first half try was scored by halfback Connor Murray, who scooped the ball up as they attempted a pushover try and dived across the line.

Lions coach Warren Gatland may have vacancies for the second Test with prop Alex Corbisiero (calf) and centre Jamie Roberts (hamstring) rated very doubtful.

"I think they will be right for the third Test but they're unlikely to be right for Saturday,'' Gatland said.

Gatland said the win was a good response to the disappointment of losing to the Brumbies last week and he was particularly pleased with the spirit shown by his players.

"That really came out,'' Gatland said.

"It showed how good these guys have been both on and off the field and I think that was demonstrated tonight with the spirit that was displayed, not conceding any points.

"We were really pleased with that performance.''

The Rebels toiled hard but were unable to build enough pressure on the Lions with a lack of possession.

In front of a sell-out crowd of 28,658, they were attempting to replicate the Brumbies, who delivered the Lions' first defeat by an Australian provincial side since 1971 with a 14-12 victory.

"It's disappointing when you look at that scoreline,'' said Rebels skipper Gareth Delve.

"The boys went out there and tried to do a few things and it was always going to be a bit hit and miss.''

The Lions' other points came in the second half through flanker Sean O'Brien after a set move off a line-out, while referee Glen Jackson awarded the side a penalty try and yellow-carded Rebels No.7 Jordy Reid, who came in cynically from the side with a try beckoning.

Impressive reserve halfback Ben Youngs also touched down after a dashing solo run off a line-out late in the half.

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Real confirm Ancelotti as coach

Appointed ... Carlo Ancelotti confirmed as Real Madrid coach. Source: Michel Euler / AP

Carlo Ancelotti has been appointed the new coach of Real Madrid on a three-year deal.

"Carlos Michelangelo Ancelotti will be the coach of Real Madrid next season,'' a statement on the club's website read.

"Experience, success and reliability in all the countries in which the Italian has worked, he arrives in the Spanish capital after being chosen as coach of the year in France.''

Ancelotti will be formally presented to the media on Thursday morning, the Spanish club confirmed.

The 54-year-old Italian's protracted move from Paris Saint-Germain was finally confirmed after the French champions appointed Laurent Blanc to be their coach on Tuesday.

That cleared the path for Madrid to end a five-week wait to announce their new boss after it was announced Jose Mourinho would not be continuing at the club last month.

The former Juventus, AC Milan and Chelsea boss has always been Real president Florentino Perez first choice to replace Mourinho and arrives with a impressive CV, having won league titles in Italy, England and France.

Ancelotti's proven track record in the Champions League was key attraction for Perez as winning a 10th European Cup remains Madrid's primary objective.

After falling short at the semi-final stage under Mourinho for the past three seasons, Perez has now entrusted Ancelotti to take what is currently the most expensive squad ever assembled in the history of the game to land Madrid's first Champions League trophy since 2002.

The arrival of Ancelotti is also likely to signal the beginning of major moves in the transfer market from the Spanish giants who have so far just exercised their right to buy-back Spanish under-21 international Dani Carvajal from Bayer Leverkusen and converted 21-year-old Brazilian Casemiro's loan deal from Sao Paulo into a permanent move.

The purchase of Malaga midfielder Isco for a price in the region of 30 million euros (A$42.5 million) is also expected to be completed this week as Real look set to beat off strong competition from Manchester City for the highly rated Spanish international.

Real have also been strongly linked with a move for Tottenham Hotspur's Gareth Bale and Liverpool's Luis Suarez, however one of Ancelotti's first jobs may be to sanction a few transfers out of the club to create the funds for future moves.

Striker Gonzalo Higuain has spoken of his desire to leave the club and his father admitted on Sunday that the player was close to reaching an agreement with either Arsenal or Juventus.

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Stosur blasts into second round

Through ... Samantha Stosur blasts into the second round. Source: AAP

Samantha Stosur blasted her way into the second round at Wimbledon with a dominant win over Slovakian teenager Anna Schmiedlova on Tuesday.

NMData: FS Tennis NMdata Sto v Sch

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The 14th seed made an ideal start to her 11th straight Wimbledon campaign, needing little more than an hour to secure a 6-1 6-3 win.

Stosur has set up a second-round clash with Russian Olga Puchkova.

The 29-year-old Australian is targeting a breakthrough result at the grass-court grand slam, having never made it past the third round.

While her best results have come on clay and hard courts, Stosur looked every bit the grass-court player on Tuesday.

Lucky loser Schmiedlova, ranked 119th in the world, lost in qualifying but earned a spot in the main draw because of a withdrawal.

But her reward was a daunting opening encounter against Stosur, the highest-ranked player she's faced.

Despite serving and striking the ball well, the 18-year-old was blown off the court as Stosur blended ferocious power with deft touch to wrap up the first set in 27 minutes.

Stosur wasn't quite as clinical in the second set but she wrapped up a professional performance with minimal fuss.

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Stosur is the sole Australian woman playing in singles at Wimbledon, the first time the nation has only one female representative since 1950.

Wimbledon: Mens Singles

Round 1, 25/06/13

Nis (12)	6	6	6
Ebd (W)	2	4	3

It wasn't such good news for Stosur's compatriots Matt Ebden and James Duckworth.

Wild card Ebden was knocked out in straight sets by Japanese 12th seed Kei Nishikori, 6-2 6-4 6-3.

Ebden, ranked 110th, earned a wild card entry into the main draw after winning a Challenger event on grass in Nottingham earlier this month.

It was his second appearance at the grass-court grand slam.

Wimbledon: Mens Singles

Round 1, 25/06/13

Duc (Q)	4	2	6	6	1
Kud (Q)	6	6	3	4	6

While a gutsy fightback proved in vain as qualifier Duckworth was eliminated 6-4 6-2 3-6 4-6 6-1 by American Denis Kudla.

The 21-year-old Australian, ranked 174th, was competing in the main draw at Wimbledon for the first time.

He also qualified for last month's French Open, where he also lost in the first round.

Duckworth fought back strongly from two sets down to level the match and broke serve to take a 1-0 lead in the fifth and deciding set.

However, 105th-ranked Kudla came home much too strong to reach the second round.

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NRL wins its first fight hands down

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Fight breaks out ... between Canberra Raiders v Wests Tigers in Holden Cup. Source: RENEE MCKAY / AAP

It was only a matter of time before the NRL's "one punch and you're off" edict got its first test case.

Less than a week after this newspaper splashed the story across the front page, rugby league had its first punch-up at Campbelltown last night.

And to the NRL's credit, four players from the Wests Tigers-Canberra Raiders Holden Cup match got their marching orders - two players were sent off and two to the sin bin.

The referees were outstanding. No questions asked - they just did their job and got rid of the offenders and then put the entire brawl on report.

It sends a clear message to every rugby league player at every level of the game.

If you want to fight, take up boxing.

If you want to play rugby league, you play by the rules. It's a tough enough game without the violence we witnessed on Saturday night.

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Tigers outclass Western Bulldogs

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Routine ... Bachar Houli fires a handball in Richmond's comprehensive win over Western Bulldogs. Source: DAVID CROSLING / AAP

Richmond's bid for a long-awaited finals berth is gathering pace, after smashing the Western Bulldogs on Saturday night.

The 17.19 (121) to 8.13 (61) victory was the Tigers' third straight and the second time this season they have made light work of the Dogs, having also belted them by 67 points in round three.

3.3 (21)	Q1	4.8 (32)
5.9 (39)	Q2	8.13 (61)
5.11 (41)	Q3	13.16 (94)
8.13 (61)	Q4	17.19 (121)

Jake Stringer 2	Jack Riewoldt 3
Matthew Boyd 1	Reece Conca 2
Adam Cooney 1	Shaun Grigg 2
Daniel Giansiracusa 1	Tyrone Vickery 2
Lachlan Hunter 1	Trent Cotchin 1
Liam Jones 1	Aaron Edwards 1
Robert Murphy 1	Nathan Foley 1
	Bachar Houli 1
	Daniel Jackson 1
	Dustin Martin 1
	Nick Vlastuin 1
	Matt White 1

Bachar Houli and Brett Deledio again gave Richmond strong drive off halfback, despite the close attention of Bulldog taggers Nick Lower and Liam Picken respectively.

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Midfielder Dustin Martin gathered 23 disposals, kicked a classy goal in the second quarter and set up several others with penetrating passes.

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Former Port Adelaide key defender Troy Chaplin again showed his worth as a recruit for the Tigers, keeping Bulldog spearhead Liam Jones quiet to lead a tight Richmond defence, while hard man Steven Morris blanketed Dogs livewire Luke Dahlhaus.

Jack Riewoldt kicked three goals.

The win lifts Richmond to sixth spot, above Collingwood on percentage and two games clear of ninth-placed Carlton, with the Tigers on an 8-4 record.

Only twice in the past three decades have Richmond been as well or better-placed 12 games into a season, in 1995 and 2001 - also the only two years they've played finals in that stretch.

Despite being on top throughout, the Tigers took time to put the Bulldogs away.

They kicked three of the first four goals, but followed that with a string of five consecutive behinds, allowing the Dogs to stay within 11 points at the first change.

Richmond opened the second quarter with four quick goals, but the Bulldogs steadied late in the half and an after-the-siren goal to Jake Stringer from a 50m penalty kept the halftime margin to 22.

But the Tigers blasted 53 points clear with 5.3 to two behinds in the decisive third quarter.

Big man Ty Vickery kicked two goals for the term, including one from a clever pack mark with the flight of the ball.

The last quarter became Tiger party time, with Daniel Jackson snapping a banana goal he could barely believe himself.

But the mood soured slightly when Chaplin went off with a leg injury late in the game, while fellow Tigers defender David Astbury was icing his left hamstring after being subbed off in the third term.

Richmond coach Damien Hardwick said Chaplin's knee injury wasn't believed to be serious.

"Structurally we think he's fine, we just have to work our way through it, whether he twisted his knee we're not too sure,'' he said.

"He seems to think he'll be fine but we'll get some tests.''

Hardwick said he was disappointed Richmond wasted chances in the first half but was pleased to finish off with a 60-point win.

Bulldogs coach Brendan McCartney said his young side was simply outclassed.

"We got beaten by a team that's better than us, quite clearly better than us,'' he said.

"They're a good team, they broke our tackles, tackled us, kicked the ball better, got the ball into space and set up some nice goals.''

Captain Matthew Boyd was the Dogs' best, gathering 34 touches and keeping opposing skipper Trent Cotchin quiet, while fellow midfielder Ryan Griffen (38 disposals) was also prolific.

Click here to see all of the stats and scores in the FOX FOOTY Match Centre.

22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Lions hold off wounded Wallabies

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Thriller ... the Lions celebrate after Kurtley Beale misses the match-winning kick. Source: Dave Hunt / AAP

A brilliant two-try debut from Israel Folau wasn't enough for the battered Wallabies who fell 23-21 to the British and Irish Lions in an epic first Test battle on Saturday night.

2 Tries 2
Israel Folau 13'	George North 26'
Israel Folau 35'	Alex Cuthbert 49'
1 Conversions 2
James O'Connor 15'	Leigh Halfpenny 28'
	Leigh Halfpenny 50'
3 Penalties 3
James O'Connor 52'	Leigh Halfpenny 25'
Kurtley Beale 62'	Leigh Halfpenny 32'
Kurtley Beale 68'	Leigh Halfpenny 66'

In a gripping contest, a courageous Australia almost fought back from an eight-point second-half deficit but Kurtley Beale missed two penalty goal attempts in the final five minutes that would have stolen the win.

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Beale had edged the Wallabies to within two points with 13 minutes left in front of a record Suncorp Stadium crowd of 52,499, but he skewed his first match-winning attempt and then slipped as he fired off a last-minute shot from 45m.

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The reserve fullback, in his first-class return following his second suspension for alcohol issues, shouldn't shoulder all the blame as poor goalkicking severely cost the home side throughout.

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With first-choice kicker Christian Lealiifano taken off on a stretcher in the first minute, five-eighth James O'Connor stepped up but missed two attempts in the opening eight minutes.

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O'Connor also missed a kickable conversion from Folau's second try, meaning the Wallabies left 14 points in total out on the field.

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In contrast, Lions' radar boot Leigh Halfpenny slotted five from six.

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There was little in the invigorating contest as momentum swung back and forward and Folau produced one of the best Test debuts by crossing twice in the first half and also saving a try.

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The Australian scrum also stepped up when required, spoiling the Lions ball five metres out late in the game and also forcing the late penalty for Beale's failed shot at glory.

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The Lions seemed to be in control as they jumped to a 20-12 lead in the 50th minute when winger Alex Cuthbert brushed off Michael Hooper and then Beale to score a try which had a hint of obstruction with Brian O'Driscoll running into O'Connor.

The carnage for the home side didn't end with Lealiifano, who was knocked out in tackling opposite number Jonathan Davies.

Berrick Barnes (jaw) and Pat McCabe (neck) were also replaced, forcing flanker Hooper to play in the midfield for the last 35 minutes.

In a magnificent first half, the superstar wingers of both sides shone with Folau's double plus Welsh giant George North scoring a sensational 60m solo try.

It was stand-out halfback Will Genia who sparked Folau's opening try with a superb 80m counter-attack by taking a quick tap and bamboozling the Lions' thin defence, before grubber kicking to the former league international and AFL flop.

But the home side's 7-0 lead didn't last long as the tourists gained the ascendancy in the set pieces and North punished a poor high kick by Barnes by blitzing two chasers and then stepping around Barnes to score.

The Welsh 21-year-old almost had a second five-pointer four minutes later but was denied by Folau who held him up in the left corner and his elbow landed on the sideline.

Genia, again, started Folau's second try by wrapping around Kane Douglas and quick hands had the lanky Waratah in space and he burnt Jonny Sexton and Alex Corbisiero to cross.

22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Wallabies v Lions: Brissy breakdown

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Review ... Wallabies star Kurtley Beale after missing the match-winning penalty. Source: Dave Hunt / AAP

There was no better advertisement for rugby union than the incredible exhibition of skill, heart and determination on display in the British and Irish Lions win over the Wallabies at Suncorp Stadium.

Rarely has there been so much hype surrounding a three Test series and the contest in Brisbane lived up to all expectations.

Foxsports.com.au reviews the thrilling first Test.

THE MATCH

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Both teams showed how desperate they were to secure the crucial first win of the three-match series. It was a physical contest from the first collision with Wallabies debutant Christian Lealiifano colliding with the hip of opposition number Jonathan Davies. The impact of the Brumbies sharpshooter being stretchered off was immediate as James O'Connor took over the kicking duties. O'Connor missed two early penalties, but the misses were soon forgotten when Will Genia chanced his hand with a quick tap, travelling 80 meters downfield to send another Wallabies debutant, Israel Folau, over his first Test try. Two penalties from Lions' hitman Leigh Halfpenny and a brilliant solo try from his Welsh teammate George North put the tourist back in front. The Wallabies had their chance to take the halftime lead after Folau scored his second incredible try, but O'Connor missed his third kick of the night. After the break, Alex Cuthbert sliced through the Wallabies defensive line, brushing off several players on his way to the try-line. The Wallabies were always chasing from here, but kept in touch with penalties. Kurtley Beale had the chance to win the match twice. On the second occasion the Wallabies' scrum earn a tight-head penalty, but as the fulltime siren went Beale slipped as he connected with the ball. What a game!

TURNING POINT

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The Wallabies had three backline stars stretchered from the field and another leave it late in the game. At one stage in the game Michael Hooper was playing inside centre and replacement halfback Nick Phibbs was grazing on the wing. But it was debutant Lealiifano's absence that really hurt the Wallabies. O'Connor and Beale missed a combined total of 14 points from penalties and a conversion which ultimately cost the Wallabies victory in Brisbane. Lealiifano was selected by Deans for his ability to read the game, his solid defence and his place-kicking prowess.

LIONS STANDOUT

Jonathan Sexton. The Irish five-eighth was simply outstanding. He has an uncanny but effective style, with the ability to control the tempo of the game. Sexton stood so flat when taking on the Wallabies' defensive line that it attracted two or three defenders, creating acres of space for his support players. His pinpoint open-field kicking put a massive amount of pressure on the Wallabies' back-three and forced the homeside's forwards backwards. His variety constantly had the Wallabies' defence in two minds.

WALLABIES STANDOUT(S)

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How do you separate Genia and Folau? The Wallabies' little general was in everything; covering tackles, creating tries and controlling a breakdown that was constantly under pressure from the Lions. Without Genia the Wallabies could have been facing a much bigger scoreline at the final siren. Was Folau's Wallabies' debut the greatest of all-time? That is a debate best decided in the pub. He is such an incredible athlete. All of Folau's attributes were on display when he scored his two first half tries; power, skill, speed and balance.

WHERE TO NOW?

There are no beds left in the Wallabies' casualty ward. Lealiifano, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Pat McCabe and Berrick Barnes will all undergo scans. The Wallabies found a nice balance to their side in the first Test and need to reassess their team for the do-or-die battle in Melbourne. Will Quade Cooper come into the side? O'Connor didn't set the world on fire and was completely out-played by his opposite number. Beale showed glimpses of why he is considered one of the most dangerous players in world rugby. Does he start at fullback or switch with O'Connor? There will no doubt be a number of backline changes for the second Test. The Wallabies pack held their own against a monster pack and should stay unchanged. The Lions team should be one to 15 for the Melbourne Test, resting several frontline players for the Rebels game.

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