Rabbitohs too strong for Broncos

Nathan Merritt ... celebrates his try with Bryson Goodwin. Source: Darren England / News Limited

South Sydney sent another warning to their NRL rivals that the club's 42-year premiership wait could be over with an aggressive 26-12 win over Brisbane at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night.

What made the 14-point win so impressive was it came just seven days after engaging in a brutal 80-minute battle with Manly.

2 Tries 4
Scott Prince 29'	Jason Clark 19'
Jack Reed 35'	Greg Inglis 44'
	Nathan Merritt 48'
	John Sutton 52'
2 Conversions 4
Scott Prince 31'	Adam Reynolds 20'
Scott Prince 37'	Adam Reynolds 46'
	Adam Reynolds 50'
	Adam Reynolds 54'
0 Penalties 1
	Adam Reynolds 4'

However to their credit, Brisbane refused to submit when the floodgates looked like opening early in the second half.

Souths led 8-0 early but trailed 12-8 at half-time after Brisbane hit back with late tries to five-eighth Scott Prince - his first since returning to the club - and centre Jack Reed.

An upset was on the cards in front of a bumper crowd of 39,111 but Souths roared out of the blocks in the second half, piling on 18 unanswered points in the space of 15 minutes.

Fullback Greg Inglis ignited the blitz in the 45th minute, hurtling onto the ball 10 metres out like a runaway freight train with Brisbane's last line of defence, fullback Corey Norman and big Dave Hala, powerless to stop him.

The accolades flowed from both sides for Inglis' dominant display.

"He goes alright back there," said a smiling Souths coach Michael Maguire, before Rabbitohs' captain John Sutton chipped in with "he's a freak".

Brisbane skipper Sam Thaiday said on form Inglis was the best player in the game.

"Greg has found a home at fullback, he punished us tonight," said Thaiday.

"Souths are a great side, particularly with him (Inglis) at the back."

Thaiday said Brisbane needed to get tougher and more ruthless to beat the top sides.

"They were tougher than we were, we weren't tough at all," he said.

"We need to get a bit of mongrel in us and fight to win games."

Four minutes later a poor last play chip option straight into Inglis's safe hands triggered a super try 95 metres down field to winger Nathan Merritt, who dumbfounded his rivals out of dummy half with a thief-in-the-night try.

The visitors final try was the softest, big John Sutton strolling through a yawning gap in the 53rd minute to make it 26-12.

To their credit, Brisbane stemmed the flood of points for the last 27 minutes while testing Souths defence several times.

But Souths' sheer size and power up front, their relentlessness and superior ruck speed and Inglis's class were the difference.

Brisbane missed the experience of centre Justin Hodges, especially when Souths came out so hard in the second half.

The win, their sixth of the season on the road, moved Souths into a share of the premiership lead with Melbourne and added further weight to predictions the club could win their first premiership since 1971. 

22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Chiefs ruin Beale's Rebels return

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Thriller ... Chiefs' Gareth Anscombe scores a hat-trick, ruining Kurtley Beale's return. Source: Colleen Petch / News Limited

Wallaby star Kurtley Beale repaid the Rebels in his return from suspension but he couldn't help them secure an upset win over the Chiefs.

5 Tries 6
Scott Higginbotham 14'	Gareth Anscombe 1'
Hugh Pyle 35'	Bundee Aki 9'
Hugh Pyle 63'	Gareth Anscombe 20'
Nick Phipps 68'	Gareth Anscombe 26'
Kurtley Beale 75'	Sam Cane 50'
	Brodie Retallick 70'
4 Conversions 3
James O'Connor 15'	Gareth Anscombe 10'
James O'Connor 37'	Gareth Anscombe 21'
James O'Connor 65'	Gareth Anscombe 51'
James O'Connor 76'
0 Penalties 1
	Gareth Anscombe 67'

In a see-sawing encounter the Super Rugby defending champions held on for a 39-33 win at AAMI Park, holding off a late Rebels surge.

Australia Conference		W	L	D	PD	BP	Pts
1	Brumbies	7	1	2	118	4	40
2	Reds	7	2	1	14	3	37
3	Waratahs	4	5	0	-44	1	25
4	Melbourne Rebels	2	8	0	-106	6	22
5	Western Force	2	8	0	-80	4	16
New Zealand Conference		W	L	D	PD	BP	Pts
1	Chiefs	7	3	0	85	8	40
2	Blues	5	4	0	49	8	36
3	Crusaders	5	4	0	56	6	30
4	Hurricanes	5	4	0	-5	4	28
5	Highlanders	0	8	0	-86	2	10
South Africa Conference		W	L	D	PD	BP	Pts
1	Cheetahs	7	3	0	12	3	35
2	Bulls	6	3	0	46	4	32
3	Stormers	4	5	0	2	5	29
4	Sharks	5	4	0	43	4	28
5	Southern Kings	2	6	1	-104	1	15

It was the third narrow loss in a row and delivered more heartbreak for the young side.

The Chiefs scored four tries in the opening half - three by fullback Gareth Anscombe - to secure a bonus point at AAMI Park before the break and two in the second half.

Last round the Chiefs did the same against the Sharks before letting the South Africans back into the match and were forced to scramble to a late win.

Beale had missed the last six games; first through a broken hand and then suspension for a drunken altercation with two Rebels.

Rebels coach Damien Hill plans to put Beale straight back into the starting side next Saturday against the Blues in Auckland.

"He was electric, he added so much to our attack,'' Hill said.

"Two of those combinations he had with James (O'Connor); one led to a line-break and one led to a try so I hope Kurtley gets a lot of confidence out of that.''peChiefs coach Dave Rennie said his side wasn't finishing matches.

He returned to Melbourne this week with his teammates giving him the green light to play.

Beale came on at fullback in the 47th minute and made an inauspicious start; kicking the ball out on the full in the re-start.

But he showed he had lost none of his electric pace and skills as he helped set up a second try to lock Hugh Pyle.

He and fellow playmaker James O'Connor then combined to send Nick Phipps in under the posts before the 24-year-old split the defence and raced to the tryline himself in the 75th minute.

That made the scoreline 39-33 and put the Rebels right back in the hunt.

That appeared to be short-lived when Anscombe looked to have scored his fourth, only for the Television Match Official to declare an earlier knock-on.

Melbourne then took control of the ball and hammered the Chiefs tryline in the dying minutes but couldn't find a way through to get the points they needed.

Skipper Scott Higginbotham delivered another inspired performance, scoring a try in the first half along with Pyle's.

They were at one stage down 24-7, with Anscombe scoring twice within six minutes but fought back to 24-12 at the break.

With their three second half tries the Rebels finished with two bonus points, for scoring their five tries and finishing within seven points but it wasn't the win they desperately sought.

Hill was disappointed to be in the same position three weeks running.

"It doesn't get any easier,'' he said.

"The challenge for us now is that we don't lose heart and we continue the path that we're on.''

"We had the game under control a number of times and through a lack of rugby nouse and decision making, we gifted the ball back and gave up a couple of soft tries and put ourselves under pressure.

"We lack killer instinct at the moment.

"We get ourselves in a strong position and we should put the foot on the throat and finish it off but we put ourselves under stress.''

22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ryder back in gym after assault

All's tweet ... Jesse Ryder continues recovery from alleged assault. Source: Gurinder Osan / AAP

New Zealand cricketer Jesse Ryder has made a significant step in his return to fitness since being allegedly assaulted in Christchurch five weeks ago.

Ryder said on Twitter on Friday that he had completed a gym workout in Wellington, although he was paying the price for it physically.

Back at gym 2day finally pity I almost died. GottaWork,'' he tweeted.

The 28-year-old has made a steady recovery from serious head and lung injuries since being allegedly assaulted outside a bar on March 28. He was placed in an induced coma in intensive care for three days.

Ryder's injuries ruled him out of playing in the current Indian Premier League Twenty20 competition.

Last month his manager Aaron Klee said it would be two to three months before Ryder was "ticking over properly''.

Name suppression continues for the two men charged with the assault. They will reappear in court on Tuesday next week.

A 37-year-old man has been charged with assault and reckless disregard for the safety of others, while a 20-year-old, the man's nephew, faces two charges of assault, one jointly with his uncle.

22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Magpies do just enough

Relief ... Harry O'Brien celebrates a match-turning goal just before half time Source: JOE CASTRO / AAP

Three last-quarter goals from Travis Cloke have helped Collingwood down a tenacious St Kilda in a tight AFL clash at Etihad Stadium.

The Saints lost Lenny Hayes (calf) in the pre-game warm-up and Sam Gilbert to a suspected serious knee injury in the third term but fought hard before losing Friday night's clash 15.13 (103) to 11.11 (77).

3.4 (22)	Q1	3.2 (20)
5.7 (37)	Q2	5.5 (35)
10.10 (70)	Q3	8.9 (57)
15.13 (103)	Q4	11.11 (77)

Travis Cloke 4	Nick Riewoldt 4
Darren Jolly 2	Arryn Siposs 2
Scott Pendlebury 2	David Armitage 1
Paul Seedsman 2	Sam Gilbert 1
Jarryd Blair 1	Justin Koschitzke 1
Martin Clarke 1	Stephen Milne 1
Sam Dwyer 1	Dylan Roberton 1
Andrew Krakouer 1
Harry O'Brien 1

Saints coach Scott Watters said it was hoped Gilbert's injury was no more than a hyperextended knee but he didn't want to speculate.

"We don't think so at this stage, but we've had some examples even in recent weeks where people are saying it's not an ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) and all of a sudden it is. You've just got to wait for the scan,'' Watters said.

He said Hayes' injury was minor and the midfielder was unlikely to miss more than one more game.

Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley said after a week spent focusing on the defensive elements of their game, the Magpies had failed to move the ball swiftly enough in the first half.

"It's a very natural reaction to take the focus off other areas of the game that you need to do well,'' he said.

"We probably just got too careful with our ball use in the second quarter but we opened that up a bit and got the balance right in the second half."

The win lifted Collingwood to a 4-2 record, while the Saints are stuck at 1-5 despite pushing quality opponents in Sydney and now the Magpies hard in their past two games.

		P	W	D	L	%	Pts
1	Essendon	5	5	0	0	176.70	20
2	Port Adelaide	5	5	0	0	148.45	20
3	Geelong	5	5	0	0	114.20	20
4	Hawthorn	5	4	0	1	131.57	16
5	Sydney	5	4	0	1	124.53	16
6	Collingwood	6	4	0	2	98.69	16
7	Richmond	5	3	0	2	112.13	12
8	Fremantle	5	3	0	2	102.57	12
9	Carlton	5	2	0	3	103.67	8
10	Adelaide	5	2	0	3	98.90	8
11	Gold Coast	5	2	0	3	95.13	8
12	Brisbane	5	2	0	3	77.53	8
13	North Melbourne	5	1	0	4	100.20	4
14	West Coast	5	1	0	4	97.46	4
15	St Kilda	6	1	0	5	93.47	4
16	Bulldogs	5	1	0	4	79.47	4
17	Melbourne	5	1	0	4	57.16	4
18	Greater Western Sydney	5	0	0	5	63.84	0

The Magpies were warm favourites, even more so after St Kilda lost midfield stalwart Hayes.

But St Kilda showed great defensive intensity across the ground to stifle Collingwood's run and keep the game an arm wrestle in the first half.

After the two sides kicked three goals each in the first term, the Saints kicked the only two goals in the first 18 minutes of the second quarter to at one stage lead by 11 points.

Late goals to Darren Jolly and Harry O'Brien gave Collingwood a two-point halftime lead.

The Magpies' midfield class showed out in the third quarter, as stars Scott Pendlebury, Dane Swan and Dale Thomas had 27 disposals between them for the term and their side finally found some run and broke the Saints' defensive shackles.

Pendlebury was enormously influential, breaking free of opponent Clinton Jones to kick the first goal of the quarter and set up the next for Andrew Krakouer.

It helped the Magpies to a five-goal quarter.

Collingwood looked to have broken the game wide open when they opened the last quarter with two quick goals - the second from a brilliant Cloke snap - and opened a 26-point lead.

But Saints skipper Nick Riewoldt kicked two goals in two minutes to quickly narrow the gap to 14 points.

Riewoldt (four goals) took his 10th mark of the night six minutes later and could have cut the margin to eight, but missed his set shot.

Soon after, Cloke kicked his third of the night, from a free kick, and another early in time-on to give the Magpies a 25-point lead and seal victory.

Midfielders Leigh Montagna, Jack Steven and David Armitage all battled hard for the Saints.

But as well as their injury problems, they could lose Justin Koschitzke to suspension, over an incident late in the first half.

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

22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ioane off to Stade Francais: report

Au revoir ... Ioane has reportedly decided to join Stade Francais. Source: AAP

Wallabies winger Digby Ioane will leave Queensland Reds and Australian rugby later this year after signing a massive two-year contract with French glamour club Stade Francais.

It's understood Ioane will reap almost $2.5 million but the deal will severely endanger his chances of playing in the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

Queensland Rugby Union chief executive Jim Carmichael on Thursday night confirmed French radio reports the world-class back would link with the Parisian club at the end of the year.

Ioane is regarded among the best wingers in the game and his loss is a major blow to both the Wallabies and the Reds.

One of the country's highest-paid rugby players, earning a reported $800,00 per season, the 34-Test flyer had another year to run on his Reds contract but his ARU deal expired at the end of 2013.

Despite a stand-off between the Reds and Ioane's management last week over alleged third-party payments he felt were owed to him, Carmichael stressed it was an amicable departure.

The pair met face-to-face this week and Carmichael said there were no hard feelings about Ioane taking the chance to provide long-term financial security for his family.

"He goes with our absolute blessing,'' Carmichael told AAP.

"I'm reassured about his feelings toward the Reds and his teammates and he'll always be a part of the Reds family.

"If he chooses to come back to Australian rugby after a couple of years I hope he picks up the phone and we'll welcome him back with open arms.''

While the French season starts in September, the ARU would be unlikely to release him from his current contract until after the spring tour of Europe in late November.

Ioane would still be regarded among the half-dozen certain selections in Robbie Deans' Wallabies starting 15 to play the British and Irish Lions next month.

Ioane's deal looks set to end his chances of playing a second World Cup, kicking off in September 2015 in England, as ARU guidelines stipulate that players must be involved in Super Rugby to be eligible.

The addition of the New Zealand-born, Melbourne-raised 27-year-old is a huge coup for Stade Francais - formerly coached by Australians Michael Cheika, Ewen McKenzie and John Connolly - as they are currently struggling in ninth on the Top 14 ladder.

22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Bold bid to takeover Heart

Huge offer ... Melbourne Heart coach John Aloisi with CEO Scott Munn. Source: George Salpigtidis / News Limited

South Melbourne FC has confirmed an offer of more than $3.5 million to buy Melbourne Heart A-League club, and raised the prospect of Brazilian ex-international Emerson as coach.

South Melbourne responded via its Facebook account to reports that they had approached Heart with the offer, only to be rejected.

The statement read in full: "Following yesterday's (Wednesday) media reports … and statements made by the CEO of the Melbourne Heart (Scott Munn) South Melbourne FC wishes to confirm the following:

• South Melbourne FC that it made an offer to acquire 100% of the Melbourne Heart Licence.
• The offer was in excess of 3.5 million
• The offer was made after several discussions between Heart & SMFC Directors.
• South Melbourne FC has received an expression of interest from Emerson (Brazilian Legend) to coach and has already secured Major Sponsors for its A-League ambitions."

Munn said on Wednesday that Heart's owners had no intention of selling.

South Melbourne, which currently competes in the Victorian Premier League – and was also in recent discussions with cash-strapped Central Coast Mariners – reportedly offered a combination of cash and shares and included relocation to Lakeside Stadium, a facility it currently shares with Athletics Victoria.

Munn confirmed the offer and revealed that two offers from overseas investors had also been received in recent months but the club's owners weren't interested in selling a controlling stake.

While Heart's crowds have stagnated, the club will turn a small profit this season and Munn said this made the model enticing to potential investors.

"We've made it very clear we have no interest in taking their offer any further," Munn said.

"We've been approached this year a couple of times, from the Middle East and a European consortium.

"Those conversations were quite open and transparent but we made it very clear that there were some non-negotiables and one of them is that the founding owners always want to retain control.

"We'd love to invest more in areas such as marketing, advertising and most importantly the footy department.

"We can sustain a club, we can post a small profit and that puts us in an enviable position for investors, knowing they won't have to reach into their pocket each year."

22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Is Inglis to blame for spear?

Target ... South Sydney star fullback Greg Inglis. Source: Renee McKay / AAP

Matt Russell, Christian Jantzen and Topher Sutton discuss the week's big issues heading into round eight in the NRL.

Is Greg Inglis to blame for being spear tackled? Are Melbourne unbeatable? Can anyone stop Sonny Bill Williams?

Matt Russell helps you out with a few pronunciations and the boys give some tips for your tipping.

Plus how good can Jesse Williams be in the NFL?

To hear the full discussion, subscribe free to the weekly rugby league podcast – There's Always Next Week – which you'll find on iTunes: http://bit.ly/11QaDoE 

22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

All the ins and outs for round six

In ... Andrew Krakouer has been named for his first game of the season. Source: Herald Sun

Check out all the ins and outs for round six of the AFL season.

Updated line-ups for Sunday's games will be announced on Friday afternoon, so check back in to get the latest teams before finalising your FOX FOOTY SuperCoach side.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Collingwood v St Kilda, Etihad Stadium, Friday 7.50pm (EST)

Collingwood

B: Nathan Brown. Ben Reid, Brent Macaffer
HB: Marty Clarke, Heath Shaw, Harry O'Brien
C: Steele Sidebottom, Dane Swan, Dale Thomas
HF: Jamie Elliott, Travis Cloke, Quinten Lynch
F: Ben Kennedy, Tyson Goldsack, Sam Dwyer
Foll: Darren Jolly, Scott Pendlebury, Jarryd Blair
Int: Andrew Krakouer, Jarrod Witts, Josh Thomas, Paul Seedsman
Emg: Alex Fasolo, Jordan Russell, Marley Williams

In: Krakouer, Jolly, J. Thomas, Witts, Kennedy
Out: Toovey (Knee), Hudson (Leg soreness), Russell (Omitted), Fasolo (Omitted), Sinclair (Omitted)

New: B.Kennedy, Witts

St Kilda

B: Nathan Wright, Sam Fisher, Sam Gilbert
HB: Sean Dempster, Dylan Roberton, Jarryn Geary
C: Nick Dal Santo, Lenny Hayes, Brodie Murdoch
HF: David Armitage, Rhys Stanley, Leigh Montagna
F: Josh Saunders, Nick Riewoldt, Justin Koschitzke
Foll: Ben McEvoy, Clinton Jones, Jack Steven
Int: Arryn Siposs, Sebastian Ross, Ahmed Saad, Stephen Milne
Emerg: Jimmy Webster, Jack Newnes, Tom Hickey

In: Milne, Siposs
Out: Dennis-Lane (Omitted) , Lee (Achilles)

Essendon v GWS Giants, Etihad Stadium, Saturday 1:45pm (EST)

Essendon

B: Michael Hibberd, Tayte Pears, Courtenay Dempsey
HB: Brendon Goddard, Cale Hooker, Kyle Hardingham
C: Mark Baguley, Jobe Watson, Nick Kommer
HF: Brent Stanton, Stewart Crameri, Leroy Jetta
F: Jackson Merrett, Scott Gumbleton, Alwyn Davey
Foll: Tom Bellchambers, Ben Howlett, David Zaharakis
Int: Jake Melksham, David Myers, David Hille, Heath Hocking
Emerg: Nathan Lovett-Murray, Nick O'Brien, Elliott Kavanagh

In: Jetta, Pears, Melksham, Kommer
Out: Winderlich (Rested), Colyer (Omitted), Heppell (Groin), Carlisle (Ankle)

GWS Giants

B: Adam Kennedy, Tim Mohr, Josh Bruce
HB: Aidan Corr, Stephen Gilham, Toby Greene
C: Tom Scully, Callan Ward, Jacob Townsend
HF: Rhys Palmer, Jeremy Cameron, Adam Tomlinson
F: Devon Smith, Samuel Frost, Taylor Adams
Foll: Jonathan Giles, Adam Treloar, Dylan Shiel
Int: Zachary Williams, Curtly Hampton, Sam Reid, Stephen Coniglio
Emerg: Thomas Downie, Shaun Edwards, Tomas Bugg

In: Gilham, Hampton, Bruce, Adams, Townsend, Frost, Corr
Out: Thornton (Omitted), O'hAilpin (Calf), Davis (Back), Bugg (Omitted), Whitfield (Soreness), Plowman (Omitted), Haynes (Omitted)

New: Corr 

North Melbourne v Port Adelaide, Blundstone Arena, Saturday 2:30pm (EST)

North Melbourne

B: Scott McMahon, Scott Thompson, Michael Firrito
HB: Aaron Mullett, Nathan Grima, Jamie Macmillan
C: Daniel Wells, Shaun Atley, Sam Wright
HF: Aaron Black, Majak Daw, Taylor Hine
F: Lindsay Thomas, Drew Petrie, Leigh Adams
Foll: Todd Goldstein, Andrew Swallow, Jack Ziebell
Int: Ryan Bastinac, Ben Cunnington, Sam Gibson, Will Sierakowski
Emerg: Daniel Currie, Liam Anthony, Lachlan Hansen

In: Sierakowski
Out: Anthony (Omitted)

New: Sierakowski

Port Adelaide

B: Campbell Heath, Alipate Carlile, Lewis Stevenson
HB: Cameron O'Shea, Tom Jonas, Dom Cassisi
C: Brad Ebert, Travis Boak, Hamish Hartlett
HF: Chad Wingard, Justin Westhoff, Paul Stewart
F: Jake Neade, Jay Schulz, Robbie Gray
Foll: Matthew Lobbe, Oliver Wines, Kane Cornes
Int: Brent Renouf, Matthew Broadbent, Angus Monfries, Kane Mitchell
Emerg: John Butcher, Andrew Moore, Sam Colquhoun

In: Mitchell
Out: Trengove (Foot)

Adelaide v Hawthorn, AAMI Stadium, Saturday 4:10pm (CST)

Adelaide

B: Ben Rutten, Daniel Talia, Andy Otten
HB: Luke Brown, Brent Reilly, David Mackay
C: Sam Kerridge, Scott Thompson, Brodie Smith
HF: Richard Douglas, Shaun McKernan, Jarryd Lyons
F: Jason Porplyzia, Tom, Lynch, Josh Jenkins
Foll: Sam Jacobs, Patrick Dangerfield, Rory Sloane
Int: Ricky Henderson, Bernie Vince, Matthew Jaensch, Matthew Wright
Emerg: Lewis Johnston, Jared Petrenko, Richard Tambling

In: Porplyzia, McKernan, Lyons
Out: Petrenko (Omitted), Walker (Knee), Laird (Thigh)

Milestone: Rutten - 200 games

Hawthorn

B: Josh Gibson, Brian Lake, Luke Hodge
HB: Grant Birchall, Ben Stratton, Brent Guerra
C: Isaac Smith, Sam Mitchell, Brad Hill
HF: Shaun Burgoyne, Lance Franklin, Paul Puopolo
F: Luke Breust, Jarryd Roughead, Jack Gunston
Foll: Max Bailey, Jordan Lewis, Brad Sewell
Int: Liam Shiels, David Hale, Jonathan Simpkin, Michael Osborne
Emerg: Taylor Duryea, Kyle Cheney, Matt Spangher

In: Sewell, Simpkin
Out: Rioli (Hamstring), Savage (Omitted)

Richmond v Geelong, MCG, Saturday 7:40pm (EST)

Richmond

B: Steven Morris, Alex Rance, Troy Chaplin
HB: Dylan Grimes, Ricky Petterd, Bachar Houli
C: Chris Newman, Trent Cotchin, Matt White
HF: Brett Deledio, Shane Edwards, Dan Jackson
F: Luke McGuane, Jack Riewoldt, Ty Vickery
Foll: Ivan Maric, Dustin Martin, Nick Vlastuin
Int: Brandon Ellis, Jake King, Shaun Grigg, Chris Knights
Emerg: Jake Batchelor, Shane Tuck, Robin Nahas

In: Chaplin, Morris, King
Out: Nahas (Omitted), Batchelor (Omitted), Helbig (Hamstring)

Milestone: Knights - 100 games

Geelong

B: Andrew Mackie, Tom Lonergan, Corey Enright
HB: Joel Corey, Harry Taylor, Taylor Hunt
C: Mitch Duncan, Jimmy Bartel, Steven Motlop
HF: Allen Christensen, Steve Johnson, Billie Smedts
F: Paul Chapman, Tom Hawkins, James Podsiadly
Foll: Mark Blicavs, Joel Selwood, James Kelly
Int: Cameron Guthrie, George Horlin-Smith, Trent West, Mathew Stokes
Emerg: Jackson Thurlow, Jordan Murdoch, Mitch Brown

In: Chapman, Hawkins
Out: Rivers (Knee), Caddy (Omitted)

Milestone: Enright - 250 games, Johnson - 200 games

Gold Coast v Fremantle, Metricon Stadium, Saturday 7:40pm (EST)

Gold Coast

B: Trent McKenzie, Tom Murphy, Dion Prestia
HB: Danny Stanley, Rory Thompson, Greg Broughton
C: Michael Rischitelli, Gary Ablett, Jarrod Harbrow
HF: Harley Bennell, Tom Lynch, Aaron Hall
F: Zac Smith, Sam Day, Brandon Matera
Foll: Charlie Dixon, Karmichael Hunt, David Swallow
Int: Matt Shaw, Jared Brennan, Jesse Lonergan, Jaeger O'Meara
Emerg: Jack Hutchins, Timmy Sumner, Daniel Gorringe

In: Bennell, Lonergan
Out: May (Hamstring), Hutchins (Omitted)

New: Lonergan

Milestone: Murphy - 100 games

Fremantle

B: Lee Spurr, Zac Dawson, Michael Johnson
HB: Garrick Ibbotson, Luke McPharlin, Clancee Pearce
C: Tendai Mzungu, Ryan Crowley, Nick Suban
HF: Michael Barlow, Chris Mayne, Hayden Ballantyne
F: Hayden Crozier, Jack Hannath, Michael Walters
Foll: Jonathon Griffin, Matt De Boer, David Mundy
Int: Danyle Pearce, Paul Duffield, Cameron Sutcliffe, Alex Silvagni
Emerg: Lachie Neale, Tom Sheridan, Tanner Smith

In: Duffield, Silvagni, Sutcliffe, Crozier
Out: Bradley (Knee), Hill (Quad), Fyfe (Suspension), Neale (Omitted)

Sydney Swans v Brisbane Lions, SCG, Sunday 1:10pm (EST)

Sydney Swans

B: Nick Malceski, Heath Grundy, Nick Smith
HB: Marty Mattner, Ted Richards, Jarrad McVeigh
C: Lewis Jetta, Ryan O'Keefe, Ben McGlynn
HF: Dan Hannebery, Sam Reid, Kieren Jack
F: Adam Goodes, Mike Pyke, Jude Bolton
Foll: Shane Mumford, Josh Kennedy, Luke Parker
Int: Tony Armstrong, Craig Bird, Jed Lamb, Mitch Morton, Dane Rampe, Tommy Walsh, Jesse White

In: Morton, White, Lamb, Walsh
Out: Everitt (Omitted)

New: Lamb

Milestone: McVeigh - 200 games

Brisbane Lions

B: Joel Patfull, Daniel Merrett, Ashley McGrath
HB: Elliot Yeo, Justin Clarke, Jed Adcock
C: Pearce Hanley, Tom Rockliff, Mitchell Golby
HF: James Polkinghorne, Jonathan Brown, Dayne Zorko
F: Sam Mayes, Matthew Leuenberger, Aaron Cornelius
Foll: Billy Longer, Brent Moloney, Jack Redden
Int: Josh Green, Rohan Bewick, Marco Paparone, Jordan Lisle, Andrew Raines, Ryan Lester, Jack Crisp

In: Hanley, Lisle, Lester, Crisp
Out: Docherty (Omitted)

Carlton v Melbourne, MCG, Sunday 3:20pm (EST)

Carlton

B: Chris Yarran, Michael Jamison, Lachie Henderson
HB: Zach Tuohy, Dennis Armfield, Simon White
C: Kane Lucas, Mitch Robinson, Kade Simpson
HF: Chris Judd, Andrew Walker, Jeff Garlett
F: Ed Curnow, Shaun Hampson, Jarrad Waite
Foll: Robert Warnock, Marc Murphy, Brock McLean
Int: David Ellard, Andrew Carrazzo, Eddie Betts, Tom Bell, Sam Rowe, Heath Scotland, Jaryd Cachia

In: Waite, Ellard, Cachia, Bell
Out: Gibbs (Hamstring)

Melbourne

B: Lynden Dunn, James Frawley, Dean Terlich
HB: Jack Grimes, Tom McDonald, Colin Garland
C: Jack Trengove, Jack Viney, Matt Jones
HF: Jeremy Howe, Colin Sylvia, Dean Kent
F: Rohan Bail, Max Gawn, Shannon Byrnes
Foll: Jake Spencer, Jordie McKenzie, Nathan Jones
Int: Sam Blease, James Strauss, Cameron Pedersen, Daniel Nicholson, Michael Evans, Luke Tapscott, Aaron Davey

In: Dunn, Strauss, Spencer, Viney, Kent, Nicholson
Out: Jamar (Groin), Rodan (Omitted), Watts (Hamstring)

New: Kent

West Coast v Western Bulldogs, Sunday 2:40pm (WST)

West Coast

B: Mitchell Brown, Darren Glass, Shannon Hurn
HB: Beau Waters, Eric Mackenzie, Sharrod Wellingham
C: Andrew Gaff, Matt Priddis, Bradd Dalziell
HF: Josh Hill, Jack Darling, Chris Masten
F: Nic Naitanui, Josh Kennedy, Mark LeCras
Foll: Dean Cox, Scott Selwood, Luke Shuey
Int: Will Schofield, Daniel Kerr, Ashton Hams, Ashley Smith, Jacob Brennan, Matt Rosa, Callum Sinclair

In: Rosa, Schofield, Wellingham, As.Smith, Naitanui
Out: Butler (Calf), Cripps (Omitted)

Western Bulldogs

B: Dale Morris, Jordan Roughead, Liam Picken
HB: Jason Johannisen, Mark Austin, Tom Young
C: Jack Macrae, Matthew Boyd, Adam Cooney
HF: Jake Stringer, Dylan Addison, Koby Stevens
F: Luke Dahlhaus, Liam Jones, Jason Tutt
Foll: Will Minson, Nick Lower, Tom Liberatore
Int: Lukas Markovic, Daniel Pearce, Patrick Veszpremi, Mitch Wallis, Clay Smith, Christian Howard, Daniel Cross

In: Addison, Markovic, Howard, Pearce
Out: Goodes (Suspension)

22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

NRL lacks depth, needs reserve comp

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Holden Cup ... a learning curve according to Fox Sports expert Brett Kimmorley. Source: Brett Costello / News Limited

Former Australian halfback Brett Kimmorley has called for the introduction of a national reserve grade competition along with the Under 20's to help bolster the quality of future NRL players.

Following an influx of English imports with more to arrive next season, many are concerned the Australian game is suffering from a lack of depth and the Canberra assistant coach says he has the solution.

"The Holden Cup is a great learning curve for clubs," Kimmorley said on NRL360. 

"You get a two or three years apprenticeship scheme before you have to invest big money into some of these kids. On record two or three of your players make it through to NRL anyway.

"Elite players get fast tracked anyway… the elite player is always going to make it.

"I think there should be a national reserve grade competition but you should still have your under 20's." 

Kimmorley suggested that the 'National reserve grade' competition would mirror the NRL while the NSW Cup and Intrust Super Cup in Queensland continue to satisfy the needs of top-tier country rugby league. 

"We're putting all these CEO's and administration in place in the NRL to make sure the game gets better in five years we need to make sure the talent is better in five years for the product to get more money as well," he said. 

"I think there is a massive drop from when they come out of the Under 20's and go into the NSW Cup/reserve grade format and they go back to park football, there's not a stepping stone to go through to the NRL." 

The discussion was sparked by the announcement that a group of English players were poised to join the competition while NRL clubs target more as potential recruits for next season and beyond. 

In the past only a few English players have succeeded in Australia but more and more players are deciding to test themselves in the NRL. While Kimmorley does not detest the English players' arrival he has questioned the Australian stock.

"The game is getting better over here," Kimmorley said. 

"The dollar over there isn't as great as it used to be… if you're talking $1 million, that would be a carrot a decent pommy would be willing to come to Australia (for) and test yourself for a small period of time. 

"I think the depth and the structure need to be changed in the whole NRL."

22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Dragons to throw Dugan lifeline

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Josh Dugan ... set to return to the NRL with St George Illawarra. Source: Brett Costello / News Limited

Controversial fullback Josh Dugan has been pulled from the NRL wilderness and thrown a one-year life line by St George Illawarra.

Dugan's manager, Paul Sutton, held talks with Dragons chief executive Peter Doust and recruitment manager Craig Young on Wednesday afternoon to finalise the details of the deal. 

NRL 360 host Paul Kent revealed the former Origin star is likely to announce the deal on Friday which will include a clause that he stays off social media.

Behavioural issues cost the 22-year-old his $700,000 a year contract at Canberra where he was in his third season of first grade in the nation's capital.

A social media outburst on instagram where Dugan sensationally told a Canberra fan to 'end themselves' saw Brisbane back out of a 2 million dollar deal but having apologised for the brain snap, attending counselling sessions and meetings with the NRL, he looks to have saved his career.

22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More