Sharks have Blake on speed dial

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THE Cronulla Sharks have been reaching out to sacked NSW Origin star Blake Ferguson, with captain Paul Gallen and five-eighth Todd Carney personally telephoning the Raiders centre about joining the club next season.

Agitating for a release from the Raiders prior to coach David Furner being sacked midweek, Ferguson is a free agent as of October due to a get-out clause in his contract.

Ferguson had two years to run on his Canberra deal but is free to leave after Furner was axed, opening the door for the Sharks to push hard for his signature alongside Canterbury.

The ironic element of Cronulla's pursuit of Ferguson is the way the Blues centre quit the club after two seasons at the end of 2010, when he exercised a get-out clause when Ricky Stuart was sacked as coach.

At the time, Ferguson said: "I want to win a premiership, and also with the things going on in the club - the uncertainty - I just want to be in a stable place where I can concentrate on winning a title, that is what is in my heart.

"It is nothing personal, I do have an emotional attachment to the club. I just want to win."

Sharks fans remained furious about the way Ferguson departed long after he had quit the club to join the Raiders.

But in the swings and roundabouts world of rugby league, Cronulla coach Shane Flanagan is currently angling to lure Ferguson back to the Shire to complement new recruit Blake Ayshford in the centres.

The other clubs linked to Ferguson, the Sydney Roosters and South Sydney, on Saturday ruled themselves out of contention.

"No, I certainly haven't had any conversations in relation to Blake Ferguson and I'm not anticipating any," Roosters chief of football Brian Canavan said.

Rabbitohs chief executive Shane Richardson also ruled out a move to Redfern, irrespective of the club's strong ties with Anthony Mundine and the Aboriginal community.

"We won't be making an offer to Blake Ferguson," Richardson said.

Ferguson, who was sacked from the NSW Origin team prior to game II this season, is due to appear in court on indecent assault charges on September 3. Ferguson has pleaded not guilty.

The Raiders centre is understood to be looking at a return to Sydney so his cousin Mundine can act as a role model and mentor.

22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

V8's silent honour to Winton boss

Ronke built Winton to what it is today. Source: Cameron Tandy / News Limited

THERE are few places where a minute's silence would be more noticeable than a V8 Supercars meeting.

And even fewer that will be as poignant as that for Mick Ronke on Sunday at Winton.

The V8 grid will unite for a minute before the race, with drivers to stand beside their cars before they take to a track that would not exist if not for the efforts of Ronke, who died in April aged 65 after complications from heart surgery.

So integral was Ronke to the Winton Motor Raceway that in his stead, three fulltime employees - his son Adam (operations), Heather Wallace (administration) and Don Bartlett (engineering) - now fill the role he once commanded alone.

Ronke put his hand up in the 1960s to fill the volunteer's competition secretary role when Winton was confronted with closure for the first time.

His son Matthew said today that "from there he eventually found a winning formula" that only became a paid role 25 years ago, but endures at the small regional circuit that thrives despite its remote location in north-eastern Victoria.

"He'd be here seven days a week -- it was his passion," said Matthew, who himself runs Wakefield Park near Goulburn.

"He spent every moment of every day here working to make the facility better and grow motorsport in the area."

That love was fully tested in 1996 when the then Touring Car Championship didn't come to Winton because the facility didn't meet changing requirements.

"The edict to get V8 Supercars back here meant the circuit needed to be extended and new facilities put in," Matthew said.

"The club took that on and it cost them a couple of million dollars, but they lost their major income source (the round) in the interim.

"We only just found out a couple of weeks ago that Dad actually went without a wage for two years so the club could pay back the loan.

"As long as there was a meal on the table at night, you don't know the details of that as a younger guy."

Ronke, who helped found the Australian Auto Sport Alliance that has become a saviour of sorts to many grassroots motor racing groups around the country, used to field calls from many fledgling superstars who would ask if they could turn a few laps at Winton.

In the early 1970s, he would occasionally skip away from his fulltime job with Telecom to unlock the gates for Peter Brock to test the Torana that would later propel him to superstardom.

Another of those he helped along was Garry Rogers, now the owner and principal of the powerhouse Fujitsu Racing GRM team.

Rogers, who first raced at Winton in 1963, would be part of a group that camped around the track's dam just to get the most out of the circuit that is now test track for the Victorian-based V8 Supercar teams.

"It will be an emotional day. Other than Mick's family being involved here, the whole motor sport community was his family," Rogers said today.

"They've done an enormous amount of work here over the years, bit by bit, with a lot of volunteers and unpaid help - and Mick was the driver of that.

"We were here testing 10 days ago and they were putting slabs down in a new area to be ready for this weekend - it was pouring rain and they were just doing it. That's what Mick was about.

"He wasn't someone who got up and screamed and yelled, he just went about encouarging everybody and making people involved in what was going on.

"That is the thing Mick would do. His whole life was not just the circuit, but the people around him who were involved with it."

Matthew spoke today about times when his father would sacrifice his wage to build a new toilet block for the club's biggest weekend and be repaid months later when the cheques cleared.

That commitment was repaid in part earlier this month when the club opened entries to the newly minted Mick Ronke Memorial Trophy race in November at its main club meeting and filled it within three hours.

"I think a lot of people just want to come here and show their respect to Dad," Matthew said.

"It's been quite staggering how many people have told us he's touched them to help them go racing.

"We have Queensland off-road clubs through to West Australian motorkhanas come to us and say we would have stopped if it wasn't for what he put in place."

Sadly, instructions for the track's future were among the last few words Mick spoke to his sons.

As he was wheeled into surgery, Mick gave Matthew directions as to what needed to happen for this weekend's racing.

"He just seemed to know what to do and when to do it," Matthew said.

"It's gonna be a sad day. But he left my brother and I a legacy that we know what he wants so we can keep working towards it."

22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Time NRL calls in the reserves

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THREE weeks ago Manly beat us 40-6. Melbourne beat Canberra 68-4 that same weekend.

The Roosters beat Penrith 42-6 and the Titans beat Wests Tigers 36-6. The Bulldogs beat St George Illawarra 39-20.

There was a time when we used to ridicule rugby union for putting up scores like that.

Yet this is first grade football today.

You'll notice I called it first grade football, and not NRL, which is sort of my point.

It's time we brought reserve grade back to our clubs and got back to educating our young players how to play rugby league, the way it should be played.

We need reserve grade more than we have ever needed it in the past.

The under-20s is a very, very good idea and its competition is one of the best promotions of rugby league we have.

But it's not a stepping stone to NRL football. The experiment of NYC, under-20s, as our primary feeder to NRL football has not worked.

There are numerous reasons.

One area often overlooked is the welfare of players. I'm sure I'm no different from other coaches, having kids no older than 20 coming to me stressed and concerned about what they're going to do with their futures, and often feeling like their entire futures depend on what is happening now.

It's a delicate age for these boys.

Unfortunately, it's an age where they're on the cusp of maturing from boys to men, and when the pressure of what their future holds is thrown on them as well it's fair to say they are not all quite mature enough to handle it.

Another reason NYC has to go as the primary feeder for the NRL teams is that, as we see time and again, they're yet to be seasoned as footballers.

Except for the rare few, most young men haven't yet matured enough to maintain the intensity of first grade football against grown men week to week.

We have seen that this year at Parramatta.

Injuries have forced us to blood a lot of young players this season and it has been tough for a lot of them to maintain the intensity necessary.

They're not used to playing against men, and the physical toll it takes.

If they were only a little older - 22 or 23 instead of 19 and 20 - they would be far more seasoned to play against older men.

We would also be better placed to judge them as footballers, which is another bonus. Some players develop a little later than others, particularly forwards.

Too many bad habits have crept into NRL football because players have been forced to graduate from NYC to NRL too quickly, often driven by injury at the top, without proper grounding.

NYC just doesn't have the maturity to be an adequate second tier feeder for NRL. That's why we have to bring back reserve grade.

One problem hard to combat is that many NYC coaches are coaching strategies and techniques primarily to win the game - and there's nothing wrong with that, they're ambitious too - but sometimes it comes at the cost of the overall development of the player.

And an attitude to defence is the usually the first casualty.

You only need to look at the scores in most NYC games to see there is not a big influence on defence yet at that level.

And it's understandable because many of them are still learning the game as it is played at a professional level, the way it needs to be played in the NRL.

But it is damaging us at NRL level.

By introducing reserve grade it would give another level of development that would provide another level of polish to players, highlighted by the fact their football would be against men, before they come into NRL sides.

It will make for a better product.

The NRL needs to address its salary cap structures so we can properly stock our NSW Cup teams as the second tier feeder to the NRL, with NYC to drop back a level and become the third tier feeder.

I'm so certain this is the way to go that next season Parramatta will be using our NSW Cup team as our first grade feeder.

In most cases players from NYC will have to come through our NSW Cup team, Wentworthville, before they play first grade.

I reckon there is even a case to have the teams branded the same as the NRL team when they play. While I know Wentworthville, for example, has its own proud history, the first thing casual fans look at when they turn on a game on television is the jersey.

It needs to be instantly recognisable.

Whether that can happen is up to the league, but the sooner they decide to introduce a proper second grade competition again the better.

They'll experience playing against older players with an emphasis on the grind that succeeds at NRL level.

Or first grade, as we call it, and the game will benefit as a whole.

22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Is there anything left to celebrate?

Only the diehards remain as the Ashes series winds down in England. Source: AP

HE was walking slowly away from the stadium. His 'Smash 'Em Warner' banner dragged on the ground, his rubber kangaroo was deflated and the Cronulla Cape drooped limply from his shoulders.

Half-heartedly, he raised his chin and let out a muffled chant: "Aussie! Aussie! Aussie!"

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Around him, people looked up and asked: "Where?"

The answers, of course, was nowhere. Not in the big game or winning the big prize. Not on the top of the podium of lifting the urn. Not any more.

Instead, it was another week, and another Aussie sporting disaster. So I walked up an introduced myself.

He put out a giant yellow hand, emblazoned with the words 'Cmon Aussie Cmon'.

"Agnatic," he said. "Frank Anatic. What do you want?"

Just a quick chat.

"When do you want it?"

Now.

"Yeah, ha, good one. We used to do that one a lot for Lleyton. Back in the day."

We? I asked. Where are the rest of you?

"Some of them decided to get jobs. A few looked up their addresses and went home to see their families. Lot of yellow shirts, Aussie flag hats and green and gold sunscreen going cheap on eBay if you're interested."

Despite the dwindling numbers, Frank had decided to follow the Ashes tour to the bitter end.

"Well, you've got to support the team," he said. "Besides, I checked the fine print. There was a no cancellation policy with our tour group except in the event of 'natural disaster'. And, believe it or not, the Aussie batting didn't qualify."

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I asked Frank what it was like watching the Australians lose so miserably to a country they used to dominate.

"What do you think it's like being wedged into a tiny bucket seat next to a 135 kilogram plumber from Mudgee listening to the Barmy Army bellow 'Stand up if you're 3-nil up, stand up if you're 3-nil up' over and over while washing down something from a greasy van that takes extraordinary liberties with the definition of 'food' with expensive warm beer?"

So, ummm, not good?

"No, terrific fun!" he said looking down at the 'We Luv Ya Warney' t-shirt stretched across his beer belly.

"Just the results suck. When Merv Hughes' 28th recitation of the story of Booney's Australia to England can drinking record is the highlight of the tour, you know we're having a shocker."

But you must have had some good times. Drank in some good English pubs?

"Yeah," said Frank. "Found one showing the British Lions match. Can you imagine what it's like watching that with a bunch of stockbroking types called Jeremy and Sebastian dressed like they're modelling for the September cover of Horse and Hound magazine snorting Pimms out of their nostrils every time another Welshman scores? Give me seven hours beside a flatulent Barmy any day."

So you didn't go back to that pub for the Bledisloe Cup game?

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"Naah, thought we'd find a different one. Turned out it was full of Kiwis. You know how hard it is to land a decent sheep joke when the Wallabies are lambs to the slaughter? Can't even blame it on a Kiwi coach any more. All Blacks are the best baaaaaaa none. Ha ha ha."

But there has been a few things to celebrate, I ventured. Ummm, James Magnusson winning the world championship?

"Mate, they might have won a few Olympic medals. But you'd have to put most Poms on a sinking ship to get them half-interested in swimming."

Sally Pearson's terrific silver medal in Moscow?

"Ha," said Frank. "I love Super Sally. But they've got Mo Farah. For the Brits these days, second is the first loser."

So has there been anything to keep the spirits up over here?

"Yeah. At least we won the fight."

Didn't Daniel Geale lose?

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"Naah, not that fight. That one was a bigger stitch-up than the English pitches. The 'Real Steal', they should call that Pom. I'm talking about David Warner and Joe Root. Mind you, compared to what usually happens at the Walkabout, that was as savage as a nightclub jellywrestle."

So where do you think it's all gone wrong?

"Kids don't want it any more. No motivation. Soft. Not up for the fight."

The athletes?

"No. They're just no good. I'm talking about the fans. They just want to sit there and watch. Don't have the passion. Don't have the lungs. Way things are going, you'll soon be able to go to an Australian sporting event without hearing any of us. Imagine what that would be like."

Yes, imagine.

22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Time NRL introduced transfer window

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THE recent contract sagas involving Ben Barba, Blake Ferguson and Anthony Milford - three of the code's brightest young talents - underlines why it is time for the NRL to introduce a transfer window.

Should the NRL introduce a transfer window?

In an ideal, more simplistic world, elite athletes wouldn't break contracts. It is a concept largely foreign to me. Like many former players, I was reared in a sporting environment where your word was your bond.

You could look an official in the eye, and a firm handshake would be enough to guarantee the commitment of both parties.

But times have changed. Like many overseas sporting competitions, the NRL has become a cut-throat, professional world. The by-product is that market movement is greater, and more rapid, and if we can't stem the tide of players swapping clubs then we must at least have mechanisms that help regulate how the transactions occur.

At present, an NRL player can ask for a release at any given moment, regardless of how long is left on their contracts.

Last month, it was Milford who suddenly wanted out. Then it was Barba. Now Ferguson is a free agent following the sacking of David Furner at Canberra.

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The constant contractual speculation is not only disruptive to clubs, but a let down for supporters and bad look for the code with the finals series looming on the horizon.

Major sports, such as English Premier League football, provide a transfer period where clubs have the ability to sign players or negotiate releases for those who wish to go elsewhere.

No system is ever inch perfect, but the time has come for the NRL to implement a transfer system that provides a framework around player movement and enables clubs to be compensated in the process.

The NRL could allow two trade periods during the year, a two-week window before the State of Origin series, around mid-May, and another fortnight's trading after the grand final in October.

That system would enable players and clubs to broker legitimate moves either during the season, or after it as teams look to bolster their rosters ahead of pre-season training for the upcoming campaign.

At the end of the day, as a club you don't want a player who isn't happy because you then don't get the most out of them. There needs to be a structured way where a player is permitted to leave, as long as the club who loses him is entitled to compensation in the form of a transfer fee.

For example, take Corey Norman at the Broncos. In March, he signed with Parramatta for the 2014 season, but has since been dropped to reserve grade for form reasons and is unlikely to wear the Broncos jumper again.

Had there been a trade window in place, Norman would have the option of seeing out the year in Brisbane, or asking the Broncos to consider a transfer fee from the Eels for an early release.

I have no problem with players looking to get out of contracts if the reasons are genuine - such as Barba and Milford's family issues. As a rule, player movement is more palatable now than it was five or 10 years ago, but a transfer window would assist in that process.

***

THE announcement during the week of plans to build a high-performance training facility is a great coup for the Broncos.

When you look at facilities at other clubs, particularly in the AFL, it has been long overdue for a flagship club like Brisbane. Your club culture is the most important part to success, but in today's game the better your facilities are, the better opportunity you give the players of success.

When I started in the mid-1990s at the Broncos, we accepted what we were given and we made it work. I was never one to whinge about needing more, but a high-performance centre will add to the motivation for young athletes to want to be a part of the Broncos.

As a recruiting tool, I think a facility like this will be of huge appeal to a potential Broncos player and it will take the club to a new level of professionalism. 

22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Game won't miss arrogant Benji

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BENJI Marshall's wife, Zoe, has a column in The Sunday Telegraph which I am reliably informed is one of the most read in the newspaper.

She, like Marshall himself, has made the very best use of her new last name to catapult her to a status that the pair of them could only have dared to imagine three or four years ago.

Her husband, Benji, probably thought this time last year, or even last February, that his name was bigger than rugby league itself. He had the league world in his hands — fat club contract, Kiwi megastar and all signs that it would go on and on for years.

Today, Marshall is a shadow of his former self, a fading star who believes he should be handed special treatment because he is, simply, Benji.

He has spent the season playing badly, behaving poorly and shopping himself around, through dubious management, to suitors from league and union.

Placing himself above the game that made him famous, Marshall even concocted a genius plan to have himself photographed in his new Auckland Blues rugby jersey, just to rub those league people's noses in it.

The Wests Tigers story this year is a woeful one. Under a new coach, it is apparent that the player group is split in tiny pieces.

The much-trumpeted pre-season purchase of Braith Anasta has backfired and the team is playing like they have absolutely no respect for Michael Potter (who, by the way, seems a thoroughly decent bloke).

Marshall is front and centre of the team's troubles. He was benched earlier in the year for ill discipline but we didn't know for weeks that he had behaved badly.

Poor form was the reason given to the media — a thoroughly believable excuse at the time because Benji was playing terrible footy.

The saga of his future has stretched on for months, creating dissent in the team and over-riding any attempt by Potter to create a sense of harmony in his new charges.

As his 200th game approaches, fans and supporters bellowed loudly that Benji deserved his day in the sun. Let him have his day of glory, they said, even though he has done absolutely nothing to earn it in recent months.

Marshall obviously has no respect for the game that made him famous. Unlike the heroes who have gone before him, Marshall (in a similar vein to Sonny Bill Williams last year) has tried to turn rugby league into a game that revolves solely around him.

The problem for Benji is that, unlike SBW, he has no form on the board to back up the ego.

He appears to be unfit and apparently has no respect for the Tigers jersey. Even worse, he looks and talks like a rapper when asked about his future.

Essendon legend and now discredited coach, James Hird, is similar to Marshall. The star players of the so-called modern era are told they are bullet proof, they are more important than their lesser paid teammates and that they deserve superstar status.

Time and time again, these guys (Anthony Mundine, the AFL's Brendan Fevola, Hird, Todd Carney, Marshall, SBW) allow the managers and the apologists to lull them into a sense of superiority. Those on the team bus pad them with cotton wool and excuse their poor manners.

Invariably they come a huge cropper, but that doesn't stop the next one trying it all on again.

So far this season, the media has put Marshall on the back page at least a dozen more times than he deserved. While really good, honest players like John Sutton and Josh Reynolds play their hearts out every week for their mates, players like Marshall grab headlines and blame others for their plight.

Frankly, I will be glad to see the back of Marshall. His rapid demise in league ranks may flag to others of the same bent that nobody is going to put themselves above the game and get away with it.

Rugby union is welcome to him, where he will struggle to come to grips with the extremely complicated positional play required of a rugby half. He is no Israel Folau, but that is for the Auckland Blues to find out.

As for the poor old Wests Tigers, they don't know it yet but they are better off, too. Potter may take a season to rebuild this lot, but he deserves a chance without the badness that has pervaded the joint for more than a season.

Not many of you will remember the great Ron Coote, but even now when I see the former great, his upright posture, his pride and his downright decency fill me with a great sense of happiness.

Perhaps Benji might like to spend a few hours with a man who is a genuine legend.  

22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

England sets imposing total at Hove

Heather Knight hits out during the second one-dayer of the women's Ashes. Source: Getty Images

ENGLAND made a decent play at levelling the Ashes series at Hove, with Australia needing 257 to win their second one-day match.

Lydia Greenway (46 off 65) steered England to a healthy total of 6-256 before she was stumped by wicketkeeper Jodie Fields off the bowling of Sarah Coyte.

England had earlier won the toss and elected to bat on a batter friendly wicket with a fast outfield.

Australian spinner Jess Jonassen continued her brilliant Ashes form by snaring the crucial wickets of England captain Charlotte Edwards and star batter Sarah Taylor.

Arran Brindle, who was dropped in a difficult caught and bowled chance by Coyte on 35, was bowled by Coyte two overs later for 42 off 46 balls.

Opener Edwards made 53 before she was bowled around the legs by Jonassen attempting to sweep.

Jonassen (2-14 off her first five overs) had earlier bowled No.3 bat Taylor, who had looked dangerous making 32, attempting to cut.

England promoted Heather Knight to open alongside Edwards and the dashing right hander moved quickly to 31 off 26 balls before she was caught at gully chasing a wider delivery from Megan Schutt, just her second wicket of the series.

Australia opened its bowling attack with spinner Erin Osborne (0-54 off 10 overs) while Ellyse Perry started from the sea end and struggled before finally taking the wicket of Laura Marsh (9) with the final ball of her spell, a full and straight ball, to finish with 1-58 off 10 overs.

Jonassen finished with 2-29 off seven overs while Coyte took 2-55 off her 10 overs.

Natalie Sciver was 26 not out off 20 balls alongside Jenny Gunn (2).

22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

'England performs in spite of Cook'

Alastair Cook succumbed to Ryan Harris yet again at the Oval. Source: AFP

ENGLAND'S domination of this Ashes series has almost nothing to do with Alastair Cook.

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An unimaginative captain and struggling opening batsman, his team has performed in spite of him.

Decent, thoughtful and considered chap that Cook may be, his batting has been well below par in a series that England leads 3-0.

When he pushed at a ball sliding across him from Ryan Harris for another soft dismissal, caught behind for 25 on the third day of the last Test at The Oval, it reinforced Cook's series average of 27.

Everyone remembers the monster summer Cook had during the last Ashes in Australia, scoring 766 runs at an average of 128. Wally Hammond is the only Englishman to have had a bigger series against Australia.

Yet for Cook that big few months is increasingly proving an aberration.

In 15 other Tests against Australia across three series he has averaged in the 20s.

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Moreover Cook's strike rate is a painfully low 34 in this series as he has battled to find form which has constantly eluded him.

With Joe Root struggling to find his feet at the top of the order England have never threatened to bound away from Australia.

It took them to the first innings of the last Test to have England's only half-century opening partnership.

Root went past fifty for just the second time in the series just before lunch after more than three hours at the crease.

The 22-year-old has survived on the 180 he made at Lord's, scored after Brad Haddin failed to go for an edge which sailed through to the fence when Root was just eight.

Despite the frustration of trailing so badly in the series after some dreadful batting collapses the Australians will be heartened by Cook's continuing struggles.

Ruthless Australian teams of the past have targeted the captain to try and bring his team down around him.

The big stumbling block has been Ian Bell, the standout batsman in this series with 500 runs at 71 going into this Test. Cook has made fewer than half that many.

England's domination of the series has had nothing to do with its top order batting.

Five times in this series England has lost three early wickets, with the most galling collapses during the second Test at Lord's.

Australia's quality pace attack reduced England to 3-28 and 3-30 and yet the tourists still managed to lose by a staggering 347 runs, clearly the low point of the tour.

The Australians deserve credit for dragging themselves back up after that dreadful performance, when they threatened to fall off a cliff.

They would have won in Manchester but for rain and were in front at various stages during the fourth Test at Chester-le-Street before more inept batting cost them any chance of victory.

Now with another strong showing at The Oval, where the weather may again thwart a chance of victory, there is growing and not unreasonable confidence that Australia can beat England in Australia on pitches that will be far less dry and dusty.

That feeling is enhanced with a struggling captain.

22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

'Door now open for Marsh, Voges'

Will Adam Voges and Shaun Marsh be in line for an Ashes call-up this summer? Picture: Daniel Wilkins. Source: News Limited

DAVID Warner may have had an ordinary tour so far but at least he can look forward to playing the first Test in the return Ashes series this November.

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The same cannot be said for those cast aside for the fifth and final Test at The Oval.

Warner may redeem his poor series with a big second innings, as he did with a fine 71 in the last Test that should have set up victory but for another disastrous batting collapse.

After being caught behind for six on Wednesday night (AEST) pushing loosely at a delivery from Jimmy Anderson it gave Warner a series average of 25.2, ensuring he joined a plethora of other non-performers in the underachievers club.

While Warner is a special talent with a decent overall Test record, Usman Khawaja, Ed Cowan and Phil Hughes should not expect another Test any time soon.

Their cards have clearly been marked. For Australia to chose bowling all-rounder James Faulkner ahead of the trio when the team has been crying out for runs suggests the selectors believes the left-handers are not part of the immediate future.

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That is hard to argue against given their recent records.

Players such as Western Australia's Shaun Marsh and Adam Voges will be in the frame for the return Ashes series in Australia if they can produce a decent start to the summer in the Sheffield Shield.

As a result this Test has become the "give the young bloke a go" game.

Despite the odd look of the side, with Brad Haddin batting at six and Faulkner at seven, it is totally reasonable that a talented young cricketer is given an opportunity when Australia is 3-0 down and the series is long gone.

Numerous other players have been given chances and failed to grasp them. Faulkner is the 17th player to be used on this tour, with reserve wicket-keeper Matthew Wade the only member of the squad not to be given a Test.
And he was close to playing as a specialist batsman ahead of Faulkner.

England has taken the same approach, choosing debutants Simon Kerrigan and Chris Woakes.

An all-rounder, Woakes has never looked anything more than a handy one-day player and Shane Watson treated him that way, thumping six fours in the initial five over spell.

Watson gave left-arm spinner Kerrigan an even harsher welcome to Test cricket, smashing him for six fours in just two overs.

It took Watson past 50 for just the second time in the series and beyond 70 for the first time in nine Tests as he was shuffled back up the order to number three, where he looked entirely comfortable.

While Woakes and Kerrigan struggled in their initial spells England was quite right to pick the 24-year-olds.

Already 3-0 up and with seamer Tim Bresnan injured, England should be looking to the future.

Australia's future appears to involve the past, as Chris Rogers and Ryan Harris have proved on this tour.

That may continue this summer, with Marsh 30 and Voges 33.

The twenty somethings on this tour have simply not done enough, and as a result the Ashes remain with England.

22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ikin See Clearly: NRL round 24

The Rabbitohs take on the Bulldogs in a round 24 blockbuster. Source: Mark Evans / DailyTelegraph

WITH only three rounds to go before finals footy lands in our lap, Ben Ikin steps us through what he's most looking forward to in NRL round 24.

A Grand Final preview?

On Friday night at ANZ Stadium, last year's grand finalists, the Bulldogs, go head-to-head with a team just about everyone in the game would love to see make the GF this year, the South Sydney Rabbitohs. After rediscovering their best form last week against the Sea Eagles, this game gives South Sydney another chance to be tested by quality opposition in their run home. Greg Inglis is back, John Sutton looked like he'll be better for the run, and young gun Adam Reynolds produced 10 minutes of gold in a team performance that made everyone stand up and take notice. The Bulldogs have had an up and down 2013, but you get the sense that on their best day they'll be very hard to beat. No Sam Burgess or Ben Barba for this one means both sides will be down a genuine superstar but what remains is still pretty enticing. And as with all the good sides right now, it seems the big names for the Bulldogs and Rabbitohs are hitting their straps at the just the right time.

Desperate Kiwis

After slumping to their third straight loss on the weekend, the Warriors need to win their three remaining games to be a chance of making the finals. As always, the Warriors have shown us the full spectrum of their capabilities across 2013, both brilliant and horrible. When they're on, they're near unstoppable, playing with a perfect mix of discipline, toughness and flair. I've not seen a team who can be so hard to shut down when the balance is right; big men rolling up field in numbers with the odd offload, while the smaller, quicker and very creative members of the backline ride the wave and do their thing. Conversely, when the Warriors think points before grind, it can turn very bad, very quickly. Patience and discipline are the keys for the Warriors in their run to the finals, and should they get the mix right, look out!

Knock-out footy comes early

Who would have thought the Cowboys would be in the mix for finals a month ago? After three successive wins, and the team's best players rediscovering their best form, North Queensland are now looking very dangerous. This weekend in Townsville, the Cowboys come up against some pretty stiff opposition in the Newcastle Knights. The Knights were very strong against the Melbourne Storm last weekend, and will travel to 1300Smiles Stadium knowing a loss will put another dent in their own finals aspirations. I'm particularly excited about the forward battle, with Cowboys bookends Matt Scott and James Tamou on fire at the moment. The Newcastle forward pack will be salivating at the opportunity to take on Scott, Tamou and the others, knowing that if they can win the battle in the middle it will be Jarrod Mullen and not Jonathan Thurston in the headlines come Sunday morning.

Sharks to bite Roosters?

What about this run the Sydney Roosters are on? They've won eight in a row and it seems the closer we get to the finals the better the Chooks look. That being said I don't believe opposition teams have taken the Roosters out of their comfort zone over the last three weeks. That's sure to change on Monday night when they take on the Cronulla Sharks at Remondis Stadium. The Sharks are a miserly team when at their best, make you earn every metre and every point. I'm predicting a game effort from the Sharks in this one, and even without the star power of their opposition, that could be enough to get them across the line.

A Dragons great bows out

Matt Cooper announced his retirement this week, leaving behind a wonderful legacy built across a career spanning 14 seasons and 243 games. Only Norm Provan and Ben Hornby have played more games in the Red V, a statistic that speaks volumes about the type of player and person Cooper was and is. On behalf of all the team at FOX SPORTS, we wish Matt and his family all the very best as they embark on the next chapter of their lives. 

22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

GF or best friend's wedding?

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YOUR team has made the NRL grand final and you check the calendar and realise there is a clash of dates. What do you do?

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Think about it. You could be a Rabbitohs supporter and not since 1971 have they tasted grand final success.

Every weekend you pour all your energies into supporting your team, year after year, disappointment after disappointment and finally they are in the game that matters.

Only your best friend has booked that date in for his or her wedding.

Do you risk life-long alienation for the chance to see your team hold aloft the NRL premiership trophy.

If you need any help Fox Sports' panel of experts, Peter Sterling, Laurie Daley, Gorden Tallis, Paul Kent and Ben Ikin have their say in the video above.

 If you need any help Fox Sports' panel of experts, Peter Sterling, Laurie Daley, Gorden Tallis, Paul Kent and Ben Ikin have their say in the video above.

22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Video: Watson reaches rare Test ton

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Shane Watson's third Test century, and his first in almost three years, held Australia's first innings together on the first day of the fifth Test at The Oval.

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Demoted from his favoured opening berth, then promoted into the troublesome No.3 spot, Watson's wonderfully attacking innings was not only timely for Australia, but perhaps also his career.

Watson was 121, with Steve Smith on 15, as Australia made it to 3-183 at tea. That gave them a reasonable, but by no means dominant start on a good batting strip that was already showing early signs of deterioration.

After a century stand between Watson and Chris Rogers had helped overcome the early loss of David Warner for six, the wickets of Rogers (21) and Michael Clarke (7) had put England back on top with Australia 3-144.

Watson and Smith steadied the ship somewhat, although only after Watson was dropped by Alastair Cook at first slip from James Anderson when he was on 104.

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While Rogers had least held up an end, the main resistance came from Watson who was particularly punishing before lunch when he smashed 15 fours and a six, and took a heavy toll on England's debutants Chris Woakes and Simon Kerrigan.

Watson hit six fours from Kerrigan's first two Tests over as the left-armer conceded 0-28 before being withdrawn from the attack. While Kerrigan is considered a strong chance to tour Australia this summer in place of the troubled Monty Panesar, Watson showed contempt for a series of innocuous deliveries.

The tall paceman Woakes also conceded six boundaries to Watson, and provided relief from the now customary tight opening by Anderson and Stuart Broad.

Having failed as an opener, and done much better in the seemingly natural all-rounders role of No.6, Watson's response to coming was death or glory.

As an indication of Watson's aggression, he scored 80 of the 100 partnership with Rogers. His century, complete with a push through the covers for three, came in 172 minutes from 114 balls.

Watson's inning provided a rousing response to the early loss of Warner for six. The nuggety opener was caught behind fending at a perfectly pitched out-swinger from Anderson with Australia on 11.

Rogers was caught at slip from Graeme Swann and, after struggling for 39 balls for his seven, Clarke was bowled off his bad by Anderson.

On another dry, brown pitch at a ground that traditionally favours the spinners, Clarke seemed to have given his side a considerable advantage when won the toss.

England has won each of the three Tests in which it won the toss in this series and Australia was poised for victory at Old Trafford, when rain caused an abandonment.

Australian debutant James Faulkner received his baggy green cap from Shane Warne, an appropriate gesture given Warne has championed the Tasmanian all-rounders cause in the media.

In Warne's self-published "manifesto" on Australian cricket, he named Faulkner in his notional Test, one day and  Twenty20 teams. The pair were teammates with the Melbourne Stars.

Faulkner and Mitchell Starc came into the Australian team for the Usman Khawaja and Jackson Bird.

England chose to play one batsman short leaving out Jonny Bairstow for Kerrigan. But Woakes, who replaced the injured Tim Bresnan, is considered close to all-rounder status with a first class average of 37.

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Barba a $1 million man for Broncos

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BRISBANE will be forced to pay more than $1 million to wrench Ben Barba away from Canterbury.

The Daily Telegraph can reveal compensation discussions between Bulldogs and Broncos officials have commenced, with a minimum bounty of $300,000 placed on Barba's release.

It's believed the Broncos are also willing to double Barba's current salary to around $750,000-a-season, taking the total asking price beyond seven figures for next year alone.

The two clubs also have a precedent to work from, with Brisbane compensating Canterbury for the loss of representative prop Ben Hannant in 2010.

On that occasion the Broncos supplied their rivals with tickets and corporate hospitality at Suncorp Stadium, but the Barba transfer will involve much heavier freight.

Brisbane were also able to rely on a get-out clause for Hannant to return his family to Queensland - something Barba does not enjoy.

Instead the fullback is relying on Canterbury to recognise his need to be with family in Brisbane on purely compassionate grounds.

Recent comments from coach Des Hasler and CEO Raelene Castle suggest a release is a formality, provided Brisbane offer satisfactory compensation and Canterbury's need to find a capable replacement is met.

Any compensation that Canterbury receive would not be counted under the salary cap, as was the case when Sonny Bill Williams paid his former club $750,000 for quitting a contract in 2008.

Newcastle also paid Cronulla $100,000 last year to obtain the services of veteran enforcer Jeremy Smith, who also pleaded to break his contract a year early on compassionate grounds.

Castle was tight-lipped on recent negotiations when contacted on Tuesday night.

"We've had some preliminary discussions with Brisbane, but things are long way from being finalised," she said.

Barba's management had fresh discussions with Bulldogs coach Des Hasler on Monday.

Resigned to letting Barba go, Hasler faces the daunting task of finding a new fullback with the equivalent X-factor.

Following failed approaches to Josh Dugan and Israel Folau, Hasler made a renewed appeal to Raiders dynamo Anthony Milford over the weekend.

Milford, however, only enjoys contractual permission to relocate to Brisbane next year and is at short odds to play alongside Barba in 2014.

But David Furner's sacking from Canberra could provide Hasler with a solution, given Blake Ferguson enjoys a get-out clause in the event of Furner leaving the club.

While Josh Morris has been impressive since moving from centre, Ferguson boasts the game-breaking ability that Hasler is craving from his future No. 1.

Morris will also remain at fullback for at least another fortnight after recent tests revealed that Barba needs more time to recover from an ankle injury suffered in Round 21.

Barba is not expected to return until Canterbury's final round match - ironically against Brisbane at Suncorp Stadium - on September 5. 

22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Hird: Give us the details

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ESSENDON and its coach James Hird have demanded comprehensive details of how the AFL plans to prosecute the charges against them before they submit to judgment.

A negotiated settlement between the Bombers and the AFL appears the only possible resolution to the drugs crisis before the finals.

"I think if the AFL give us the time we need to prepare for this, there is little chance of it being finalised before the finals," Essendon chairman Paul Little said last night.

An AFL commission meeting on Monday that was to decide charges of bringing the game into disrepute will proceed without considering sanctions on the Bombers.

Essendon yesterday accepted an AFL offer for more time to prepare its defence.

Hird also accepted the offer, but maintained he wanted an independent body to hear the charges.

Hird said AFL boss Andrew Demetriou and the league had a "conflict of interest" because of their involvement in the investigation process.

Demetriou stands firm

A spokesman for Hird yesterday said the AFL's decision to abandon hearing the charges at Monday's meeting changed nothing in his fight to clear his name.

"Mr Hird's lawyers wrote to the AFL last week seeking certain undertakings, particulars of the charges, and asked the AFL what the basis of their case was ... who its witnesses were and what they were going to say in respect of the charges so that Mr Hird could properly prepare his case," spokesman Ian Hanke said.

"Other than not responding to those matters and thus accepting there could not be a contested hearing on 26 August, everything remains up in the air."

The AFL backdown averted a Supreme Court injunction threatened by Hird, but that could still happen.

Medicos allay parents' concerns

A Bombers spokesman said: "Lawyers for the club requested the AFL advise which witnesses it would be calling, the evidence it expected those witnesses would give and specified procedural matters.

"As the AFL has not provided that information the club is not in a position to proceed next week and that is why the matter needs to be adjourned."

Earlier yesterday, Demetriou had said he expected the charges to be heard at Monday's meeting.

The parents of Essendon players last night were updated on the progress of the supplements investigation and the club's prospects of playing in the finals.

The Bombers, Hird, assistant coach Mark Thompson, football boss Danny Corcoran and club doctor Bruce Reid were charged over the club's 2012 supplements program nine days ago.

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Faulkner to make Ashes debut

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UPDATE: TASMANIAN all-rounder James Faulkner will make his Test debut for Australia in the fifth and final Test at The Oval on Wednesday.

He is one of two changes, with Mitchell Starc also included while Jackson Bird and Usman Khawaja have been dropped.
 
Shane Watson will move up to bat at number three with wicket-keeper Brad Haddin moving to six and Faulkner slotting in at seven.
 
The 23-year-old will be the 17th player used on tour and the second debutant behind Ashton Agar as Australia attempts to avoid losing four Tests in England for the first time.
 
Agar, 19, has been suffering a virus for a week and is being sent home to rest ahead of preparing for the domestic season with Western Australia.
 
The son of former Tasmanian all-rounder Peter Faulkner, James is essentially a bowler in a team crying out for batsmen. He has not scored a first class century.
 
In 37 first class matches Faulkner has a top score of 89 and averages 30. He has claimed 132 wickets at 22.
 
A quirk of statistics gives him the best first class average on tour, a total of 82 runs for just once out in five innings with a top score of 48.
 
Faulkner has played eight one-day matches for Australia with a highest score of 54 not out, made against England in the Champions Trophy two months ago, and has a batting average of 37. He has 11 wickets at 30 and has also played three Twenty20 internationals.
 
Captain Michael Clarke described Faulkner as a "tough" competitor and admitted that "maybe" Australia had not been tough enough on this tour.
 
Faulkner was outstanding in last summer's Shield final, leading the way in Tasmania's victory with 46 and 89 and four wickets for the match.
 
Faulkner was a bowling sensation at the IPL and stood out with bat and ball in a losing Australian side in their Champions Trophy clash with England.
 
He has no shortage of confidence or aggression for someone new to international cricket, as Faulkner showed when he was fined for giving Chris Gayle a send-off after bowling the West Indian danger man during the one-day series in Australia last summer.

Usman Khawaja has been dropped. Source: AFP

Clarke claimed that Watson was fit enough to continue his role as an all-rounder but Faulkner was likely to do most of the bowling.
 
"It's an extra string to James's bow that he can bowl as many overs as possible," said Clarke.
 
"He's fit and strong and will play a big part with the ball so he adds that extra option to take 20 wickets.
 
"But I think it's the overall package that James brings, his toughness."
 
Clarke was unconcerned that the addition of Faulkner was likely to weaken Australia's batting, on paper at least.
 
Although, as Clarke pointed out, paper has not been a reliable guide on this tour.
 
"As we've seen so far in this series statistics, records, first class performances haven't meant that much. It's about finding a way over five days to have success," he said.
 
"I know James Faulkner has the strength to do that whether it be with the bat or the ball."
 
Faulkner won't need to bat with any great distinction to gain a better record than many of the batsmen on tour. Only Michael Clarke (49) and Chris Rogers (43) are averaging above 30 in this series.
 
"Like a lot of our young players he's a wonderful talent. I think he's got the toughness to mix it with any opposition at the highest level," Clarke said.
 
"He's a fighter, he's a competitor, he mightn't look the best all the time but he'll find a way to stay out there and help his partner go on to make a hundred or make sure he's batting with the tail and find a way to get them through. I think he's got that in him.
 
"With the ball he's extremely competitive and will find a way to take wickets as he's done so far on this tour and in the shorter forms of the game.
 
"Generally the better conditions are for batting, the better James is because he's at you all the time and he's extremely competitive."

Australian team: Chris Rogers, David Warner, Shane Watson, Michael Clarke (c), Steve Smith, Brad Haddin, James Faulkner, Mitchell Starc, Peter Siddle, Ryan Harris, Nathan Lyon.

22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Saad returns positive B sample

St Kilda forward Ahmed Saad will sit out the remainder of the season after returning a positive B sample. Picture: Darren England Source: Darren England / HeraldSun

ST KILDA forward Ahmed Saad has begun a provisional suspension under the AFL's Anti-Doping Code after confirmation he has returned a positive B sample.

Saad will miss the remaining two matches of the home-and-away season after contacting the AFL on Tuesday to inform them of his positive test.

Late last month it was revealed that the 23-year-old had tested positive to an irregular substance after consuming an energy drink, but he was allowed to keep playing until the B sample was returned.

The Saints last night confirmed Saad had been in contact with the AFL yesterday and was now awaiting an infraction notice that will result in an AFL tribunal hearing.

He faces a two-year suspension from the game.

In a statement to the Herald Sun last night, St Kilda said that "Saad inadvertently took a substance alleged to be on the AFL Anti-Doping prohibited list.

"The commencement of the provisional suspension is not an admission of guilt or wrongdoing, and the matter will be determined before the AFL tribunal at a date to be fixed.

St Kilda said Saad will "continue to co-operate with the AFL and ASADA as necessary throughout this process.

"The club and AFL Players' Association will continue to provide appropriate support to the extent allowed under the Code.

"The club and the AFLPA both remain bound by confidentiality under the AFL Anti-Doping Code and as such are not permitted to make further comment at this time."

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Ryan fully deserves his success

Ryan Harris has been the rock in Australia's attack this series. Source: Getty Images

RYAN Harris is one of Australian cricket's great success stories.

To be the leading fast bowler in an Ashes series at the age of almost 34 is a testament to Ryan's courage and character.

For all the hard work he has done over the past three Tests, and there has been plenty, his toughest journey has been off the field.

Ryan could have thrown the towel in any number of times over his career as he battled serious injury.

Yet he never lost the desire to play for his country and once he finally earned a baggy green cap aged 30 he has excelled.

I doubt Ryan has ever bowled better than on this tour, with the fitness he gained playing for Australia A in the lead-up building a base which has allowed him to play three full Tests in a row for the first time.

And we are very confident he will make it four in a row when the last Test begins at The Oval tomorrow.

This continuity has given Ryan increasing confidence in his body and his bowling and it shows.

He has regularly been the fastest bowler in the series but his greatest asset is to keep asking the batsmen questions with his unerring accuracy and consistent movement in the air and off the wicket.

I'm not big on stats but in Ryan case's they tell the story of just how good he has been as a late bloomer.

In 15 Tests he has 67 wickets at an average of 22 and in one fewer Test than the other leading fast bowlers in this series he has the most wickets, 20 at just 19 apiece, highlighted by a seven-wicket haul in the second innings at Chester-le-Street which kept us in the game.

Ryan is a terrific bloke to have around. It is obvious that he cherishes every opportunity to wear the baggy green when he must have feared the opportunity would pass him bye.

For someone who has been through so much to play for his country he is easy going and uncomplaining.

Another late bloomer is Chris Rogers, who deserves enormous credit for the century he scored in the last Test.

It wasn't always easy but he toughed it out to make his first Test hundred, which was a magnificent achievement.

Chris is 36 at the end of the month so he too must have wondered if the opportunity to play more than just one Test for Australia had been and gone.

It is a great credit to him that he has grabbed that opportunity with both hands.

Another good Test at The Oval and Chris can look forward to the return Ashes series in Australia with confidence.

That goes for all of us.

Yes we have lost the series but we can't be worried about the waves crashing around us.

We must focus on the horizon and what's to come. There is much to play for.

First and foremost we want to go home with a win. It's been a while since we've had that feeling and we desperately want it back.

Victory would give us momentum going into the Twenty20 and one-day series and bprovide a launching pad for the Ashes at home this summer.

We have struggled for success against England in all three forms of the game recently.

That is something we want to change, beginning tomorrow.

22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Barba subjected to vile attacks

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BEN Barba has been subjected to vile attacks on social media, including threats to his daughters, as his own fans turn on him for wanting to be near his family next year.

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On Sunday night, Barba posted a photo of a beach on Instagram captioned with, "Miss the QLD weather! #beautifulOneDay#spectacularTheNext".

It was viewed as a taunt by anguished Bulldogs fans who relentlessly abused the superstar fullback.

He was labelled a "maggot", "lowlife scum" and was "hiding behind his kids, shameful act".

Some of his "followers" were adamant his recent posts were deliberately antagonising Bulldogs supporters.

"Hurry up and f*** off, the bulldogs stuck by u and don't say it's for the kids because u didn't care about them when u where out on the rack and partying with EBC (Epic Bender Crew)," one post said. 

The worst of the abuse came last week when a person on Twitter responded to a photo Barba posted of his daughter with putrid threats. 

Barba, to his credit, refused to return abuse.

"Big man you are writing about my kids u fool. Be a man and come see me," was all Barba said to the post.

This is the latest example of a growing trend where league fans taunt NRL stars online.

Canberra Raiders fans have also turned on Anthony Milford.

Barba and Milford are both expected to line up for the Brisbane Broncos next year.

For Barba his likely move is because he wants to be near his two daughters and ex-partner Ainslie Currie, who are relocating to Brisbane. 

Milford's Inala-based father Halo is ill and he is homesick.

"Anthony Milford carrying on like a good sort. You have played 8 first games if that #SuckItUpPrincess #BreakALeg," was one of several abusive messages to his Twitter account. 

Broncos prop Sam Thaiday last week revealed a "troll" on Twitter who once subjected him to racist taunts later apologised.

"I was at a Christmas party and he came up to me and was very apologetic and said he meant no harm in the comments," Thaiday said. 

"If anything, it was more of a rage after the State of Origin. He was a Blues supporter. That's understandable sometimes it would be pretty tough being in that situation." 

The NRL is also investigating a racist Twitter attack on Greg Inglis.

Bulldogs captain Michael Ennis yesterday supported Barba's request for a release but said his club needed to find a replacement for him first. 

"I totally understand Ben's personal situation but at the same time I want to win a premiership and I have to imagine that we have to get a suitable replacement," Ennis said on Sky Sports Radio. 

"That can't be done in a week. I don't understand the solution.

"I understand his personal view and the club's view in wanting to find a suitable replacement."

Barba took to Instagram again yesterday, providing an insight into how he is dealing with the stress.

He posted a photo of a Buddha, with the quote "No one saves but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path".

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Everingham joins Japanese Rugby

South Sydney winger Andrew Everingham scores. Source: Gregg Porteous / News Limited

WINGER Andrew Everingham will become the second NRL player poached by Japanese rugby through an Asian passport, following in the footsteps of Craig Wing.

Everingham will join second-division club Fukuoka Sanix Blues in October on a massive deal worth nearly $500,000 a year, a significant leap from his annual $130,000 Souths salary. 

Everingham was able to qualify as an Asian player courtesy of his Filipino passport, which makes him valuable in a competition where clubs can only field three non-Asian players at any time. 

The Sanix Blues have also recruited new Waratahs signing Jacques Potgieter, who will play in Japan until February before joining his NSW teammates in Sydney. 

With luck, Everingham could even play in the 2015 World Cup, with the Philippines still in contention in the Asian playoffs.

While Japan is heavily favoured to win that place, the runner-up of the five-nation battle will go into the Repechage playoff for the 20th and final place in the World Cup. 

Everingham's defection follows a big clean-out at the Rabbitohs, who are feeling the pinch of the salary cap as the team dominates the competition and key players are upgraded to ward off poachers. 

It has seen the club shed several other players already, including another talented outside back, Justin Hunt, who yesterday announced a three-year deal with Parramatta. 

Others who are leaving the Burrow include Roy Asotasi, Nathan Peats and Dylan Farrell, while winger Matt King will retire at the end of the year. 

For Everingham, who played rugby at school and represented the Philippines in a rugby Sevens tournament in 2011, the move to Sanix Blues will happen immediately following his commitments with the Rabbitohs, who will feature in the finals. 

Former notable players at the Japanese club include former All Blacks and league hardman Brad Thorn, and former All Black winger Caleb Ralph. 

Sanix Blues are attempting to regain their place in the first division Top League, after finishing last on the table for the 2012-13 season. 

They must play regional teams in a relegation playoff in order to remain in the tournament.

Having won just one of their 13 games last season, Sanix Blues are desperate for more attacking potency and Everingham will be a key purchase for them considering he will not count among the foreign contingency in the squad, which now includes Potgieter and former Kiwi Super Rugby prop Ben May. 

Everingham's career breakthrough came when his manager Chris Haddad sent a DVD highlights package to various league clubs and he was snapped up by Souths coach Michael Maguire. 

The 26-year-old Everingham has 21 tries from 40 NRL games after making his debut in March 2012.

22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Watmough suffers new injury

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MANLY doctors have identified new damage to Anthony Watmough's right knee as a result of Friday night's leg twist from Jeff Lima.

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While Lima accepted a one-match ban in record time on Monday, Watmough could be sidelined for even longer thanks to the dramatic incident that contributed to Manly coach Geoff Toovey's extraordinary post-match tirade against referees.

The NRL fined Manly $10,000 for Toovey's outburst, labelling it "excessive" and "emotional".

But Sea Eagles officials feel they have grounds to fight the sanction, given Toovey's anger was inspired by a foul act that could cost Manly the services of Watmough for several weeks.

Manly boss David Perry last night said club medicos had concluded that a new injury - suffered as a result of Lima's act - forced Watmough off the pitch in the second half.

The second rower took the field following a miracle recovery from a posterior cruciate ligament injury he suffered in the previous week's win over New Zealand, only for Lima to twist the same leg just 10 minutes into the game.
 
Watmough was still limping yesterday and remains in doubt for Sunday's clash against Canberra.

Sources close to Watmough have also confirmed that he was furious upon learning that Lima only received a one-week ban for the twist.

Facing a fortnight out if he unsuccessfully fought the dangerous contact charge, the Rabbitohs prop pleaded guilty within minutes of the NRL charge sheet being released to media.

The NRL waited several more hours to announce the fine against Manly, who are preparing to thrash-out the particulars with league bosses over the coming days.

"We'll review the breach notice and wait for the referee's report, before we decide what we are going to do," Perry said.

The impending stoush shapes as a baptism of fire for new NRL head of football Todd Greenberg, who became a despised figure at Brookvale after engineering Canterbury's heist of Des Hasler two years ago.

Perry and Greenberg were in preliminary talks about the fine yesterday, with Manly challenging the NRL to prove how Toovey's comments were any worse than other coaches this season.

There's a suspicion at Manly that Toovey was punished for his manner of expression, rather than actual criticisms, which did not call into question the integrity of any match officials.

"I accept that emotion is a big part of our game but that is not an excuse for making unwarranted attacks on match officials," Greenberg said.

"There needs to be a balance between coach's expressing their opinions and their emotions and showing respect for the game and the match officials in that process."

In addition to Lima's twist, Toovey also blew-up about a controversial no-try to Steve Matai and the lop-sided 10-5 penalty count.

He found an ally in former Parramatta great Peter Sterling, who last night accused the NRL of turning the game into a bore.

"The only thing that you shouldn't be able to do is come out and call a referee a cheat," Sterling said on Triple M.

"Otherwise, and if this is what you want, the parameters what coaches can now say will make for very boring, not much being said.

"In fact, if I'm Geoff toovey next time . . . I will send somebody else to go and speak for me because I know if I'm going to sit in that seat and someone asks me, I'm not going to be able to bit my tongue and give an antiseptic answer when I am feeling that way.

"I will send someone else to go and that will save the club and myself 10 grand."

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No deal, coach: AFL

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THE AFL seems certain to call James Hird's bluff on his demand for an independent panel to hear charges against Essendon, and only after the Grand Final.

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Hird's lawyers set the Monday deadline when issuing a provocative challenge to the league's authority to have the AFL Commission hear the charges.

AFL boss Andrew Demetriou is adamant the AFL Commission is the forum for the Essendon charges to be heard, and says he will not stand down from the independent body.

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The league refused to comment on Sunday, but it is believed the AFL is not prepared to accede to Hird's demands and still wants the issue resolved before the finals.

While threats of a Tuesday Supreme Court injunction from Hird's camp linger, high-level negotiations will continue on a potential deal for Essendon.

Many of the key players believe the issue will never be resolved at an AFL Commission meeting scheduled for next Monday.

Parties representing Essendon and the four individuals charged - James Hird, Mark Thompson, Dr Bruce Reid and Danny Corcoran - met on Thursday night to consider their stance.

Essendon acknowledges it will be sanctioned for some of its confessed "significant gaps" in governance, but will not accept any penalty that infers drug cheating.

The Bombers' stance comes as Deakin University administrative law expert Martin Hardie, who has consulted with Essendon on its doping saga, said the AFL case was weak.

"I would have thought (the charges) are verging on an abuse of process," he told the Herald Sun.

"It avoids the question as what has brought the game into disrepute. If you look at any doping system or crime commission these things should be confidential and should be until any final determination by an anti-doping body.

"Someone along the line has caused these things to come out into the open."

The AFL said it was yet to confirm if the commission hearing would be open, or if it would release full details of charges. AFL boss Demetriou said on Friday he wanted the charges in the public domain.full details of charges.

22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Take the 2013 NRL Fan Survey

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WHAT do you love about rugby league? Where is the game letting itself down?

Here is your chance to have your say on the state of the NRL with our national survey.

CLICK HERE TO TAKE PART IN THE SURVEY

From telling us who the most exciting player in the game is to the problems confronting the code, it's time for you - the fans - to speak up.

Let those in power know what you think about the greatest game of all.

League greats Peter Sterling, Gorden Tallis, Laurie Daley and Ben Ikin get the debate started by discussing their choice for most exciting back in the game in the video above.

22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Marmin urges Titans to buy Ben

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TITANS rookie Marmin Barba has urged the club to make a big-money play for his brother Ben, believing the Dally M Medallist would relish rebuilding the Gold Coast as an NRL force.

While the Broncos are hot favourites to snare Barba, the Titans represent the greatest threat to Brisbane's hopes of officially securing the Queensland Origin hopeful. 

Barba's manager Gavin Orr says the Titans have expressed interest in the fullback flyer. And should the Bulldogs sign off on a release in the coming weeks, Barba's management are sure to explore all available offers before any decision to formally commit to Brisbane. 

Marmin, who signed with the Titans last year after bravely winning his battle against cancer, believes the club would be a good fit for Barba and is keen to re-unite with his famous brother. 

The pair are close, with Barba taking inspiration from Marmin's health ordeal and flying to the Gold Coast last week to watch him play in the Intrust Super Cup. 

"I wouldn't mind him coming to the Titans, it would be good to play beside him," said the 22-year-old Marmin, who is contracted to the Titans until the end of next year. 

"The Broncos would be keen on him, but I hope we (the Titans) have a look at him.

"Ben has said to me a few times he is looking to come home. He was here (last) weekend to watch me play, we didn't talk about footy too much, he's still a bit unsure about where he will play next year. 

"I've heard a few things that he is going to the Broncos. Every time I ask him he doesn't really say too much. I think either the Broncos or Titans would be good for him."

While Titans coach John Cartwright is a fan of William Zillman at fullback, the former Raider has the ability to slot into the centres to accommodate Barba in the No.1 jumper. 

Barba's ex-partner Ainslie Currie is relocating to Brisbane with their two young daughters and Marmin believes a return to Queensland will reinvigorate the 24-year-old as a player and person. 

"It would be good to have Ben home, whenever I need anything he is always there for me and vice-versa," said Marmin, who joined the Titans after a stint at Parramatta. 

"It would be nice to know he would just be up the highway from me.

"I think the Bulldogs should give him a release. He is doing it for his family, I'm sure they will understand his feelings.

"Ainslie is still living with Ben in Sydney, but she is missing home as well so I think it will be a good move for both of them. 

"Coming back to Queensland for me has helped, it's closer to family, I've enjoyed the move and Ben would be the same, especially with his kids coming to Brisbane."

22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Hoffman turns down Barba swap

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BRISBANE fullback Josh Hoffman is a surprise candidate for the Broncos' five-eighth role after rejecting a straight-swap proposal to replace Ben Barba at Canterbury next season.

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The Broncos' man-of-the-moment, Hoffman ignited Brisbane's finals charge last Friday night with a demolition of the Eels that vindicated his return to the backfield a month ago.

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A pay rise now beckons for Hoffman, who has an agreement with the Broncos that he is eligible for an upgrade if the NRL's salary-cap rises above $5.5 million, which will occur next season.

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But with Barba tipped to join the Broncos on a four-year deal from next season, Hoffman's permanency in his preferred fullback position is under a cloud.

The Courier-Mail understands Hoffman wearing the No. 6 jumper is one option to accommodate Barba at fullback in 2014.

The 25-year-old played much of his junior football at five-eighth and Broncos coach Anthony Griffin flagged the possibility when he met with Hoffman last month to discuss his shift from wing to fullback.

It can also be revealed a Bulldogs official contacted Hoffman's management eight weeks ago as Canterbury explored contingency plans in the event they granted Barba a release.

But Hoffman spurned the Bulldogs' inquiry and is committed to honouring his Broncos deal, which expires at the end of 2015, even if Barba arrives at Red Hill.

"Josh wants to stay, he's a good club man and we won't be asking for a release if Barba comes to the club," Hoffman's manager Paul Hogan said.

"In an ideal world, Josh would play fullback but he has his heart set on playing 100 games for the Broncos.

"He is pretty settled at the moment in Brisbane, he and his partner have just had a baby.

"When he comes back from the World Cup (in November), we will know exactly what's happening with the Barba stuff and the Anthony Milford situation.

"But Josh is due to get a pay rise and the Broncos have treated him well in that regard ... it would be an upgrade well deserved with the way he's playing."

Since his return to fullback against the Cowboys a month ago, Hoffman has been in devastating touch, amassing 611 running metres at an average of 152 per game.

For Hoffman, it is a form burst partly inspired by the birth of daughter Leilani Grace last month. The name is a tribute to Hoffman's mother Grace, who died tragically of a brain aneurism just weeks before Christmas in 2009.

"I always dreamed of starting a family and having a baby girl has given me perspective about life," Hoffman said.

"I wish Mum was here to see her granddaughter.

"For me, there is more to life than football now. I'm really enjoying fatherhood and that is helping my football."

Hogan said Hoffman had the power, size and skill-set to succeed at five-eighth.

"Josh has a lot more strings to his bow than many people realise," he said.

"'Hook' (Griffin) has mentioned the possibility of Josh playing six at some stage and he would certainly give consideration to that.

"Josh was a six in the juniors in Mackay and he played inside-centre in rugby union so he would have no issues going to five-eighth if that's want the Broncos want."

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