CCTV: Billy the boxing Kangaroo

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IT'S nearly 3am on the streets of Manchester at the front of a popular nightclub.

Billy Slater is struck on the side of the head by an open-handed shove from a man who thinks Slater is queue-jumping.

The Australian fullback's retaliation, as shown in CCTV footage screened on Channel 7, is swift.

The star No. 1 throws a strong right hand punch, collecting the other man who instigated the incident.

The man then clashes heads heavily with a woman behind him.

She careers away and is comforted by onlookers. The grainy footage shows Slater is not punched by the 40-year-old as had been previously claimed.

WATCH VIDEO ABOVE

But team officials remain convinced that Slater was in the right.

"The first thing to remember here is the player is the victim," Australian team manager Gareth Holmes said.

"The second thing is that this is an eight-week tour and there are times when the players will be given the opportunity to go out and they deserve to be able to do that. We have great respect for our players and they respect their responsibilities."

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Police initially took Slater into custody but he was later released without charge - with police saying he was innocent of any wrongdoing.

Police spokesman Adrian Worsley said Slater had left the Mojo nightclub at about 2.40am and then returned to collect his jacket when another patron, who had been arguing with the doorman, struck Slater.

Slater didn't return to the team hotel until after 8am and spent the day resting while teammates attended a training session in the lead up to Saturday's knockout quarter final against the United States in Wales.

Billy Slater for the Kangaroos. Source: AFP

It's the second late night incident on this tour, with rookie forward Josh Papalii robbed on his first night in Manchester, allegedly by armed thieves after another night out drinking with teammates.

Slater yesterday refused to go into detail about what happened, but conceded the attack was a "wake up call" for all players.

"I think we have to be aware of the situations we find ourselves in," he said.

"I suppose it is probably a bit of a wake-up call for everyone when we do go out."

Slater said the first call he made after the incident was to his family back home to let them know he was not injured.

"That was my main priority, to make sure my family knew I was OK," he said.

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Asked if he could understand the criticism that players shouldn't be out drinking in the early hours of the morning while on tour at the World Cup, he said: "I can understand that perception too. We are over here for eight weeks and it is important to enjoy and celebrate your wins, but obviously you'd like to stay away from these situations."

The Mojo nightclub, where the incident took place. Source: Supplied

It is understood Slater will be available for Australia's World Cup quarter final against the US, but he said he hadn't contemplated if the incident could cost his place in the team.

Slater said he would not be pressing charges.

Asked to explain exactly what occurred, Slater said: "I'm not going to sit here and go through the finer details of the event

"I think it has been well documented and the police report has the facts in it.

"I'm disappointed that spotlight is on this and not the tournament and the games we've played.

"I just want to express my disappointment there and move forward."

Slater said his main priority after being released by police was ensuring his family back home knew he was okay, with his wife Nicole posting this message on Instagram:

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Slater and Roos to stay on booze

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THE Kangaroos won't be put on a booze ban despite the second early morning incident during this World Cup campaign.

Yesterday, team officials leapt to the defence of Billy Slater, who was the victim of an unprovoked attack at a Manchester nightclub on Sunday in the UK.

Police initially took Slater into custody but he was later released without charge - with police saying he was innocent of any wrongdoing.

Police spokesman Adrian Worsley said Slater had left the club at around 2.40am and then returned to collect his jacket when another patron, who had been allegedly arguing with the doorman, hit Slater.

Worsley said Slater then defended himself and struck the man hard enough to knock him backwards.

Slater didn't return to the team hotel yesterday until after 8am and spent the day resting while teammates attended a training session in the lead up to Saturday's knockout quarter final against the United States in Wales.

Rookie forward Josh Papalii was also robbed on his first night in Manchester, allegedly by armed thieves after another night out drinking with teammates.

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Slater last night refused to go into the exact details of what happened, but conceded the attack was a "wake up call" for all players.

"I think we have to be aware of the situations we find ourselves in," he said.

"I suppose it is probably a bit of a wake up call for everyone when we do go out.

"But I hope what happened last night doesn't jeopardise anyone else going out and having a good time because that is certainly what I don't want."

Australian team manager Gareth Holmes said: "The first thing to remember here is the player is the victim.

"The second thing is that this is an eight-week tour and there are times when the players will be given the opportunity to go out and they deserve to be able to that.

"We have great respect for our players and they respect their responsibilities."

The Mojo club, where the incident occured. Source: Supplied

Regardless, the attack on Slater occurred at 2.40am on Monday outside a Manchester nightclub.

Slater yesterday said the first call he made after the attack was to his family back home to let them know he was not injured.

"That was my main priority, to make sure my family knew I was okay," he said.

"It's pretty tough on them being over the other side of the world and hearing stuff like this.

"So that was my main priority, to make sure they knew I was okay."

Asked if he could understand the criticism that players shouldn't be out drinking in the early hours of the morning while on tour at the World Cup, he said: "I can understand that perception too.

"We are over here for eight weeks and it is important to enjoy and celebrate your wins but obviously you'd like to stay away from these situations."

CCTV footage of Billy Slater after the scuffle. Source: DailyTelegraph

Slater's wife Nicole posted an emotional message on Instagram where she said the king hit style attack could have "killed" her husband.

"Someone thought it was ok to punch my husband in the face, because he thought he pushed in line. If he had king hit him and killed him I would have to raise my 2 kids alone," she wrote.

"What has this world come to? I have already lost dad. Makes me sick. Think before u act, there is a family behind everyone. And your actions in that 2 sec can change people's lives 4 ever. This has to stop."

It is understood Slater will be available for Australia's World Cup quarter final against the United States on Saturday in Wales but he said at this point he hadn't contemplated if the incident could cost his place in the team.

He said he would not be pressing charges.

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Biggest Roo tour scandals revealed

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THERE was the time AC/DC once complained to management at a French hotel about the noise coming from the rooms of the Kangaroos. And the time Australian players rushed into a bar to fight the moody members of an English band.

The 3am dispute between a Manchester man and Billy Slater outside a nightclub is just one more instance in which off-field action on Australian Rugby League tours have been more newsworthy than what's happened in the Tests.

On the 1978 Kangaroo tour, a member of The Jam viciously glassed the face of Jim Caldwell, the team manager from Queensland, in a Leeds bar. Kangaroo Larry Corowa ran to defend the bloodied Caldwell, was punched from behind himself and raced into a nearby bar to get teammates to provide reinforcements for the brawl that ensued.

One member of The Jam landed in hospital with broken ribs and another was reported at the time to have been charged with assault.

Band ACDC on tour bus in 1976. Picture: Gary Graham Source: News Limited

Senior Australian manager Peter Moore told police that while he could guarantee the behaviour of his players for the rest of the night, he could not guarantee it the day after.

So what was left of The Jam were kicked out of their hotel rooms.

It's a source of wonder that footballers "get picked'' as often as they do. But some blokes just love to have something to boast about to their mates, don't they?

As the Kangaroos are in Manchester on this tour and not Leeds, a football city and not a rugby league one, there's every chance the galoot in the nightclub queue did not realise Slater was an international footballer who can handle himself.

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"You'd think because I'm 6 foot 3 and known for my aggression on the field that people wouldn't want to mess with me in public,'' marvelled Gorden Tallis, showing himself a man with a game plan in his book "Gordie's Tales''.

"(When I was a player, I'd say) if you're that tough, you should be getting paid for it instead of having a fight here. And then when you're getting paid (for playing league) I'll punch the shit out of you and can't be sued for it.

"No one ever did test that out. I've never been in a fight off the field.''

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While some of the most memorable Kangaroo tour stories over the years involve violence, some have none at all.

The mental picture of the members of AC/DC, purveyors of "Highway To Hell'' and all the rest, having their rest disturbed on a tour stop in the south of France by the racket from Aussie footballers in other rooms is one to savour.

From 1967, there was the "man in the bowler hat'' tale 1967 which was pinned on John Raper for 20 years until he wearied of it.

Ultimately Dennis Manteit admitted in an interview for Ian Heads' book The Kangaroos that while the most sensational part of the story was wrong - it was "ridiculous'' that anyone could walk down a town's street in a north of England winter wearing nothing but a bowler hat - he had taken part in a floor show at the hotel one night.

Heads wrote that Manteit wore a bowler hat, a team tie, an overcoat and nothing else, throwing the overcoat wide at the end of the act.

That was the tour Raper brought a jukebox into the hotel to create some fun. He also imported crates of beer for parties when the pub's prices got too high.

But at its end, the ARL docked each player a sum towards payment of a $700 bill for damage at their inadequate Yorkshire hotel, which had precisely two bathrooms.

John Raper with the Kangaroos. Source: News Limited

The 1990 Kangaroos racked up a total of $11,600 in hotel damages and a headline "Aussie Yobs Riot in Bar''. In his book, Ben Elias wrote one teammate "went crazy ... cornered the barman and clobbered him''.

In the 1980s, Kangaroo tourists would pool resources and buy a bomb to drive around during their visit. These were treated with such love and care that one on the 1982 tour was eventually good for nothing else than being pushed into a canal behind the team's Leeds hotel.

Police divers were summoned by a member of the public, alarmed that someone might be in the wreckage.

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Kiwis face big-bopper dilemma

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ONE stands 1.96m, weighs close to 130kg and goes by the nickname Dogzilla.

The other has been described as a wrecking ball.

The reality is that Kiwis coach Stephen Kearney will probably have to omit one from his team to face Scotland on Saturday morning.

It wasn't long ago that it was often a case of who to put in rather than who to leave out of the New Zealand side, but Kearney and assistant Ivan Cleary have some difficult decisions to make as the Kiwis head into the knockout phase of the World Cup.

The defending champions base a large part of their game around forward dominance and have arguably the best pack at the World Cup.

The biggest selection dilemma will be which world-class front-rower to leave out for their quarter-final in Leeds, assuming Kearney opts to go with his best playing 17.

Jared Waerea-Hargreaves is an automatic choice and Jesse Bromwich and Ben Matulino are also likely starters. That would mean either Sam Kasiano or Sam Moa being left out of the four-prop rotation.

Kasiano and Moa present compelling cases for inclusion for different reasons.

Sam Moa on the charge. Source: Getty Images

Kasiano, the only one of the five props to have played in all three games, is huge (officially 1.96m and 122kg but closer to 130kg) but also has soft hands and a good engine.

Dogzilla, as he's often referred to, is comfortable playing the ball at the line and has produced seven offloads at the World Cup.

Moa is a lot more compact (1.83m and 105kg) and very direct.

It's rare for him to produce an offload but he often provides a quick-play-the-ball, which is when hooker Issac Luke is at his most dangerous.

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Injured Messi out for two months

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LIONEL Messi has been ruled for out up to two months after tearing his hamstring in Barcelona's La Liga match against Real Betis on Sunday.

The Argentine international was replaced in the 19th minute of the 4-1 win over Betis at the Benito Vilamarin stadium, and Barcelona's club doctors revealed early Tuesday (AEST) that tests revealed a tear to his left leg.

"The club's medical services confirmed after tests this Monday morning that Leo Messi has a torn hamstring muscle in his left thigh and is expected to miss the next 6 to 8 weeks," Barcelona said in a statement.

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Messi has suffered three injuries already this season. The four-time World Player of the Year missed a week after bruising his thigh in the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup against Atletico Madrid against Atletico Madrid on August 21. The forward was also out for three weeks after a small muscle tear in his right thigh in the league match against Almeria on September 28.

Despite the injury setbacks and a four-game streak without scoring, Messi has still managed 14 goals in 16 matches this season.

After Sunday's match, Barcelona coach Gerardo Martino said Messi's injury troubles were not related and his absence could never be used as en excuse for the team to not perform.

"We have the best player in the world, but we also have four or five of the next six or seven best players in the world," Martino said. "Therefore, as a coach, the absence of Messi should never be used as an excuse for not winning.

"The injury to Messi doesn't have anything to do with the previous ones because it is in the other leg."

Despite losing Messi with the score still at 0-0, Barca cruised to victory as two goals in two minutes from Neymar and Pedro Rodriguez put them 2-0 up at the break.

The first phase of Messi's recovery will be covered in Barcelona, the club said, and he will then travel to Buenos Aires for further treatment.

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Smith not thinking about Sonny

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KANGAROOS captain Cameron Smith says Australia can't afford to worry about what the Kiwis and Sonny Bill Williams are doing at the World Cup as the two powerhouses of the tournament head towards an inevitable showdown.

The two heavyweight nations of international rugby league have once again been the standout performers over the opening pool matches and England appear to be the only other side capable of ruining the dream final.

The Kangaroos lost to the Kiwis in 2008 and again in the 2010 Four Nations and for many of the senior players in the Australian side this will be their final chance for revenge.

Australia will again go into this Saturday's quarter final against the United States at just about unbackable odds - but Smith was adamant the Kangaroos would not treat the Tomahawks with disrespect.

Sonny Bill Williams of New Zealand. Source: Getty Images

"The thing about this side is that we don't underestimate anybody we play," Smith said.

"Although we'll come in as red hot favourites against most teams, we don't underestimate any opposition we're playing against and we show the respect they deserve.

"I think that's the reason why we've played so well the last couple of weeks.

"It hasn't been the best of conditions that we've played in. We haven't really had a good track to play on.

"In Cardiff blokes were slipping all over the place. Last week and (against Ireland) was wet.

"But we've still played some pretty good football. We've controlled the ball really well.

"I think in all three matches we've had a completion rate in the 80s so we're just trying to build for the big matches.

"We want to continue what we've done in the last few weeks over the next few weeks."

And while everything looks to be heading towards a clash of the titans in the final at Old Trafford on November 30, Smith said the Kangaroos need to focus not on the Kiwis but improving their own game.

He said he had watched some of New Zealand's early pool performances and it was obvious Williams was their strike weapon - just like he was with the Roosters on their charge to premiership glory in the NRL.

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"We've seen a bit of the game against PNG. They played really well, they've got a great side," Smith said.

"They played strong and physical through the middle.

"Obviously they're trying to get the ball to Sonny Bill Williams as much as they can and he's done a fair bit of damage there.

"We're not too worried about them at the moment.

"If we meet them it's going to be in a grand final of this tournament so we'll just worry about getting ourselves right for this week.

"Everyone wants to be involved in the World Cup final so whoever we come up against, they'll be hungry and we can't get ahead of ourselves trying to think about New Zealand, if they're going to be there, how they're going to play, how we're going to play against them.

"We've just got to worry about who we're playing."

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Unsettled conditions all round

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ENGLAND'S Ashes preparation continues to be unsettled by injuries and the weather, with Kevin Pietersen needing to prove his fitness at training today.

If England's star performer cannot bat without discomfort in the nets this morning he will not be chosen for the last warm-up game, a four-day match against an invitation XI at the SCG starting tomorrow.

That would leave Pietersen with just 10 balls of match batting in the lead-up to the first Test at the Gabba, beginning on Thursday week.

He is not a certainty for the Test either after requiring a cortisone injection for a knee injury last Sunday in Melbourne.

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Wicket-keeper Matt Prior has already been ruled out of the tour match after scans revealed a low grade tear of his left calf suffered in last week's washed out match against Australia A in Hobart.

The England vice-captain has also spent limited time at the crease and will need to prove his fitness before playing in the Test.

Reserve wicket-keeper batsman Jonny Bairstow will replace Prior in this match,

Not only is England's side unsettled, the Cricket Australia invitation XI they will play has become a revolving door spinning off its axis.

West Australian Adam Voges will be ruled out today with a back injury, while spinner Steve O'Keefe has been called back into the NSW team to play the Sheffield Shield match against Queensland in Brisbane, beginning tomorrow.

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Earlier yesterday CA announced that Usman Khawaja had been released back to Queensland and Phil Hughes back to South Australia, in a swap for Callum Ferguson into the invitation XI.

NSW was going to lose exciting young batsman Nic Maddinson but he is also now in the Shield team.

Originally England was to play a NSW second XI but an angry England Cricket Board demanded greater competition so a gun batsman was summarily plucked from each state, turning the team into the CA capitulation XI.

Now half the original invitational players are unlikely to front.

And bad weather continues to follow England. After more than two days of the Australia A game were washed out, it has been pouring in Sydney since England arrived on Sunday.

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The tourists were forced to train indoors yesterday and the forecast is no better for today, but there is hope that the sun will return for the opening day of the match tomorrow.

England batsman Ian Bell described his team's injury situation as "not ideal."

"It's disappointing ... Matt is a key part of our success over the last few years and obviously we want him recovered as quick as possible.

"But there's still a bit of time. Matt has got himself in fantastic condition for this tour and he'll be very good with his rehab so we've got every faith that he'll be be fully fit for Brisbane."

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Wife feared the worst for Slater

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BILLY'S Slater's wife Nicole has defended her husband in the wake of a nightclub attack, saying the Kangaroos superstar could have been killed after being king hit.

Slater was detained by police in Manchester after the alleged attack in the early hours of Monday morning but he was later released without being charged.

A police spokesman said Slater was the victim of a king hit and that he only defended himself.

Slater's wife posted this emotional message on Instagram:

"Someone thought it was ok to punch my husband in the face, because he thought he pushed in line. If he had king hit him and killed him I would have to raise my 2 kids alone. What has this world come to? I have already lost dad. Makes me sick. Think before u act, there is a family behind everyone. And your actions in that 2 sec can change people's lives 4 ever. This has to stop."

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Manchester police confirmed Slater had done nothing wrong and was returning to the nightclub to collect his jacket when the attack occurred at about 2.40am.

It is understood Slater was talking to the doorman and the man behind him was having an argument with the staff member from Mojo's nightclub and then turned his attention on Slater.

The police spokesman said the man punched Slater in the face and it was only after that Slater defended himself, knocking the man backwards.

Police detained both men for several hours but Slater was released without being charged and was told he could press charges.

A police spokesman said: "One of the men threw a punch at the other, so the victim retaliated and punched him back in self-defence."

Slater did not return to the team motel until after 8am when he was taken via a back entrance to his room.

The Kangaroos team management would not comment on the incident but released a statement.

"After reviewing CCTV footage of a scuffle outside a Manchester nightclub, police have determined that Slater was the victim who then acted in self-defence and has informed him of his right to press charges," a spokesman said.

"Billy was returning to the venue to collect his jacket that he left behind when he was attacked."

The Kangaroos trained yesterday afternoon but Slater was given the afternoon off.

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Tigers prove point

The Melbourne Tigers' Mark Worthington can't stop the Hawks' Rhys Martin from driving to the basket. Source: George Salpigtidis / News Limited

THE Melbourne Tigers haven't had the league's leading scorer since Andrew Gaze was still doing his thing more than a decade ago.

Yesterday Chris Goulding again showed why he is the man to change that statistic.

After an indifferent start - his first points came from a three-point bomb on the quarter-time buzzer - the Tigers scoring machine flicked the switch and then when the game was on the line delivered to get his team home 81-76 against a dogged Wollongong Hawks.

Goulding finished with his first NBL double-double - 29 points and 12 rebounds - as the Tigers withstood a last quarter comeback to close out their third victory of the season.

While there were several other important contributions including 20 points from Mark Worthington, some improved output from Canadian centre Scott Morrison (12 points, eight rebounds and three blocks) and valuable defensive minutes from youngster Owen Odigie, it was two big plays from Goulding which decided the contest.

With less than two minutes to go the Tigers star drove to the basket, sucking two defenders to him before producing a brilliant no-look behind-the-head pass to Morrison for an easy dunk.

Then with 34 seconds to go and the lead only two points, Goulding wandered into the corner and despite defenders all over him nailed the winning jumper.

Hawks guard Rotnei Clarke, a former US college star with Butler University who led his team with 17 points, summed it up best afterwards: "He (Goulding) is a great player, he takes some tough shots and they go in."

Tigers coach Chris Anstey was happy to mention Goulding, who is averaging 26.6 points this season to lead the NBL in scoring, in the same sentence as Gaze afterwards.

"I don't think this club has had a scorer like him since Andrew Gaze," Anstey said. "That's what he is to us right now at the offensive end, you put the ball in his hands and he creates something.

"Even the bad shots he takes you still expect to go in, and when I say that, they are a bad shot for others but not for him."

It has already been a big year for the Tigers reigning MVP after a workout with NBA star Kyrie Irving earlier in the year led to an invite to the Cleveland Cavaliers' pre-summer league camp and then a spot on the team for its series in Las Vegas.

Worthington, who previously played with Goulding at the Gold Coast, afterwards praised the maturing of his teammate which the man himself admitted was a factor in overcoming his tardy start.

"It is something I have been working on," Goulding, 25, said. "I've realised over the last couple of years that it is a long game, 40 minutes is a long time.

"I think in my earlier years I would have got a bit antsy and tried to force it a little bit but the same thing happened in Adelaide (on Friday night) as well, personally I didn't get off to a great start but it's a long game.

"So I just had to stay in that mindset, try not to force it, take the opportunities when they come."

The victory over the Hawks, who now slip to 1-5, was important for the Tigers given they came up short, 90-87, to the Sixers in Adelaide on Friday night.

Anstey praised his charges for willing themselves over the line given they were once again hampered by injuries with Lucas Walker (illness) sitting out while Nate Tomlinson also battled through a stomach ailment.

"We needed a win, and we ground it out," he said.

The Tigers next game is against the Cairns Taipans on Saturday night at The Cage.

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Fawad's Test hopes take a spin

NSW duo Steve Smith and David Warner hit Sheffield Shield centuries in their clash with Victoria.

FAWAD Ahmed has bowled himself out of Test contention.

The leg-spinner was always going to be the gamble that Australia could not afford to take once Shane Watson broke down with a minor hamstring strain.

Watson will play in the first Test against England at Brisbane's Gabba next week as a batsman but will not bowl.

Fawad had a bad week of Sheffield Shield cricket for Victoria, reinforcing the view that he is simply too big a risk.

His elimination from the Test candidates leaves just one place in the team up for grabs.

It is a tight tussle between Tasmanians George Bailey and Alex Doolan which will be decided when the selectors finalise the side at a meeting in Brisbane tonight.

Bailey was a standout during the recent one-day series in India while Doolan has been in sublime form at the start of the first class summer.

As by far the most productive one-day batsman in the side since joining the 50-over team early last year, Bailey remains the favourite to collect a baggy green cap.

Fawad shot into Test calculations when he claimed 6-68 for Victoria in the Sheffield Shield match against Western Australia recently.

In his past three Shield innings, including two against NSW last week when he bowled to Test captain Michael Clarke and destructive opener David Warner, Fawad had collective figures of 1-166.

Worse than that, he has conceded more than four runs an over.

The only way Australia was going to take a punt on Fawad was if he continued taking bags of wickets and Watson was able to bowl as a fourth seamer.

But with only three front-line fast bowlers, including a sometimes wayward Mitchell Johnson, the selectors are not prepared to gamble with Fawad.

He may still play later in the series if he can begin claiming wickets again and Watson resumes bowling.

Nathan Lyon's start to the Shield season for NSW has been no more than steady but his accuracy will be vital to try and create pressure on England.

Leg-spinners have a better record at the Gabba than off-spinners in Test cricket, largely thanks to Shane Warne.

The game's greatest spinner claimed 68 wickets in 11 Tests at an average of 20, the most wickets ever taken at the Gabba by any Test bowler.

Richie Benaud is the next most successful leg-spinner with 23 wickets in five Tests at an average of 26.

However Lyon is one of just three off-spinners to claim more than eight wickets in a career at the Gabba. He has 11 at 24 in two Tests after a good first game against New Zealand.

The most successful off-spinner at the Gabba is actually West Indian Lance Gibbs, who once held the record for the most number of wickets in Test cricket.

He claimed 14 wickets in two Tests, while Ian Johnson took 12 wickets in six Tests.

Likely team: David Warner, Chris Rogers, Shane Watson, Michael Clarke (c), Steve Smith, George Bailey, Brad Haddin, Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle, Ryan Harris, Nathan Lyon. 12th James Faulkner or Ben Hilfenhaus.

Leg-spinners

Shane Warne - 11 tests - 68 wickets - average: 20 - best figures: 8-71

Richie Benaud - 5 tests - 23 wickets - average: 26 - best figures: 6-115

Doug Ring - 2 tests - 14 wickets - average: 19 - best figures: 6-72

Off-spinners

Lance Gibbs (WI) - 2 tests - 14 wickets - average: 23 - best figures: 5-8

Ian Johnson - 6 tests - 12 wickets - average: 20 - best figures: 3-46

Nathan Lyon - 2 tests - 11 wickets - average: 24 - best figures: 4-69

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