Why Tate is NRL's toughest player

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WAYNE Bennett remembers traveling with Brent Tate to see a specialist about a serious neck injury in 2005 thinking worst case scenario.

Tate had been suffering from ongoing problems during the previous two years at the Broncos and at that early stage of his career the gut feeling was he would struggle to make it back.

"Absolutely," Bennett recalled.

"If we couldn't find a way to right it then it was career finished.

"He was suffering from whiplash.

"I remember going with him to a specialist because there was a decision to be made and he wanted me to be there with him.

"So we went to the specialist together and the decision was made after that meeting that he would try the neck brace and it worked, thank God."

Fast forward eight years and Tate is still going strong.

Neck injuries, knee injuries, a busted jaw, a broken shoulder, Tate has experienced enough problems over his time to end 10 careers, yet every time he picks himself up and comes back better than ever.

To the point where he must surely be regarded now as the NRL's most inspirational player for all the adversity he has overcome to be standing where he is today — on the doorstep of a World Cup dream come true.

The Kangaroos fly out to England on Monday and Tate doesn't hide the fact that Justin Hodges' vacant right centre position is what he will be chasing on tour.

"I want to be there absolutely," the 31-year-old said.

"I don't just want to go over there and play a couple of games.

"I want to be a part of the team.

"I will be doing everything I can to get in there.

"You know, I honestly can't believe I'm here.

"I was just sitting down before and thinking to myself, shit.

"I just love being here."

And blokes like Bennett can't help but marvel at his tenacity and courage.

"That's the thing," Bennett explained. "You have the injuries but some guys never reach that kind of level again.

"But he gets better every time, he is never going backwards.

"I only spoke to him recently after the Cowboys played Cronulla (when North Queensland were controversially knocked out of the finals).

"I asked him if they picked him for the tour would he go?

"And he said he would.

"I said I thought it was a wonderful idea.

"I can still see the Australian game (in 2010) when he did the cruciate. I can still see those scenes in the change rooms (when Tate broke down in tears in full view of the TV cameras).

"That was heartbreaking stuff.

"Then you have to go through all that rehab.

"That's the difficult part.

"It's not that the rehab is hard, it's the loneliness of it all.

"The amount you have to do by yourself.

"You are not in a group, you are always by yourself.

"And he has done it every time.

"He's talked about retirement more than once but he keeps coming back and he keeps playing wonderfully.

"He has fought back through it all and played brave.

"You can certainly say that about him.

"He is a brave player."

One of the bravest our game has ever seen.

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Smith role in Sonny deal revealed

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THE retention of Sonny Bill Williams has marked the start of a new attitude toward the salary cap, according to NRL boss Dave Smith.

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Smith spent months working alongside the Roosters to ensure Williams stayed in rugby league and had a final meeting with club chairman Nick Politis on Thursday.

The spirit of co-operation was a far cry from relations between the Roosters and League Central almost a year ago, when the previous NRL regime conducted an investigation into how the 2013 Williams deal was structured and negotiated.

Unsatisfied with the club's response, the NRL announced the Roosters would be fined because it had failed to comply with requests for documentation.

It's believed salary cap auditor Ian Schubert was concerned that Williams' manager, Khoder Nasser, is not NRL-accredited.

Schubert also wanted answers on whether earnings from a pre-season boxing bout amounted to an inducement to join the club.

But this time around there was, as Politis likes to put it, "a lot more love in the valley".

"It's particularly timely with the salary cap review on foot, because as a game we need to have systems that are flexible enough to attract and keep the best players without compromising the rules," Smith said.

"I want the best athletes to chose our game and I do recognise they have choices.

"This is huge that Sonny has chosen to stay with rugby league. It's a fantastic show of confidence in our code."

After winning Sunday night's grand final, Williams revealed that Smith had texted him in the weeks leading up to the game.

"I spoke to Sonny a number of times this year and I also left him a voicemail (on Friday morning)," Smith said.

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Inside Sonny's decision to stay

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SONNY Bill Williams played the entire NRL finals series at ease with himself, having made a final decision to stay at the Roosters six weeks ago.

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While both rugby codes have contorted themselves in rampant speculation about the dual international's next move, Williams came to the realisation in late August that Bondi Junction was home for 2014.

The only sticking point about staying for another year was the risk of jeopardising his 2015 World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympic dreams with New Zealand Rugby Union.

It's believed that concern was allayed at Thursday's Brighton-le-Sands lunch meeting with representatives from the All Blacks and Super 15 franchise Waikato Chiefs, who had offered Williams a mega-rich three-year deal to return home next season.

Sightings of paperwork floating between Williams and his agent, Khoder Nasser, convinced commentators the 28-year-old was certain to defect back to the 15-man code.

It turns out there was much more to the al-fresco gathering than met the eye.

A day earlier, Williams sat in the office of Roosters coach Trent Robinson and promised to give him an answer within the next 48 hours.

With Williams making a belated and controversial call to join the Kiwi World Cup campaign on the same day, the response was likely to be a positive one.

But first he had business to attend to.

After cancelling a planned trip to the US, Williams needed to sit down with NZRU officials and inform them he was staying in rugby league for another season.

A Fox Sports News reporter was tipped-off about the Brighton meeting and summoned a camera crew to the bay side eatery.

The resulting footage carried the obvious implication that Williams was going to rugby, a prospect many at the Roosters feared would transpire should they win this year's grand final.

Witness accounts of Williams putting pen to paper made conclusions of a switch naturally compelling, particularly given Chiefs and All Blacks staffers had crossed the Tasman to personally witness them being signed.

Their contents are now a mystery, with the latest round of speculation suggesting there could be a deal for 2015 onwards or a written guarantee that Williams can still participate in the World Cup and Olympics.

From the Roosters' point of view, the only person aware of all the facts was club chairman Nick Politis.

Persuading Williams to return to rugby league this season on a long-standing handshake agreement was one of Politis's great coups.

Ensuring the relationship continued into 2014 was even better.

As early as February The Sunday Telegraph reported Williams would remain at the Roosters for another year.

But never before have Nasser's clients settled their future without fanfare, and SBW is the most unpredictable attraction in a three-ringed circus production that's also featured Anthony Mundine and Quade Cooper.

The Chiefs offer threw a timely element of intrigue into the mix.

Williams, the Roosters and NRL only fuelled the speculation by giving nothing away until Friday's announcement.

Within hours after both the Roosters and All Blacks made their position clear, The Daily Telegraph was told that Williams made up his mind to stay in rugby league just before the finals.

"He knew he was comfortable and happy to stay at the Roosters six weeks ago," a well-placed source said.

But Williams happily continued the game of cat and mouse inside the winning sheds after Sunday night's grand final, declaring that he would require a

"few more weeks" to make a call.

Presumably Politis and NRL boss Dave Smith knew better.

Smith on Friday declined to pinpoint the exact moment when he had learned Williams was staying at the Roosters.

"I've been involved in some of the negotiations with Nick (Politis) for some time and he's done a fabulous job," Smith said.

"I've been in the background so that's a hard question to answer."

Politis was unavailable to comment, having departed for Greece on Thursday night just hours after Williams told Robinson he was staying put.

They say Williams informed the chairman with a wink and a smile sometime before speaking to Robinson over the phone.

It was as good as a handshake — a deal for which no words can describe.

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Buddy gives Sonny lesson in class

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HUMAN Headlines have absolutely no need to please anyone.

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Just by being them, they can control the daily splashes, run an entire 24/7 media cycle and thumb their noses at anyone.

Sydney's biggest HH is SBW, or Sonny Bill Williams to those of you who have not read a newspaper in 47 weeks.

A true test of SBW's pulling power came last week when he blacked the media out and still managed to make it into every news bulletin four times a day.

Challenging his throne, though, is the blow-in from Bleak City, Buddy Franklin.

The Swans' biggest signing arrived in Sydney this week, was dutifully mobbed outside Swans headquarters and on Bondi Beach, then rubbed salt into the wound by being posted on social media with his impossibly gorgeous new squeeze, Jesinta Campbell.

Both SBW and Buddy have charisma in spades. They are the living, breathing examples of the quintessential modern professional athlete — superbly sculpted, body art in abundance and supermodel good looks.

Now for the glaring differences.

Such are the contrasts in how these two, and the people in whom they place their trust, run their professional lives that it could be the stuff of a manual on modern-day athlete management.

While Franklin's manager, Liam Pickering quietly went about his business during the season, discreetly setting Franklin up for one of the biggest deals in AFL history, Sonny Bill's mentor, Khoder Nasser, took a rather different path.

Franklin said from the start of the year he would not allow his own career to get in the way of a premiership win with his mates at Hawthorn.

He stuck to his word and not a single person was offended or affected by his actions.

SBW, on the other hand, hasn't handled his affairs anywhere near as smoothly.

Some may argue Nasser merely maximises his client's earning potential, and therefore nothing else matters.

The truth is that Williams spends most of his life making up for the manner in which Nasser does business, with absolutely no consideration for those he hurts along the way.

SBW walked out of the Bulldogs in extremely acrimonious circumstances, leaving the league world shattered.

He betrayed his fans, his teammates and the code. Many will never forgive him.

His move to rugby union was of course his prerogative. It was the manner in which it was executed that was inexcusable.

He won his Super XV title, then the World Cup, so then it came time to ditch that lot and carve another swathe through league.

Nasser ensured the talk in the rugby league world centred around SBW for months.

Would he leave union and switch codes again?

Would SBW become a boxer, a Rooster, an Olympian?

The leaks were controlled and timed to cause maximum impact.

Nothing is ever for loyalty or longevity. It is only done with two people in mind (SBW and Nasser).

It all came to a farcical climax when a bunch of dim-witted New Zealanders (league and union types alike) became more cannon fodder for the SBW machine.

Having rejected all former approaches from the New Zealand Rugby League, Nasser and SBW did a classic backflip after the team was named for the World Cup.

No matter that a young kid from Melbourne copped the axe to make way for SBW.

His immeasurable on-field talent ensures that all football executives lose any sense of judgment when it comes to making way for him in their teams.

The most laughable skit in this satire unfolded on Thursday when Nasser called a meeting of the New Zealand rugby lot in Brighton Le Sands.

When they discovered the FoxSports cameras present, much Benny Hill-style scurrying ensued — especially from Team SBW's tinfoil hat-wearing preferred media sucks who had missed out on the scoop despite years of unquestioning friendly coverage.

Witnesses swear SBW signed a document before everyone scarpered.

Of course we now know that if he did, it was not to join the Chiefs and the NZRU for next year after he yesterday announced he was staying in the National Rugby League for season 2014.

Along the way, Nasser will find him a boxing bout somewhere in an off season to keep the coffers swelling. 

There is no doubt Williams is a sensational athlete.

He has also shown he possesses humility.

The issue is that the humility invariably follows treachery, borne out of decisions which deeply affect entire teams and thousands of fans.

SBW took the golden handshake from the Roosters at the beginning of the season and has been rewarded handsomely with a premiership.

He has no doubt been brilliant. True champions, though, boast more than brilliance.

They possess great timing, surround themselves with good people and know the importance of team.

Above all, they understand the need to be honest. Sonny Bill's place in history is still far from a sure thing.

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Sattler's stinging spray at Williams

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SOUTHS legend John Sattler has launched a stinging attack on "half-a-game" Sonny Bill Williams, saying his likely departure from the NRL will not be the crushing blow many envisage.

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Williams' murky future took another bizarre twist on Tuesday night when he made himself available for New Zealand's World Cup campaign - just hours after ruling himself out of the event.

The shock backflip prompted Test selector Richie Barnett to accuse the Roosters superstar of "disrespecting" the Kiwis as he weighs up a likely return to New Zealand rugby after the World Cup.

While Williams' signing with the NZRU appears a fait accompli, Roosters chairman Nick Politis is refusing to give up hope of keeping the dual international at Bondi.

But Sattler is not convinced Williams' weekly contributions match the hype. Souths' last premiership-winning captain in 1971, Sattler attended last Sunday night's grand final and walked away lukewarm about the Kiwi Test star's game of two halves.

The Roosters have formally approached the NRL seeking salary cap assistance to retain Williams, but Sattler says the code owes the 108kg forward no favours.

"I don't think we'd miss him, the game goes on," said Sattler, a former Test captain.

"Once they start this, 'will I or won't I go' ... well just leave Sonny Bill.

"If your heart isn't in rugby league, go and play another code.

"The game shouldn't do any more than it has already to keep him."

While he made uncharacteristic mistakes in the opening half of the grand final, Williams produced a superb second stanza, finishing with 23 tackles and 141 metres from 14 runs.

This season, the 28-year-old has averaged 12 hit-ups, 24 tackles and 108 metres per game, figures Sattler believes do not denote greatness.

"He can't be considered a great of the game, imagine putting him in the same league as Bob McCarthy, Ron Coote or Reg Gasnier," Sattler said.

"He doesn't get involved enough, he hangs around and every so often he will make a great run, but he has no work-rate.

"His first half the other night was woeful, in grand finals your first half is crucial so he really played half-a-game.

"Sonny Bill wouldn't hold a candle to Coote or McCarthy. There's no doubt he has plenty of ability but in my opinion he just doesn't do enough work."

Despite Barnett's blast, the NZRL eventually added Williams to their Cup squad, just prior to the forward explaining his backflip on social media.

"Without thinking the whole situation through, I eagerly jumped at the chance to chill out and rest," he said.

"After having some time to really think about how much representing my country means to me, I decided to put my name forward for selection."

Maroons coach Mal Meninga believes NRL hierarchy can do no more to prevent Williams returning to play for the Chiefs and All Blacks in 2014.

"I think the NRL have done enough," Meninga said.

"Sonny Bill understands how much the game wants him to stay. It's a personal decision. The game has told Sonny Bill how much they want him to stay and they will do everything they possibly can, but at the end of the day it will be his decision."

Broncos rival Justin Hodges urged Williams not to walk away from rugby league.

"I think he has been fantastic for the game," he said.

"When you lose players like Karmichael (Hunt) and 'Izzy' (Folau) to other codes, it makes their codes bigger.

"We need our big names to stay, a guy like Sonny Bill draws fans and entertains.

"Having him this year made the game a bit more hyped and I think he's a fantastic athlete. The Roosters have the money to keep him, it's just a matter of whether he wants to stay on. I hope he does."

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Buzz's top 50 NRL moments revealed

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FROM drug dramas, to Barba battles, to Origin biff, Phil "Buzz" Rothfield reveals the top 50 moments of the NRL season.

Today we unveil 25-1. Check out 26-50 here.

1. DRUG DRAMA
ASADA headlines dominate the season. More than 30 players are called to interviews. The Sharks sack four staff members and suspend coach Shane Flanagan. Chairman Damian Irvine is forced to quit and Canberra winger Sandor Earl becomes the first player to get an infraction notice.

Blake Ferguson and Sandor Earl both feature prominently in our top 50 moments. Picture: Gregg Porteous Source: DailyTelegraph

2. BARBA BANISHED
Dally M champion Ben Barba is stood down by the Bulldogs for apparent alcohol and gambling issues. A shocking photo later emerges of his partner Ainslie Currie, indicating domestic violence. He quits the Bulldogs for the Broncos.

Ben Barba limps off in his last game for the Bulldogs. Picture: Gregg Porteous Source: DailyTelegraph

3. THE CHAMPS
The Roosters win an epic grand final over Manly 26-18 at ANZ Stadium, recovering from a 10-point second-half deficit, inspired by the magnificent skill of Sonny Bill Williams. They were the best team all year, and despite questionable refereeing, the Roosters deserved the premiership.

Roosters captain Anthony Minichiello celebrates with teammates at full-time after winning the 2013 NRL grand final match against the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles at ANZ Stadium. Picture: Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images Source: Getty Images

4. SBW COMEBACK
No player dominated the headlines as much as Sonny Bill Williams in his return to the NRL. On and off the field, the Roosters benefitted, winning the minor premiership and substantially increasing crowds, merchandise and membership.

Sonny Bill Williams thanks the fans during the Roosters' fan day at Moore Park on Monday. Picture: Gregg Porteous Source: News Limited

5. BENCHY MARSHALL
Wests Tigers coach Mick Potter makes the bravest selection move in years, dumping superstar Benji Marshall to the bench mid-season. Their relationship never recovers and Benji decides to walk out on the NRL to join the Auckland Blues in rugby union.

Benji Marshall looks on after the Tigers concede a try. Photo by Matt King/Getty Images Source: DailyTelegraph

6. ORIGIN BIFFO
Blues skipper Paul Gallen belts Nate Myles with a series of blows in Origin I. With no on-field action taken at the time, the NRL introduces a no-punching edict in the toughest crackdown on violence in the history of the game. In the very next Origin match, four players are sin-binned for fighting.

Paul Gallen and Nate Myles go at it in Origin I. Source: Getty Images

7. COWBOYS CRUELTY
For the second season in a row, Johnathan Thurston's Cowboys are bounced out of the finals by a refereeing error. Replays showed Sharks winger Beau Ryan scored on the 7th tackle. The refs were sacked.

Johnathan Thurston screams in frustration against the Sharks. Picture Gregg Porteous Source: DailyTelegraph

8. BETTING BAN
Outrage over Tom Waterhouse's appearances on Channel Nine's rugby league coverage forces the government to step in and ban his live promotion of betting during games, much to the relief of viewers who had been regularly jamming the network's switchboard with complaints.

Tom Waterhouse. Source: News Limited

9. RICKY QUITS
Former Test and Origin coach Ricky Stuart walks out on the Parramatta Eels after the club's back-to-back wooden spoons. Just 12 months into a big-money three-year deal, Stuart accepts an offer to take over from Dave Furner.

Parramatta Eels coach Ricky Stuart has resigned as coach to head to the Canberra Raiders. Source: News Limited

10. PEE FOR PACKER
Warriors forward Russell Packer becomes an infamous world-wide Your Tube figure after urinating on the field during a game against the Broncos. The 23-year-old is sent packing, to sign a four-year contract with the Newcastle Knights.

Warriors forward Russell Packer appears to urinate on the field in the match at Suncorp Stadium against the Broncos. Picture: Sports Fox Source: FOX SPORTS

11. PHOTO FOOLERY
Raiders stars Josh Dugan and Blake Ferguson pose for a rooftop selfie drinking pineapple Breezers while on the Canberra injured list. The Raiders sack Dugan. He turns to labouring before signing with St George Illawarra, from where he make the NSW State of Origin team.

Josh Dugan (front) and Blake Ferguson in a picture Dugan posted on Twitter. Source: Twitter

12. HIGH FLYER
At the time it was described as the try of the decade. Wests Tigers rookie winger David Nofoaluma's spectacular touchdown against Manly was so remarkable it was even shown on television networks in the United States. He was awarded the Dally M Try of the Year.

Wests Tigers David Nofoaluma scores an incredible try during a round 20 game against Manly at Campbelltown Stadium. Picture: Brett Costello Source: DailyTelegraph

13. AWESOME FOURSOME
Sam, 24, Luke, 26, and 21-year-old twins George and Tom - weighing a combined 460 kilograms - are named in the Rabbitohs side to play the Tigers. It was the first time in 103 years that four brothers played together at the top level of rugby league.

The Burgess brothers with Mum Julie after the Wests Tigers v South Sydney Rabbitohs game at Allianz Stadium, Sydney. Source: News Limited

14. CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
Dave Furner is sacked by the Canberra Raiders, the first coach in the club's history to lose his job mid-contract. Furner's unwavering support for troubled Origin player Blake Ferguson is blamed for him losing the support of senior players.

Former Canberra Raiders coach David Furner. Source: News Limited

15. HENRY SACKED
Just a few months after extending coach Neil Henry's contract, the Cowboys' board sack him following a loss to the Broncos at home. The players react by going on an unbeaten run to the finals.

Henry will head south and join the Titans in 2014. Source: Getty Images

16. JAW BREAKER
Former Kangaroos front rower Kade Snowden cops a seven-week suspension for breaking the jaw of Cowboys hooker Ray Thompson with a shoulder charge that went wrong in Townsville. Snowden is forced out of the Knights' finals campaign.

Kade Snowden breaks Ray Thompson's jaw with a shoulder charge. Source: Getty Images

17. SORRY SANDOW
Chris Sandow's future and $550,000-a-year contract at the Parramatta Eels is thrown into doubt when the halfback is dropped to NSW Cup and then admitted to a rehabilitation clinic that specialises in gambling and alcohol problems.

Chris Sandow playing for Wentworthville after he was dumped from Parramatta's first grade side. Picture: Peter Kelly Source: DailyTelegraph

18. TAN OF THE MATCH
Serial rugby league streaker Wati Holmwood, wearing nothing but joggers and covered in spray tan, interrupts Origin at ANZ Stadium with an 80 metre dash. He is arrested and sentenced to three months jail, later reduced to two months on appeal.

Wati Holmwood makes his dash into infamy. Picture: Brett Costello Source: News Limited

19. TOOVEY'S RAGE
Geoff Toovey cops a $10,000 fine for slamming the referees after Manly's controversial Friday night loss to Souths at Bluetongue Stadium. It's probably the best spray since Bob Fulton declared he wanted to run Bill Harrigan over with a cement truck.

Manly Sea Eagles coach Geoff Toovey speaks to the media during a press conference. Source: News Limited

20. NICE GUY GOES
The rugby league world mourns the loss of former Blues State of Origin coach Graham Murray in late July. He passed away far too early from a heart attack at age of 58. A who's who of rugby league attends his funeral in Brisbane.

Graham Murray will be remembered as one of rugby league's gentlemen. Picture: Darren Hilder Source: Townsville Bulletin

21. TOP DOG
Former New Zealand netball boss Raelene Castle replaces Todd Greenberg as chief executive of the Canterbury Bulldogs, the first woman since Super League to land the top job at an NRL club.

New Canterbury Bulldogs chief executive Raelene Castle at Belmore Oval. Source: News Limited

22. DRIVING SHAME
Origin front rower James Tamou's career goes off the rails when he is caught for unlicensed high-range drink driving in Townsville. A suspension rules him out of the second State of Origin game. He is disqualified from driving for 15 months.

James Tamou in action against the Titans. Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images Source: Getty Images

23. LOW BLOW
In one of the lowest acts of the year, Sam Burgess puts a squirrel grip on Storm centre Will Chambers, forcing the NRL to step in and suspend the Great Britain forward for two matches.

Sam Burgess allegedly performed a "squirrel grip" on Will Chambers. Source: Getty Images

24. MANNAH TRAGEDY
Parramatta and former Sharks forward Johnny Mannah dies after a relapse of Hodgkin's lymphoma. He had shown remarkable bravery in fighting the disease over a number of years. His brother, Eels prop Tim Mannah, was at his bedside in St Vincent's hospital when he passed away.

Tim Mannah carries Jon Mannah's casket from the Faith Baptist Church in Regents Park. Picture: Tim Hunter Source: The Daily Telegraph

25. SUPER COOPER
Storm's superstar halfback Cooper Cronk wins the Dally M award in one of the closest finishes in years. Three players tie for second - Todd Carney, Johnathan Thurston and Daly Cherry-Evans.

Dally M Player of the Year Cooper Cronk surrounded by the Team of the Year at The Star. Picture: Gregg Porteous Source: DailyTelegraph

 

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Broncos primed to nab Smith

Cameron Smith and Billy Slater in action for Melbourne Storm. Source: Scott Barbour / Getty Images

EXCLUSIVE: THE Melbourne Storm are poised to lose arguably their greatest player, skipper Cameron Smith, to Brisbane.

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The Herald Sun understands the Brisbane Broncos are increasingly likely to snare the Melbourne superstar, who is said to be favouring a move back to his home state for the sake of his young family.

But Storm is refusing to budge on next season – the final year of Smith's contract – ruling out any possibility of an early release for the Queensland and Test captain.

Storm are expecting an update from Smith when he returns from a family overseas holiday in Fiji ahead of Friday night's Storm's Player of the Year awards.

Storm football boss Frank Ponissi was on Wednesday night adamant no decision had been made.

"We appreciate and respect the fact it is a massive decision for Cameron and his family," he said.

"But absolutely no decision has been made on where he will play from 2015 onwards.

"He will tell us in due course and we dispute a decision has already been made."

The club has been in formal talks with Smith for some time.

But the two parties are no closer to reaching a deal, despite both agreeing a decision on Smith's future must be made before the start of next season.

Both club and player want the matter settled well before round one to avoid ongoing speculation overshadowing the club's 2014 campaign.

The Broncos – who cannot formally approach Smith until November 1 - are believed to be confident of landing the game's best hooker with a deal to the tune of $1 million a season.

The move has the backing of former Brisbane greats Darren Lockyer and Steve Renouf, with both urging the Broncos to open the chequebook to secure him.

But the Broncos will not secure him for next season, despite speculation Melbourne may allow him to head north a year early.

Sources close to the club have told The Herald Sun that Smith has not asked for an early release, nor would it be granted under any circumstances.

Family is the major reason for Smith's expected move.

Smith this year conceded he and wife Barbara, who have three children, miss family support networks on offer in Brisbane.

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Taylor already under the gun

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AT SOME stage during the past 106 seasons, there might have been a coach appointed without the chairman's support.

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But never before has the entire rugby league world known about it.

The man now tipped to become Parramatta's new coach - Jason Taylor - will start the NRL's toughest job in full knowledge that the club's chairman Steve Sharp doesn't want him.

Murmurs about the board's full support for a coach generally start to rumble just before the trigger is pulled.

Yet the starting pistol on Taylor's second coming at Parramatta is yet to be fired. And already he's under the gun.

Only at Parramatta.

Prior to a board meeting on Tuesday night that was convened to appoint the new coach, Sharp publicly declared his support for rival candidate Brad Arthur and urged fellow directors who wanted Taylor to toe the line.

The move placed Sharp in an uncomfortable position.

Although Sharp knew other members of the five-man board were Taylor fans, he believed his seniority and stature as a premiership-winning forward would win the vote.

But when a show of hands for Arthur was called, only one other director stood by him.

Negotiations with Arthur were well advanced.

A salary in excess of $500,000 had been discussed. Senior players who had campaigned for their 2012 caretaker coach to return were convinced the board had listened.

The likes of Jarryd Hayne eagerly awaited a coach without baggage who understood them better, rather than someone fixed in their ways.

Then came Tuesday night's ambush that's left Sharp wondering where the next bomb will go off.

Sources involved in the long-running search for a new coach claim Sharp has been loudly dismissing Taylor throughout.

The chairman was not impressed with how Taylor's only permanent head coaching role was terminated at Souths, amid a flurry of fists at the club's 2008 Mad Monday celebrations.

Taylor is aware of Sharp's coolness toward him, yet was still keen to take on the Eels job Wednesday. Not wanting to lose a second assistant coach, Roosters officials are resigned to him following Paul Green (Cowboys) out the door.

Taylor's impending appointment will keep the focus on Parramatta's backroom brawling. Likewise, should Arthur somehow recover to get the job, knowing that a majority of the board preferred someone else.

A coach who's lost the board's support before he even started? Only at Parramatta.

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SBW in shock World Cup backflip

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SONNY Bill Williams is a champion boxer, league and union player - perhaps he should try his hand at gymnastics.

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The Roosters premiership winner on Tuesday night backflipped and told New Zealand Rugby League authorities that he would like to play in next month's Rugby League World Cup after earlier in the day ruling himself out for "other commitments''.

The news is a huge boost for the six-week tournament, held in the UK, and will see the Kiwis' odds of defending the title shorten dramatically.

It also gives Williams the chance, should his Kiwis win, to hold both rugby codes' World Cup at the same time, after his role in the All Blacks' Rugby World Cup win in 2011.

On Tuesday morning, Kiwis coach Steve Kearney announced that Williams was unavailable due to "other commitments.''

But by 6 o'clock Tuesday night, Williams had suddenly reversed his decision, leaving the New Zealand camp stunned.

New Zealand must now submit a formal application to the World Cup committee to alter their 24-man squad, which was announced Tuesday.

It would mean one member of the original squad would be dumped.

Williams' manager, Khoder Nasser, was frantically calling media outlets Tuesday night to reveal Williams' new plan.

NZRL chairman Scott Carter was bewildered and will seek more details on the Williams drama Wednesday.

Kearney wasn't answering his phone Tuesday night.

"It will be a big, big boost for the Kiwis,'' said New Zealand great Gary Freeman.

"It is the perfect time for Sonny to make himself available.

"I've got to be honest, I don't think the Aussies want him there."

Williams had originally told friends he was weary and needed an off-season break.

He told his 300,000 Twitter followers Tuesday: "Wishing the kiwis all the best in their title defence, having my first break since 2008. Looking forward to spending time with family and friends.''

Williams continues to delay a decision on whether to re-sign with the Sydney Roosters or return to Super Rugby.

It may be another fortnight before Williams announces his future .

Kearney spoke to Williams on Monday, and the Roosters superstar - at that stage - said he would withdraw.

"Sonny is unavailable due to other commitments. I'm sure we'd all like to know what they are, but we'll hear about that in the next two or three weeks," Kearney said at a press conference Tuesday morning.

"There would be no point asking me what his other commitments are because I don't know. We'd planned not to have Sonny. That was, I guess, just the general feeling that I had throughout the year.

"He couldn't give me a definitive answer (on his future) because he didn't know himself.

"It was a decision that was going to be made after [the Grand Final]. Although I wasn't confident, I was pleased with the conversation we had."

The entire landscape then shifted dramatically.

22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Italy fume as Raiders pull Campo

Terry Campese in action for the Raiders. Source: Sam Ruttyn / DailyTelegraph

THE Italian Rugby League has accused new Canberra coach Ricky Stuart of forcing star player Terry Campese to withdraw from the Azzurri World Cup squad.

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The Daily Telegraph has obtained an email from Canberra dated September 12 approving Campese's availability for the tournament in England and Wales.

A second email from Canberra football manager John Bonasera was then sent to Italian officials on October 3, pulling Campese from the World Cup because of injury.

Stuart signed with Canberra on September 16, in between the two emails being sent.

Stuart on Tuesday night fired back, saying: "I didn't make the final decision on Terry. Terry did.

"My main concern is the Canberra Raiders, not the Italian rugby league team.''

Bonasera's initial email to Italy football manager Reno Santaguida reads: "Further to your request both Paul Vaughan (Canberra player) and Terry Campese are free to compete in the World Cup representing Italy.''

That changed dramatically on October 3 when Bonasera then emailed Santaguida, saying: "Terry has had four operations on his left knee including two knee reconstructions, an ITB transfer and an arthroscope and has had a successful lateral meniscus repair but been left with a medial meniscectomy.

"The knee is always swollen and it has only a limited number of miles left in it. Another ruptured ACL in that knee and our club doctor feels that his career would most likely be over.

"If he goes to the World Cup he will not have that rest period and our doctor envisages this would then worsen in what would be left of the pre-season. This would then transfer into the regular season next year.

"It is recommended that he have a rest now so the right knee patellar tendon enthesopathy will have a chance to recover.''

Santaguida told The Daily Telegraph he had no doubt Stuart was behind Campese's decision.

"Campo was officially in, 100 per cent. He had signed the World Cup documentation,'' he said.

"I feel for Campo. He got pressured by a new coach. He had to choose between club and country.

"The first letter was sent before Ricky signed with Canberra, the second came after Ricky had signed.

"Campo had the heat put on him through Ricky Stuart. He was told he had to rest. When was the last competition game? Five weeks ago.

"We even said he didn't have to play our trial against England. That means he would have had a seven-week break between games. He will be back in pre-season training while we are away so it makes no sense using his knee as an excuse.''

Santaguida said the World Cup needs elite players like Campese.

"If the international game is to go forward, we need players like Terry Campese playing,'' he said. "Why couldn't we get his knee medically assessed?

"A lot of players are pulling out for the same reason. It is absolutely ridiculous.''

Meanwhile Italy have successfully lobbied to have prop Kade Snowden serve an NRL suspension in the England trial match on October 19.

22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Lowndes Top 10: Bathurst 1995

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As Craig Lowndes gears up for his 20th attempt at the Bathurst 1000 next weekend, SPEED is running through his most memorable moments on the Mountain.

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We sat down with the V8 Supercars legend to find out his 10 biggest memories from two decades of racing at Bathurst.

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Watch Lowndesy's top five Bathurst moments revealed on our 2013 Bathurst Preview show, 7:30pm EDT on Thursday 10 Oct on SPEED.
(Foxtel Channel 512).

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No.7: 'The Kid' takes pole, Bathurst 1995

After his stunning Mountain debut in 1994, Lowndes returned after a year pounding around Australia's circuits as the Holden Racing Team's test driver.

His first race action of the year came at the Sandown 500. Paired with Greg Murphy, Lowndes put the car on pole, only to spin off in the early laps fighting Glenn Seton for the lead.

He rebounded at the Mountain with a stunning Top Ten lap, setting a 2m11.5540s - the fastest V8 lap ever to that point - to steal pole position from the sport's renowned aces.

The race itself, however, was a total disaster for HRT. Lowndes's car expired before the end of his first stint, while the Peter Brock/Tomas Mezera sister car didn't make it much further.

CRAIG SAYS...
"I thought it was going to be easy. Going from the previous year finishing second, then putting it on pole. It started the weekend off so well.

"It didn't quite end so well, but that was a magical moment, putting a lap together around the best racetrack in the world."

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Watch Lowndesy's Top Five Bathurst Memories on SPEED's 2013 Bathurst Preview, Thu 10 Oct at 7:30pm EDT (Foxtel Channel 512).

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Buzz's top 50 moments - part one

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FROM ASADA scandals, to boardroom stoushes, to incredible on-field moments, Phil Rothfield reveals his top 50 moments of 2013.

Today we unveil 26-50, with the top 25 to be revealed on Thursday.

Check out the video above of Phil Rothfield's best moments of the year

26. STAR IS BORN
Teenager Luke Brooks makes an absolutely stunning first grade debut, appropriately at the SCG, the game's old headquarters. The 18-year-old engineered a 34-18 victory over struggling St George Illawarra, scoring a try and setting up two.

Luke Brooks celebrates a try with Benji Marshall. Picture: Mark Evans Source: DailyTelegraph

27. SBW BLINDER
In a round 26 thriller, the Roosters go into battle with arch rivals South Sydney for the minor premiership. Champion second rower Sonny Bill Williams destroys the Rabbitohs with a mighty performance to secure bragging rights for the finals.

Sonny Bill Williams in action against the Rabbitohs. Picture: Mark Evans Source: The Daily Telegraph

28. ROOKIE'S REWARD
First season mentor Trent Robinson wins the Dally M Coach of the Year award after steering the Roosters to the minor premiership, blending in new signings Sonny Bill Williams, Michael Jennings and James Maloney. The trio combined brilliantly from the opening rounds of the competition.  

Trent Robinson celebrates premiership victory at a fan day. Picture: Gregg Porteous Source: DailyTelegraph

29. OLDCASTLE
Super coach Wayne Bennett signs veteran halfback Craig Gower to complete his retirement village in Newcastle. Gower makes a solid contribution in the oldest side in the premiership as the Knights storm home to finish one win off the Grand Final.

Craig Gower in action for the Knights. Source: DailyTelegraph

30. WET AND WILD
In shocking conditions at Leichhardt Oval, Blake Ayshford finishes off a length-of-the-field movement against Melbourne Storm to slide over in the corner. It was magnificent ball movement and handling in the atrocious conditions.

31. MORE MAROON
Queensland wins its eighth straight Origin series, recovering from a loss to NSW in game one at ANZ Stadium. The Blues try valiantly under new coach Laurie Daley, but yet again the Maroons have too much class for a NSW side minus skipper Paul Gallen in the deciding match.

Queensland duo Johnathan Thurston and Cameron Smith thank fans after the Maroons won game three at ANZ Stadium to wrap up an eighth straight Origin series victory. Source: Getty Images

32. BYE BYE BLAKE
The NRL sacks Blake Ferguson from the NSW State of Origin team and suspends the centre from club football after he was charged with indecent assault. The Raiders later tear up his contract when he fails to return to training.

Sacked Canberra star Blake Ferguson and agent Sam Ayoub before meeting with NRL bosses at Rugby League Central in Moore Park. Picture: Brett Costello Source: DailyTelegraph

33. TIGER TROUBLE
Chief executive Steve Humphreys is shown the door at Wests Tigers after a tumultuous period that involved the sacking of Tim Sheens and the loss of star players including Beau Ryan and Andrew Fifita to the Cronulla Sharks. 

34. MEDAL MADNESS 
The Clive Churchill Medal goes to a player from the losing side - Manly halfback Daly Cherry-Evans. He played a great game for the losing side, but the award should have gone to either five-eighth James Maloney or hooker Jake Friend, who produced blinders in the premiership winning team.

Daly Cherry-Evans after receiving the Clive Churchill Medal. Picture: Gregg Porteous Source: DailyTelegraph

35. UNSTOPPABLE GI
Champion fullback Greg Inglis almost single-handedly destroys the Wests Tigers with four tries in a humiliating 54-10 victory. Inglis was unstoppable every time he touched the football.

Greg Inglis celebrates his third try against the Wests Tigers. Picture: Mark Evans Source: The Daily Telegraph

36. COFFS DEBACLE
In a move to promote country football, the NRL takes City-Country to Coffs Harbour. Hopelessly over-priced tickets resulted in a crowd of only 4,635 to watch a lacklustre game. It was the lowest turnout for the match since 1987 and the first time in three years the NRL had not sold out a representative fixture.

37. FINALS BRUTALITY
The Roosters beat Manly 4-0 in the opening round of the finals in a throwback to old days when defence dominated the big end-of-season games. Somehow both teams recovered from the toughest game of the year to make the Grand Final.

Sydney Roosters forward Jared Warea-Hargreaves charges into the Manly defence. Source: Getty Images

38. SLAMMIN SAM
All eyes were on the battle between Sam Burgess and Sonny Bill Williams in the first round of the premiership. Burgess took the round one honours by steamrolling SBW with one powerful charge. Sonny Bill squared up in round 26.

39. DOG DEPARTS
Canterbury's highly rated CEO Todd Greenberg switches to the NRL in a senior management role as Head of Football to help out CEO Dave Smith with his obvious lack of rugby league knowledge. He is immediately embroiled in a Ben Barba cover-up controversy.  

The NRL's head of football and former Bulldogs boss Todd Greenberg. Picture: Gregg Porteous Source: DailyTelegraph

40. TRY TIME
Storm centre Will Chambers scores a remarkable try after youngster Mahe Fonua threw the ball back into play while in mid-air against the Raiders at Canberra Stadium. It brought back memories of Mark Gasnier's SCG try in the Centenary Test.

Mahe Fonua leaps and throws a miracle ball back to Will Chambers. Source: DailyTelegraph

41. EAGLES AT WAR
Manly's boardroom brawling spills into court, with Peter 'Zorba' Peters seeking and being granted an interim AVO against another director, Darrell Williams, following allegations the former fullback had threatened physical violence.

Former Manly player Peter "Zorba" Peters. Source: DailyTelegraph

42. PARRALYSED
Ken Edwards quits less than a year into his role as chief executive of the Parramatta Eels over a disagreement with the board over the future direction of the club. The Eels plummet towards the wooden spoon for the second year running.

43. SNAKE BITE
Former NRL bad boy Anthony Watts is handed an eight-match ban for biting an opponent's penis during a local rugby league final on the Gold Coast. Watts earlier played at the Roosters, Sharks and Cowboys.

Former NRL player Anthony Watts has copped a ban for an alleged penis bite. Source:

44. FAN FRENZY
In a disappointing year that saw crowds fall, the NRL celebrates the biggest ever stand-alone regular season attendance of 59,708 in the Roosters-Souths round 26 game at ANZ Stadium. It surpassed the 58,593 set in 1993 between the Broncos and Dragons.

The Roosters pose with the JJ Giltinan Shield after becoming NRL minor premiers with victory over South Sydney. Picture: Mark Evans Source: DailyTelegraph

45. POINTS GALORE
Warriors halfback Shaun Johnson scores 26 points from three tries and seven goals in a one-man round 25 demolition of the Canberra Raiders in Auckland. It was the most points by a player in any game this season.

46. GOLDEN MOMENT
In a year of few highlights for St George Illawarra, Test winger Brett Morris scores a try in golden point to beat the South Sydney Rabbitohs in a thriller at ANZ Stadium. It was a try that probably saved coach Steve Price's job. 

The Dragons' Nathan Fien celebrates the match-winning try by Brett Morris as Daniel Vidot joins in, in the background. Picture: Philip Hillyard Source: DailyTelegraph

47. PROP STARS
A front rower hasn't topped a club's season try-scoring list since Peter Tunks at the Bulldogs in the 80's. Giant prop Andrew Fifita did it for the Sharks this year, including spectacular efforts against the Dragons in Wollongong and Manly in the semi-final at Allainz.

Andrew Fifita celebrates a try for the Sharks. Source: Getty Images

48. MILFORD WANTS OUT
In a blow for the struggling Canberra Raiders and new coach Ricky Stuart's hopes of resurrecting the team, boom rookie Anthony Milford announces he wants to quit the club and join the Broncos to spend more time in Brisbane with his family and sick father.

Anthony Milford runs the ball for the Raiders. Picture: Kym Smith Source: DailyTelegraph

49. YOUNG GUN
South Sydney front rower George Burgess is named Dally M Rookie of the Year after a number of barnstorming performances in the Rabbitohs' pack. He beats a top field for the award, including Canberra Raiders utility star Anthony Milford. 

George Burgess wins Dally M Rookie gong Source: News Limited

50. WELCOME BACK
After 12 years in country rugby league exile, the mighty Moree Boomerangs celebrate their return to Group 19 football with an emotion-charged Grand Final victory over Gwyder in Moree, showing off all their legendary skill in a spectacular exhibition of attacking football.

Moree Boomerangs fans on grand final day. The Boomerangs won a fairytale premiership. Source: Supplied

22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Price's last ditch bid for Eels job

Parramatta legend Ray Price is keen to coach the Eels. Source: Gregg Porteous / DailyTelegraph

PARRAMATTA'S search for a new coach took an eleventh hour twist on Grand Final day, with Ray Price interviewed for the position that he wants to share with fellow club great Brett Kenny.

A passionate and vocal campaigner, Price fronted a four-man delegation of the Eels board at Parramatta Leagues Club on Sunday.

The premiership-winning warhorse on Monday night said the club needed people in charge who understood Parramatta's culture.

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He wants to take charge with Kenny, who coached the club's NSW Cup feeder side Wentworthville several years ago.

"We need Parramatta people to get Parramatta out of the crap," Price said.

"I sat down with the board for about 90 minutes and they agreed with everything I said.

"It took me a long time to speak to the board, but I kept ringing and ringing and ringing for the opportunity.

"I genuinely believed we had a top eight side this year - we just needed to back our players."

Despite getting the chance to put his case forward, Price is not confident he'll get the job.

Manly assistant Brad Arthur remains the raging hot favourite ahead of Tim Sheens, Steve McNamara and Jason Taylor.

The fact Sheens won't return from Australia's World Cup campaign until December damages his chances, while the current playing squad is backing Arthur - their assistant coach in 2011 and 2012 - to get the job.

The announcement will be made later this week, following a board meeting on Monday night.

"I'm probably a million to one to get the job, even though I've always put my hand up to help them make a difference," Price said.

"I wanted to help with their defence this year, but they were happy with their defence. How can that be?"  

22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Thompson, Wells share Syd

Kangaroos midfielder Daniel Wells in full flight against Essendon. Picture: Colleen Petch Source: Colleen Petch / HeraldSun

SCOTT Thompson and Daniel Wells were joint winners of North Melbourne's best and fairest award after a thrilling vote count last night.

All-Australian full-back Thompson and Wells tied on 50 votes, finishing one ahead of ruckman Todd Goldstein.

But leading goalkicker Lindsay Thomas, who missed out on All-Australian small forward selection, did not finish in the top-10 of voting.

Thompson, 27, has twice finished second in the award, but was last night rewarded for his supreme consistency helping curb the league's premier forwards.

The man who was originally overlooked in the draft and forced to start his career in the VFL also took out the best clubman award, as determined by the Roos' coaches.

Wells is now a two-time Syd Barker medallist, helping complete a stellar comeback from a life-threatening blood clot found in his lungs in late 2011.

Despite heavy tagging from the opposition, Wells' sparkling form has repaid the club's faith after selecting the silken midfielder with pick No.2 in the 2002 national draft.

Vice-captain Drew Petrie was fourth on 46 votes, while young midfielders Ben Cunnington and Ryan Bastinac capped off the best year of their careers, finishing fifth and sixth.

Earlier in the night Wells and Michael Firrito were awarded life memberships.

Former rookie defender Aaron Mullett was named best first year player, while Thomas was recognised for his work off the field as the Peter Scanlon Community Award winner.

North Melbourne coach Brad Scott revealed goalsneak Thomas and emerging midfielder Ben Cunnington had re-signed with the club until the end of 2016 and 2017, respectively.

Meanwhile, Sydney assistant coach Leigh Tudor has agreed to join North Melbourne as a senior assistant coach next year, if he is unsuccessful in Essendon's coaching race.

Highly regarded for his stoppage work and team defence, Tudor has told the Roos he will be at Scott's side unless he wins a senior coaching job in the next fortnight. He is a frontrunner to fill James Hird's void.

Scott announced the appointment last night. Tudor had played key coaching roles at Sydney and St Kilda and coached Geelong's VFL team to a premiership.

North Melbourne star Daniel Wells kicked four goals in the Kangaroos hard-fought win over Geelong. Picture: George Salpigtidis Source: HeraldSun

SYD BARKER TOP 10

1. Scott Thompson 50
1. Daniel Wells 50
3. Todd Goldstein 49
4. Drew Petrie 46
5. Ben Cunnington 45*
6. Ryan Bastinac 45*
7. Jack Ziebell 43
8. Lachie Hansen 41*
9. Sam Gibson 41*
10. Aaron Mullett 40
(* countback applicable for all placings other than first)

OTHER AWARDS
Glenn Archer Northerners Award – Jack Ziebell
Blackwoods Supporters Player of the Year Award – Jack Ziebell
Jason McCartney Jumper Award – Jack Ziebell
Best First Year Player – Aaron Mullett
Harold Henderson Best Clubman Award – Scott Thompson
Peter Scanlon Community Award – Lindsay Thomas

22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

A whole new ball game for A-League

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FOOTBALL is coming home. More than the crowds and the standard of play that have been the eternal talking points, it will be the success of the A-league's first free-to-air television deal with SBS that provides the best measure of progress.

This will be the season when those who claimed the A-League's growth had been handicapped by an exclusive pay television deal with Fox Sports is put to the test. And when, as the result of the dual broadcasting arrangement, the league's exposure is multiplied.

From the days when it was known by the heathens as 'Soccer Bloody Soccer', SBS has a long and rich association with Australian football. Les Murray and the late Johnny Warren were the ''world game's'' godfather's - with the dark suits, but without the violin cases.

However, when SBS won the free-to-air rights last season, there was some concern among FFA insiders that the venerable football network sometimes loved the game to death. The consequence of an approach that was seen to cater heavily for purists, rather than the new audience the A-league is trying to attract.

The perception was – rightly or wrongly – that if you didn't know your libido from your libero, SBS wasn't going to waste its time giving you directions from the bedroom to the pitch.

At the same time, Fox Sports had set the bar high in recent years. Its analysts and commentators provided depth, insight but also – cue Mark Bosnich's manic cackle – a lighter, more inclusive touch.

SBS's response is a coverage that leans heavily on younger, recently retired players. David Zdrilic will host the Friday night coverage with the entertainingly intense Craig Foster. They will be joined by a rotating panel of experts including Jason Culina, Clint Bolton and Ned Zelic.

The game itself is a joint production between Fox Sports and SBS, with David Basheer commentating and Robbie Slater providing analysis. Expect Slater to say ''Well, Simon...ummm, I mean David'' at least 13 times until the new alliance is forged.
 

NEW STYLES FOR CARLE AND HERSI

But, beyond the games themselves, what the FFA wanted – and has gotten – is broader programming across the week. The type of coverage that showcases the players, engages fans and tempts them to buy a ticket.

Fox Sports have made the signing of the A-League season, poaching entertainers Santo Cilauro, Sam Pang and Ed Kavalee whose World Cup program on SBS was a cult classic. They will reform for 'Santo, Sam and Ed's Total Football' on Monday night which, if there previous efforts are anything to go, will be instant classics.

SBS will have their of footbotainment show, 'Thursday FC' hosted by comedian Matt Okine, Lucy Zelic (yes, Ned Zelic is her brother) and David Zdrilic. They will be using a host of current players as both comic muses, and sources of insight.

Which proves, in Australian sport, the only thing worse than being laughed at is not being laughed at. And also that the FFA was right when it predicted splitting the broadcast rights would create competition and produce broader and enhanced coverage.

What it cannot determine is if the appetite for A-League games, and other programming, is a strong as last year's encouraging season suggested. Do packed crowds at Wanderers and Melbourne Victory games translate into ratings that will encourage growth in future rights deals?

PREMIER STATE ROLLS ON

For all the talk of strong growth, the average audience for games on Fox Sports last season was 81,000 viewers. Strong in pay-per-view terms, but not figures to have the eyes of free-to-air executives popping.

However, the grand final between Central Coast and the Wanderers drew an A-league record 308,000 viewers and 164,000 watched Alessandro Del Piero's first home game for Sydney FC against Newcastle.

That is the league's potential. The televisual banquet has been laid. Now we wait to see if more viewers come to the table.

ON THE BOX
THURSDAY
THURSDAY FC, 8.30pm, SBS 2
SBS's panel show showcases the A-League with special guests, interviews and live music acts, presented by Matt Okine, Lucy Zelic and David Zdrilic.
FRIDAY
KICK OFF 6.30pm Fox Sports
Tara Rushton and Andy Harper's weekly preview of the upcoming round and football news from the Premier League.
A-LEAGUE LIVE, 7pm, SBS2 & Fox Sports
SBS and Fox Sports's live coverage of the Friday night match.
SATURDAY
MATCHDAY SATURDAY: 5pm Fox Sports
Mark Bosnich, Mark Rudan and Adam Peacock bring football fans up to 10 hours of LIVE coverage of the A-League and English Premier League each Saturday.
SUNDAY
SUNDAY SHOOT OUT 7pm Fox Sports
Wrap up the A-League action Mark
Bosnich and Adam Peacock and don't miss the B-League with Sam Mac and Julian Schiller, the best thing to happen to TV sport since Kerry Packer and World Series Cricket.
MONDAY
TOTAL FOOTBALL 7.30pm Fox Sports
A new panel show hosted by Santo Cilauro, alongside Ed Kavalee and Sam Pang.
A-LEAGUE HIGHLIGHTS SHOW 8pm Fox Sports, 8.40pm SBS
Recap all the best moments from the weekend.

The A-League kick-off is just days away. Picture: Gregg Porteous

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Super Rugby draw: Five of the best

Kurtley Beale is back for the Waratahs in 2014. Picture: Mark Evans

THE draw for the 2014 Super Rugby season is out - so where and when will Benji Marshall, Kurtley Beale, Quade Cooper and co kick-off their campaigns?

The opening round of the competition - which kicks off on February 15 - is an all-South African affair, with the Cheetahs and Lions opening the new campaign with a clash in Bloemfontein, followed by the Sharks hosting the Bulls (the Stormers start with a bye).

The New Zealand and Australian franchises join in the action the following week, from February 21, with each team playing 16 regular season matches (eight home and eight away, plus 2 byes) before the playoffs begin on July 18. The final will be held on Saturday, August 2.

We take a look at five must-watch matches for the 2014 Super Rugby season.

Crusaders v Chiefs, February 21, AMI Stadium

It might be asking a bit much given it's but we like to think these two sides will be able to replicate their performances from the last time they clashed. That occasion turned out to be the best game of 2013, with the Aaron Cruden-inspired Chiefs edging the Crusaders in an epic semi-final at Waikato Stadium. Adding more spice to this match is the potential return of Sonny Bill Williams to the Chiefs line-up. The dual code star is yet to announce where - and what - he'll be playing next year but Waikato remains a firm possibility. There'll be no Dan Carter for the Crusaders, with the All Blacks superstar set to take a sabbatical that will rule him out of most of the 2014.

Highlanders v Blues, February 22, Forsyth Barr Stadium

Will it be Benji Marshall's rugby union debut? The former Wests Tigers NRL star is poised to kick off his career in the 15-man game in Dunedin - providing he does enough in the pre-season to win selection in the Blues line-up for their opening clash of 2014. Selection in the No.10 jersey would likely see him face off with the Highlanders' 11-Test All Blacks flyhalf Colin Slade. Marshall won't be the only new face in the Blues side, with former All Black Jerome Kaino returning to Auckland after a stint in Japan.

NSW Waratahs v Western Force, February 23, Allianz Stadium

The opening round for the Australian Super Rugby franchises could pit great mates Kurtley Beale and James O'Connor up against each other as the Waratahs host the Force on a Sunday afternoon. That's providing O'Connor ends up signing with the Perth-based club, following the Australian Rugby Union's decision to release the bad boy from his 2013 contract, and not offer him a new one for 2014. Regardless, Beale has returned to NSW from Melbourne and will roll out for the side he started his Super Rugby career with alongside new recruits Jacques Potgieter (Bulls), Jono Lance (Reds) and Nick Phipps (Rebels) as coach Michael Cheika looks to build on the platform laid in 2013.

Queensland Reds v Cheetahs, March 7, Suncorp Stadium

Richard Graham kicks off his career as Queensland Reds coach on the road, with clashes away to the Brumbies and Waratahs in the first two rounds. It's not until Queensland's third game that he'll coach his new side on home soil and this looms as a tough test for the former Western Force boss. South Africa's Cheetahs were the surprise packet of 2013, storming into the playoffs and coming within a sideline conversion of pushing eventual runners-up the Brumbies to extra-time in the opening round of the finals. Attacking ace Willie le Roux has become a star for the Springboks and will lock horns with the Reds' new recruit, former Waratahs and Wallabies winger Lachie Turner in a battle of the speedsters.

Brumbies v Chiefs, April 25, Canberra Stadium

The rematch of this year's Super Rugby final, won by the Chiefs as they successfully defended their 2012 crown. Sonny Bill Williams wouldn't be the only newcomer to this rematch, with one-time Wallaby skipper David Pocock set to be back in action for the Canberra outfit in 2014 after missing most of this year with a serious knee injury. The Brumbies will also have a new face calling the shots on the sidelines, after former World Cup-winning coach Jake White walked out on the club to chase a Test gig. Stephen Larkham and Laurie Fisher are vying for the vacant position.

Opponents for Australia's Super Rugby franchises - each team plays home and away derbies within their own conference, plus the following matches:

Brumbies: Hurricanes (A), Stormers (H), Blues (H), Chiefs (H), Crusaders (A), Sharks (H), Cheetahs (A), Bulls (A)
Force: Highlanders (A), Chiefs (H), Bulls (H), Cheetahs (A), Stormers (A), Lions (H), Crusaders (A), Blues (H)
Rebels: Cheetahs (H), Crusaders (H), Highlanders (A), Chiefs (A), Sharks (H), Hurricanes (H), Lions (A), Bulls (A)
Reds: Cheetahs (H), Sharks (A), Lions (A), Stormers (H), Hurricanes (A), Blues (A), Crusaders (H), Highlanders (H)
Waratahs: Sharks (A), Stormers (A), Bulls (H), Blues (A), Hurricanes (H), Lions (H), Chiefs (A), Highlanders (H)

22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Rookie Robbo's year to remember

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A DOZEN weeks into the competition, Roosters coach Trent Robinson was confronted with a question that would define his year: "These blokes are ready to win a premiership ... but am I?"

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Standing in a jubilant Roosters dressing room around 11 o'clock Sunday night - drenched in the type of Gatorade shower that confirmed, yes, he was ready - Robinson spoke about the oddity that is winning an NRL premiership in your debut season.

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Remembering that Brian Smith, the man he replaced only 12 months ago, had gone his entire career without enjoying a moment this unassuming forward with four NRL games, a coach still only 36 for goodness sake, is soaking up right now.

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And when asked the secret, Robinson takes you way back to round 12, to an afternoon where he gathered his staffers and told them, quite simply, they had a team ready to win an NRL premiership.

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"So we knew,'' he recalled, "that we would have to coach well."

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And they did. Despite an the ongoing circus surrounding Sonny Bill Williams, despite the ASADA headlines striking his club, his players, even his brother Dean, Robinson ensuring they persevered just like when he played with a pair of the worst knees God ever cobbled onto an athlete.

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So how does it feel?

"It's not relief because we knew we were ready,'' the coach conceded afterwards. "But it's hard to describe because, a game like that, you dream about it for so long and then someone comes along and says, 'You've won a competition.'

"It's hard to put into words. And there's so many people who put in so much effort. To try to put it all down to a couple of players, or to coaches ... so many people have worked hard, not just this year but over the past few years to get us here."

Despite being gifted a superstar roster that included recruits Williams, Michael Jennings and James Maloney, what really defined Robinson was what he did with, say, the previously anonymous Sam Moa. Or they way he helped halfback Mitchell Pearce overcome his Origin blues.

And by bringing together a team of superstar individuals like few believed he could.

"We copped a bit of a bagging for some of our recruitment,'' Robinson continued. "That star factor, people thought it would take over this side.

"But it didn't matter if it was one of our big signings or a fringe player, everyone bought into the team being most important. People didn't see that for a while.

"I know we're seen as the wealthy club, the high flyers but this win has been built on a foundation of hard work. People see the big plays but we've worked hard for each other all year."

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Lowndes Top 10: Bathurst 2005

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As Craig Lowndes gears up for his 20th attempt at the Bathurst 1000 next weekend, SPEED is running through his most memorable moments on the Mountain.

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We sat down with the V8 Supercars legend to find out his 10 biggest memories from two decades of racing at Bathurst.

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Watch Lowndesy's top five Bathurst moments revealed on our 2013 Bathurst Preview show, 7:30pm EDT on Thursday 10 Oct on SPEED.
(Foxtel Channel 512).

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No.9: A wheely big problem, Bathurst 2005

It was a cool morning that greeted the field on the morning of Bathurst 2005, but Lowndes was running hot.

On pole by three tenths of a second, he streeted the field at the start of the race, setting a scorching pace as he built up a solid margin to the rest.

It all turned to dust early, though.

Amid his charge, Lowndes ran the No.888 Falcon slightly too wide on the run up to Reid Park and broke its rear suspension. His Triple Eight crew fixed the car and sent him back out, but the race was lost.

Then, if things couldn't get any worse, one of Dunlop's finest decided it wanted to come along for a ride.

All jokes aside, Lowndes was incredibly lucky not to be seriously injured or killed. Had the wheel struck the car less than a metre to the driver's side ... well ... it doesn't bear thinking about.

CRAIG SAYS...
"We went to Bathurst with great hopes, the car was absolutely magical, it did everything we needed it to.

"Until we got a wheel stuck in the front windscreen..."

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Watch Lowndesy's Top Five Bathurst Memories on SPEED's 2013 Bathurst Preview, Thu 10 Oct at 7:30pm EDT (Foxtel Channel 512).

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SKD played 75 mins with broken jaw

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LONG after the gladiators had left the arena, a memento of their toughness remained on the turf.

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It belonged to Roosters centre Shaun Kenny-Dowall. It was one of his rear teeth. It was dislodged around five minutes into the game, on one of his very first hit-ups.

And for the remaining 75 minutes Kenny-Dowall continued.

No-one knew he'd also suffered a fractured jaw, which books the Kiwi centre a place in grand final folklore just beneath the great John Sattler, who played most of the 1970 grand final with the same injury.

Kenny-Dowall's effort was the courageous high point of a bruising encounter that saw centre partner Michael Jennings suffer a possible slipped disc in his neck after scoring a miraculous match-sealing try six minutes from the siren.

Prop Luke O'Donnell also re-tore his hamstring, which had kept him out of last week's grand final qualifier.

But Kenny-Dowall was the story.

Speaking with left side of his face swollen thanks to the injury that could end his World Cup hopes, Kenny-Dowall said he kept the pain a secret to ensure his team was not disadvantaged.

"It happened on one of my first hit ups," he said.

"My whole tooth came out and my mouth kept filling-up with blood.

"I didn't want to tell anyone. I didn't want people to think that I was injured or struggling."

"It was pretty painful."

Kenny-Dowall had to wait until after full-time for relief in the form of a morphine shot.

Asked about the Sattler legend, Kenny-Dowall played a humble hand.

"I would not compare it to him," he said.

"I'm not sure of the scenario. I'll find out in the next couple of days. I just didn't want to let my team mates down."

Kenny-Dowall also played six weeks of the season with rib cartilage damage, recovering from poor form to play a vital role in Sunday night's victory, scoring the second half try which put the Roosters back in front.

Roosters doctor John Orchard said the most likely scenario was a hairline fracture.

"But I somehow don't think he will want to go to hospital over the next couple of days," Orchard said.

Orchard also added that Jennings would require more tests for his neck injury, which could see the NSW Origin sensation scratched from Australia's 24-man World Cup squad.

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Roosters triumph in epic finale

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THE Gatorade shower went to Trent Robinson on Sunday night.

It came after two flashes of Sonny Bill Williams brilliance underlined what he means to the Roosters, to the NRL, and what a loss he will be when he more than likely he leaves the NRL to return to rugby union.

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The Roosters are the NRL premiers, underlining the great success stories of Robinson, the Dally M Coach of the Year, and Williams' return to rugby league, and the resurrection of one of the great proud clubs in the game.

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There was a fear ANZ Stadium would fail to be a sellout after South Sydney was eliminated last week.

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In their hope the Rabbitohs would qualify for their first grand final in 42 years Souths fans swamped the box office weeks ago, and when they were eliminated a week ago Souths fans were left not just with the disappointment of the Rabbitohs' exit, but with the bitter after taste that there no two teams now playing the grand final that Rabbitohs fans like less.

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Tickets were said to be going for little more than a song websites the day before the game.

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In the end, 81,491 turned up to watch one of the great grand finals, where the lead changed three times, and each time the leader looked set to go on with it.

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There was a penalty try and another from a forward pass, enough lesser errors to provide a sprinkle of controversy and eternal argument, the Clive Churchill Medal winner was Daly Cherry-Evans, from the losing side, and then there were Williams' twin pieces of magic.

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The first ended directly in a try to Shaun Kenny-Dowall to put the Roosters ahead while the second, a 30m burst up field, indirectly led to one of those freakish efforts that is fast becoming the hallmark of NRL football.

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This time, Michael Jennings chased a loose ball and dived between Brett Stewart and David Williams to gather in the loose ball and touch down and give the Roosters the 26-18 final scoreline.

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With just six minutes left, the premiership was sealed there.

It was a remarkable show of grit and composure from the Roosters.

They went into the game as reigning minor premiers and, better than that, statistically the best in the NRL. In attack and defence.

But they are just numbers, of course.

What you cannot measure are intangibles.

How do you measure courage? Or the steel inside the bones?

Whoever came up with a way to measure experience?

The Sea Eagles ran into the game with 11 survivors from their 2011 premiership. With seven from their 2008 premiership.

In other words, this was a team that knew what it took to get the job done. Week after week Manly has warred through this finals series, tired and injured, and through nothing but their own sheer will found a way to overcome.

They put all that experience to good use in the opening 20 minutes with a blitzkrieg that shocked the minor premiers, and then another shock start to the second half that took the game away.

"We ran away from the fight a bit in the first 20," Robinson said.

"Whereas we've always taken the fight to other teams.

"A few guys got off track and we clawed our way back in."

Manly showed it was nothing less than a team that knew what it took to get the job done. Week after week Sea Eagles warred through this finals series, tired and injured, and through nothing but their own sheer will found a way to overcome.

Three minutes into the second stanza Cherry-Evans found space and as the defence closed he kicked ahead, with Jamie Lyon and  Foran in chase.

Lyon looked set to score when Mitch Aubusson tackled him from behind, denied what looked certain - or could be argued wasn't certain - to be a try.

Referee Shayne Hayne asked the video referee to check for a penalty try, and the green light came on.

It was the first penalty try since Craig Smith was knocked out in the process of scoring by Jamie Ainscough in the 1999 decider, when Melbourne beat St George Illawarra.

It all held together until the final 20 minutes, when Manly led 18-8 and the Roosters faced their moment.

"It got to 18-8 and we had a choice there," Robinson said, saying later, "We weren't going to get a try before we worked out how to stay calm and get back on track."

It was simple, really.

With skipper Anthony Minichiello whispering calm words in their ears, the Roosters cut out the gravity and reward at stake and focused on their processes.

It sounds so boring, but it was all the difference.

Normally, just a quick look over the formguide would have shown the Sea Eagles would have had what was an unassailable lead, given the strength of their defence.

As was pointed out more than once, the Sea Eagles had conceded only two tries their previous two games, and both came from kicks. In other words, their opponents had to go over them because they couldn't go through them.

"They finished way too strong for us," coach Geoff Toovey said.

With the fresher legs, though, the Roosters started punching holes in them, showing the quality of their football side.

Far from being ruffled by Manly's early intent, the Roosters showed their cool nerve and, rather than forcing their game, went back to their structures and applied themselves.

And so back they came, showing they had some intangibles themselves.

SYDNEY ROOSTERS 26 (A Guerra M Jennings S Kenny-Dowall D Tupou tries J Maloney 5 goals) bt MANLY 18 (J Lyon S Matai J Taufua tries J Lyon 3 goals) at ANZ Stadium. Referee: Shayne Hayne, Ben Cummins. Crowd: 81,491.

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Re-live the action in the blog below
 

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