Hawks show Suns who’s boss

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THE gaping chasm between where the Gold Coast are and where they want to be was ruthlessly exposed by reigning premier Hawthorn at Metricon Stadium.

The ambitious Suns took the fight up to the Hawks early but the genuine star power of the flag favourites proved to be far too good, far too often as the visitors romped home in the second half to record a thumping 99-point thrashing.

HAWKS V SUNS: FULL STATS, SUPERCOACH POINTS AND MORE

When the game was briefly in the balance, it was Hawthorn's rolled-gold rockstars such as Jarryd Roughead, Cyril Rioli, Sam Mitchell and Shaun Burgoyne who put the pedal down and put the Suns fairly and squarely in their place.

Jordan Lewis crunches Gary Ablett in the first quarter. Picture: Darren England Source: News Corp Australia

The four premiership points were safely in the bag by midway through the third term as the champs reminded the contenders that they still owned the competition's ultimate knockout punch.

Hawthorn kicked the last 11 goals of the match to underline its vast superiority.

Ablett cops the full "unsociable Hawks" treatment. Picture: Darren England Source: News Corp Australia

Jack Gunston kicked five goals while Roughead added four as 12 Hawks players got among the goals. Mitchell finished with 35 disposals while Luke Hodge (32), Josh Gibson (31), Matthew Suckling (29) and Grant Birchall (27) also saw plenty of the Sherrin.

Gary Ablett had 36 disposals while David Swallow, Dion Prestia and Jaeger O'Meara also battled hard for the outclassed Suns.

Lewis bumps Ablett off the ball. Picture: Darren England Source: News Corp Australia

It will only be matter of time before the Suns are physically and mentally capable of matching superpowers like the Hawks for four quarters.

That time has not arrived yet.

But which team in the AFL is capable of matching Hawthorn's intoxicating blend of brilliance and brutality at the moment?

Steven May makes a flying spoil against Jarryd Roughead. Picture: Darren England. Source: News Corp Australia

Hawthorn emphatically stamped its authority on the contest with an imposing second term that set up a 33-point buffer at halftime.

The Suns did not trouble the scoreboard attendant until the 16th minute of the term when Ablett produced a trademark snap for goal such was Hawthorn's swarming pressure that forced the Gold Coast into costly turnovers.

The only other joy for the home side came through veteran midfielder Michael Rischitelli who goaled after a brilliant pick-up on the run.

Graphic by Champion Data Source: Supplied

Other than those two rays of light for the Suns, it was all Hawks who put the Gold Coast to the sword with scorching speed and skill.

Hawthorn punished every Suns error to the full extent with their big names to the fore.

Their ability to force a turnover, spread and ruthlessly hit the scoreboard was too much for the Suns who battled manfully but lacked the polish of the premiers.

Graphic by Champion Data Source: Supplied

It was a physically fierce opening term that also contained flashes of attacking flair from both sides.

Only a three-goal burst from the talented trio of Roughead, Rioli and Mitchell pit some space between the teams with the Hawks enjoying a two-goal advantage at the first change.

Cyril Rioli dumps Gold Coast star David Swallow. Picture: Darren England Source: News Corp Australia

Earlier in the day, Karmichael Hunt was forced out of the NEAFL match after a sickening head knock in the second quarter of the curtain-raiser against the Northern Territory Thunder.

Hunt was visibly dazed by the knock and had blood gushing out of his head. He required stitches and was sent home.

He was not required to go to hospital but his chances of earning a recall to the senior side next Sunday have all but been wiped out.

REPLAY OUR LIVE SUPER SATURDAY COVERAGE BELOW:

22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Barba prepares to feel the axe

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BESIEGED Broncos fullback Ben Barba says he is letting his teammates down and is facing the prospect of being dumped to the Queensland Cup.

In an honest critique following his side's heartbreaking 12-8 loss to the Titans, Barba says he is testing Brisbane's patience after his "terrible" showing in the Queensland derby.

The big-name import had a bitter-sweet Friday night at Cbus Super Stadium.

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Barba shaped as the hero when he produced a magnificent try-saving tackle on Mark Minichiello in the 65th minute, using his foot and hand to wedge the ball millimetres above the turf.

But nine minutes later, Barba was a shattered soul.

Allowing a high kick to bounce, Barba leapt in his in-goal to defuse it, only to be stripped of possession by Aidan Sezer, who duly scored the match-winner.

Given his outstanding effort on Minichiello, Barba deserved a better finale.

But the Broncos custodian wants no sympathy after taking responsibility for the Titans' great escape.

"It was terrible," a crestfallen Barba told The Sunday Mail. "I was happy with that (Minichiello tackle), but in saying that, I have one job in particular ... and that's to be safe under the high ball.

Ben Barba has had a difficult start to his career with the Broncos. Source: Getty Images

"To be honest, I have to find something soon or I could find myself playing Queensland Cup in the next few weeks."

Barba's opening six weeks have produced a mixed bag.

His first month was solid and featured some confident plays, laying on a four-pointer for Dale Copley against his former club the Bulldogs with a pinpoint grubber in round one.

He also produced a slick inside ball for a Matt Gillett try in Brisbane's crushing 36-20 round four win over the Dragons.

But in the past fortnight, Barba's confidence has taken a hit.

He was poor against Parramatta, and made three errors in the derby – the first in the 17th minute when he grassed a Titans bomb.

On the eve of the Titans clash, Barba approached coach Anthony Griffin seeking feedback on his game.

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Griffin has assured Barba he is happy with his contributions.

But without a try or line break in six games for his new club, the 2012 Dally M Medallist is not satisfied with his output.

"Personally, I feel I'm letting these boys down," he said.

"I've got to find something because I can't keep doing this every week.

"I'm disappointed, because these boys work so hard and I'm the one letting them down.

"I need to look at myself and turn it around."

Broncos prop Ben Hannant, who played alongside Barba at the Bulldogs, said the 24-year-old needed time to settle at Red Hill.

"He'll bounce back," Hannant said.

Ben Barba weighs up his options as he runs the ball against the Titans. Source: Getty Images

"He didn't have his best night (against the Titans), but he's a top-class player and we have every bit of confidence that he will find his form.

"It's a new club, new structures, it will take time for Benny. But look out when he does find his confidence and where he needs to be."

Brisbane enforcer Josh McGuire dismissed suggestions Barba's self-belief had been eroded.

"I don't think it's a confidence thing," he said.

"I think he lost sight of it (the high kick) and I wouldn't want to be back there trying to catch it.

"Barbs is having a tough time at the moment with all the criticism but the team is behind him 100 per cent.

"We're a tight-knit group here. If one guy is having a hard time, the whole team feels it and we have to get through it as a team.

"I have full faith in Ben. He is a freakish player. It was just a freak moment and hopefully he bounces back next week."

22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Origin farce keeps Semi from NSW

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RUGBY league's State of Origin eligibility rules have been shown up yet again to be a complete farce.

This time the victim is the game's most dynamic new personality player, Parramatta's barnstorming winger Semi Radradra.

The NRL has ruled that the Fijian flyer can play for Australia - but, inexplicably, not State of Origin.

This is despite the fact four high profile Fijians have already played Origin football – the great Petero Civoniceva, Jarryd Hayne, Lote Tuqiri and Akuila Uate.

Semi Radradra celebrates another try with teammates. Source: News Corp Australia

Under new guidelines for rep football, Radradra can nominate to play for Australia once he has lived in the country for three years.

Yet because he wasn't born in NSW or QLD and didn't live in either state before the age of 13, he can't play State of Origin.

The NRL's general manager of game development, Andrew Hill, insists there is no loophole that would allow the cult hero they call 'Semi Trailor' to play for NSW.

"Tightening up the eligibility rules was a move towards ensuring the state versus state, mate versus mate concept was protected," Hill said.

"The commission was very keen to ensure the concept of the State of Origin remained as a game between NSW and Queensland."

Yet this is the game that continually allows Macksville born, bred and raised Greg Inglis to play for QLD and any number of Kiwis and Pacific Islanders to play for the Blues or Maroons.

And the same game that sits back and allows superstars Sonny Bill Williams and Sam Burgess to walk out on the code because they are not allowed to play in the game's showpiece event of the year.

Greg Inglis was born and raised in NSW. Source: News Limited

Radradra is the NRL's leading try-scorer in 2014, proving virtually unstoppable on Parramatta's left-side wing, turning the trampling of opponents into an art form.

He averages nearly 120 metres a game, has made 26 tackle busts in five games and brings back memories of legendry Eels winger Eric Grothe.

Radradra comes from the tiny Fijian village of Somosomo and has been in Australia for less than two years.

He was first spotted by the Eels' recruitment team in a televised rugby union sevens tournament in Dubai.

At the moment he has nominated Fiji as his country of choice but can change at any time because his country is considered a second-tier rugby league nation.

Jarryd Hayne has played for both Fiji and NSW. Source: News Limited

There is no question he is already explosive enough to handle the extra pace and intensity or Origin football, although his positional play understandably still needs some work.

The Origin snubbing has a two-fold effect on this excitement machine.

He loses the opportunity to earn an extra $90,000-a-year in match payments and also cash in on the marketing and sponsorship benefits that come from Origin exposure.

Radradra is under contract to Parramatta until the end of next season but it hasn't stopped Japanese rugby clubs and rival NRL talent scouts from making enquiries.

Should Semi Radradra be allowed to play Origin?

22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Halftime report: How low can Blues go?

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MISS any of the highlights — or lowlights — of the round so far? Catch up on all the big talking points here.

HOW LOW CAN THEY GO?

CARLTON plunged further into despair on Saturday when the Blues became Melbourne's first victim of the season at the MCG.

It wasn't just the result, but the listless manner in which the Blues succumbed that would have infuriated Blues fans.

There was no spark, little fight and seemingly even less direction out on the field.

Remember the fallout last week following the 81-point belting to Essendon in Round 3?

The 23-point loss to Melbourne will have even greater impact across the footy world, with Mick Malthouse and skipper Marc Murphy — comprehensively beaten by Nathan Jones — certain to be in the firing line.

After the game Mick declared he won't be changing the game plan just because he's lost a few games, although he didn't mention this is the worst start to the season of his entire coaching career; in 29 seasons as senior coach he has never lost the first four matches.

Amid all the Blues bashing, let's stop for a moment to praise a great win for the Demons.

Nathan Jones led from the front, James Frawley has become a genuine threat up forward and Jack Watts even chimed in with a crucial goal. Handy timing when the bloke he is so often compared to finished the day in the sub vest (see below).

Carlton fans were irate after the loss to the Dees. Picture: Colleen Petch

BUT THERE IS SOME GOOD NEWS

While things on-field might not be going so great for the Blues, there was some interesting — and potentially exciting news — for footy fans yesterday.

Carlton chief Greg Swann said he expected his club would play an AFL match for premiership points on Good Friday next year .

"Lock it in," Swann told Triple M radio on Saturday.

Swann said the two teams had been working with the AFL for several seasons to organise a 4.30pm Good Friday match, after which the two captains and coaches would hand over a cheque to the Royal Children's Hospital during the televised Good Friday Appeal.

"We nearly got (the match) up two, maybe three seasons ago before Andrew Demetriou put the kibosh on it," Swann said.

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CAFF PUTS THE CUFFS ON COTCHIN

How far can taggers go?

The subject is back on the AFL agenda after Brent Macaffer's superb — or disgraceful, depending on your point of view — stopping job on Richmond captain Trent Cotchin on Friday night.

The debate over Macaffer's negating tactics continued on Saturday with AFL umpires coach Hayden Kennedy saying he didn't like what he saw at the MCG, and Demon Nathan Jones taking the scalp of Marc Murphy with similar tactics.

Did you see anything wrong with the tactics Brent Macaffer employed against Trent Cotchin?

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I AM SAM ... AND SO IS HE

Two new boys stepped on to the AFL stage this weekend after battling their way to the top, and both had an instant impact.

Sam Lloyd provided some rare highlights for Tiger fans on Friday night with three goals on debut, and Sam Gray followed in his footsteps on Saturday.

Lloyd played with Deniliquin (in country NSW), Mt Eliza (on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula) and Frankston in the VFL before landing at the Tigers.

Gray trained with the Power before the 2012 rookie draft but didn't make the cut, so he went back to the SANFL and won the best-and-fairest for the Port Magpies then earned a second chance in last year's rookie draft.

Promoted to the senior list, he was named for his debut against Brisbane and, like Lloyd, he also booted three goals. But the result for his team was a lot more favourable, with the Power smashing the Lions by 113 points.

The pair have something else in common — they are both SuperCoach bargains. Gray is a $102,400 midfielder while Lloyd is a $117,300 forward.

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WEST COAST WANDERERS

Remember the heady days of two days ago when the Eagles topped the AFL ladder and were everyone's favourite top-four bolter?

At quarter-time at Simonds Stadium last night West Coast was taking it up to Geelong in what shaped as a genuine heavyweight bout.

After that the wheels fell off and might still be bouncing their way across the Nullarbor.

Geelong piled on 12 goals and the Eagles added ... none.

West Coast managed just seven behinds as the Cats recorded 113 more disposals, 30 more inside-50s and 79 more marks for the match.

Ten Geelong players scored 100 SuperCoach or more, West Coast's highest scorer was Elliot Yeo with 82.

With the injury list growing, are we seeing a repeat of 2013 or will the Eagles bounce back? Port Adelaide at home next Saturday will be big.

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COUNTDOWN TO EASTER MONDAY IS ON

As Geelong was flexing its muscles against West Coast, Hawthorn put another upstart in its place up north, smashing Gold Coast by 99 points.

It sets up a mouth-watering Easter Monday encounter next week with the two fierce rivals sitting first and second on the ladder.

After that clash only one side will remain unbeaten after five rounds.

The Hawks broke the Kennett curse in a dramatic preliminary final last year, a five-point win ending a streak of 11 straight losses to Geelong since the 2008 Grand Final.

We'll hear plenty about sides in trouble this week but it will be great to celebrate footy at its best. Keep next Monday free.

Nic Naitanui in the sub vest sums up West Coast's dismal night. Source: Getty Images

CANBERRA SAND TRAP

The Bulldogs and Giants looked like they were playing on a golf course when they squared off at Star Track Oval on Saturday.

The ground was covered with sand which was often kicked up as players dived, kicked and basically moved across the surface.

If the AFL is planning to look at the surface at ANZ Stadium (and we haven't seen any evidence they are), they can add Canberra to the inquiry.

The Dogs took the honours after a late rally with Liam Jones standing up when it mattered for the second week in a row. He's copped plenty of criticism in his 56-game career, has he finally made it?

Anyone for a game of beach cricket? Tom Scully bites the dust.

BURGER WITHOUT THE LOT

On top of a 113-point drubbing, Brisbane faces life without Matthew Leuenberger after the big man limped off Adelaide Oval with a leg injury.

The ruckman will have scans today and is expected to miss 4-6 weeks.

The Lions also lost playmaker Pearce Hanley to a hamstring injury, but the Lions hope it isn't serious.

Leuenberger played almost a half and finished with the forgettable stats sheet of two disposals, eight hitouts, five clangers and zero SuperCoach points.

It hasn't been a great weekend for ruckmen in SuperCoach, with Tom Hickey pulling out of the St Kilda squad on Friday and Shane Mumford a late withdrawal for GWS yesterday.

Let's hope Aaron Sandilands makes it through the Essendon game in one piece.

22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Hardwick: “Biggest hole we’ve been in”

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RICHMOND coach Damien Hardwick has struggled to hide his frustration over the treatment of Trent Cotchin after a loss to Collingwood thrust the Tigers into the "biggest hole we've been in".

Cotchin was ruthlessly tagged by Collingwood's Brent Macaffer and kept to just 13 disposals — his lowest return in four years — in the Tigers' 38-point defeat.

Asked about the tactics used to muzzle the influence of the Richmond captain, Hardwick shook his head and offered a wry smile.

GREAT SCOTT INSPIRES BRUTAL WIN

"He (Cotchin) is a better man than I am, put it that way," Hardwick said.

"There are some people (umpires) out there that give the protection. I'll be showing my players that's how you tag — he (Macaffer) did an outstanding job."

Brent Macaffer barely left the side of Trent Cotchin. Picture: Wayne Ludbey. Source: News Corp Australia

When it was suggested the umpires had gone too far in allowing contact, Hardwick said: "You're asking the wrong bloke.

"Take nothing away from Collingwood; they were outstanding, their pressure around the ball, their ability to win the scrimmages, they looked cleaner than us.

"I thought he tried his backside off, Trent ... but Macaffer did a very good job to keep him to 13 touches — that doesn't happen very often."

Debutant Sam Lloyd was a shining light for the Tigers. Picture: Wayne Ludbey. Source: News Corp Australia

Richmond now faces an uphill climb to play finals sitting 1-3, with matches against Brisbane Lions (away), Hawthorn and Geelong to come in the next three weeks.

"Yeah, I think it's the biggest hole we've been in. But that finds out a little bit about yourself. I think our character as a football side will be on show for the next month," Hardwick said.

"The season is still alive. It's going to be a very close competition this year. Our guys can play, make no mistake, we've just got to find our mojo and get our boys back up and going."

Dan Jackson is wrapped in a tackle by Dane Swan. Picture: Alex Coppel. Source: News Corp Australia

Hardwick said he expected he and the club to come under heavy criticism this week.

"That's the harsh reality of our world, it's all part and parcel of it. The blowtorch will come, good luck," he said.

"I don't worry about it, it is what it is. We know where we're at and that we've got to get better.

"We've got to get better. That's what is going to drive this club forward. We've got to keep persevering, keep demanding more of each other and keep putting more on the line to get where we want to go.

"We are well short of what we're capable of."

22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Buckley: What about Trav?

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COLLINGWOOD coach Nathan Buckley last night questioned the umpire's treatment of his key forward Travis Cloke who had another miserable night under the MCG lights.

Buckley said he believed there were a couple of sets of rules "out there at the moment" and Cloke was getting umpired to one set and everyone else to another.

"But he has to fight through that and I thought he stuck to his task," Buckley said.

Asked whether the rule changes were supposed to suit Cloke.

"It wasn't meant for him.

GREAT SCOTT INSPIRES BRUTAL WIN

"In the end the umpire is the umpire and it's a tough job and they make some blues and we make some blues, players make some blues. Cloke has just got to push through it."

Travis Cloke was held goalless in game 200. Picture: Alex Coppel. Source: News Corp Australia

Celebrating his 200th game, Cloke again failed to kick a goal for the third time this season.

He has kicked just two goals for the season _ in one game.

Despite the ball going into Collingwood's forward 50m zone 52 times, Cloke finished the game with just two behinds in his team's impressive victory over Richmond.

Buckley said it wasn't a night for big, mark forwards, but he rated Cloke's work rate as consistent.

The Magpie coach also singled out Brent Macaffer for special treatment as the forward turned star tagger claimed another big scalp. This time he restricted Richmond captain Trent Cotchin to just 13 disposals.

He said he is just getting better in his new role and said he hadn't used a tagger in the past because the team didn't have one.

"Now we do," Buckley said.

Brent Macaffer limited Trent Cotchin to 13 disposals Picture: Wayne Ludbey. Source: News Corp Australia

He said Macaffer was at the crossroads at the end of 2011 and he sat down with him and they had a heart-to-heart.

"I had coached him as a forward coach through 2010 and saw what he was capable of and I thought he'd just dropped off a little in his professionalism through 2011 and he wasn't favoured and didn't play as much footy.

"But he has made a real shift and a decision that he wants to take his profession as far as he possibly can."

Buckley said Macaffer wrote of the 2012 season after injuring his knee in the NAB Cup.

He said his concentration to stick to his task against the league's best ball winners had been huge.

"And he is getting better and better at it game by game," Buckley said.

"So it's a strength of his character which is getting it done and his commitment to his craft. He is a good footballer but he has now seen something he can own and something that he can contribute to team with and he is running with it."

Buckley was also happy with the improved performance of Dane Swan and said he'd spoken to him during the week about some KPIs he had to produced when the ball wasn't in his hands.

"And he met them tonight and that was the most impressive thing about his performance," he said.

Buckley said the win was another step forward.

22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ruthless Macaffer blankets Cotchin

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WE'RE told Brent Macaffer is a footy connoisseur. He watches it, listens to it and reads about it.

So we can only assume he will enjoy his diet of football coverage over the coming days because his performance last night was an enormous factor in Collingwood's win over Richmond.

GREAT SCOTT INSPIRES BRUTAL WIN

In a ruthlessly hard tag, Macaffer restricted Trent Cotchin to a paltry 13 disposals at 46 per cent efficiency. It was a complete a negating job as you're likely to see this year.

Brent Macaffer brings Trent Cotchin to the ground. Picture: Wayne Ludbey. Source: News Corp Australia

Macaffer pushed, shoved, bumped and had an arm thrust across Cotchin for every painstaking minute the Richmond captain was on the field.

People can question the ethics of Macaffer's role — not looking at the ball and showing total negativity — but he rarely strayed into illegal territory. When he did he was penalised, and Cotchin received four free kicks.

No, this was an incredible display of concentration and discipline against a player who had racked up 38, 25 and 28 possessions in Richmond's opening three rounds.

Cotchin trudged off the MCG last night with his lowest disposal tally since Round 16, 2010.

Macaffer is not new to the so-called dark arts. He was a forward in Collingwood's 2010 premiership side, but his transformation from injured attacker to shutdown specialist was completed last year.

Dane Swan, Brent Macaffer and Harry Lumumba sing the song. Photo by Quinn Rooney Source: Getty Images

The man from seaside town of Kilcunda made waves when he muzzled Nick Dal Santo in Round 6. He then went on to silence some of the game's greats in a season that saw him recognised with a sixth-place finish in Collingwood's Copeland Trophy.

Nearly 12 months on he would arguably be the second-best tagger in the caper behind Ryan Crowley. But unlike the Fremantle antagonist, there appeared to be no verbal and little, if any, behind-the-play niggle.

Cotchin is one of the game's great workers, but by half-time he appeared to have almost lost the will to run. You didn't have to be a body language expert to see he was in a dark place.

Dustin Martin briefly tried to block for his mate, Dan Jackson had a brief crack at Macaffer and Shaun Grigg offered a snippet of resistance. Cotchin went to a rampant Scott Pendlebury in an attempt to escape Macaffer's suffocation and he had a spell at full-forward, too.

None of it worked.

Then, late in the third term Macaffer took Cotchin to full-back to further salt the wound. No Richmond player went to relieve their skipper of the burden, but that's a whole other story.

22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Impassable Souths set defence record

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For 63 minutes South Sydney were perfect.

Ignore the flood of fumbles that are inevitable on foul nights like these. Defence wins out in a deluge and for over an hour the Rabbitohs could not be faulted, nor breached.

In an incredible statistic that's unlikely to be repeated this season, Souths did not miss a tackle until their count stood at 262 midway through the second half. By full-time they'd missed just five tackles and made 316.

Click on the live scores panel at the top of this page for game details and key stats.

While the count will be rechecked, the provisional results are an NRL record according to Fox Sports. The previous best is eight missed tackles, by Cronulla last season and North Queensland in their Round Four loss to Gold Coast.

While Nathan Merritt broke the club record for most tries, this was a team record that should live equally long in the foundation club's memory.

It came just days after the team met to discuss their resolve, following last weekend's much-needed win over St George Illawarra.

"We just spoke about ripping in and not leaving any energy in the tank," skipper John Sutton said.

Record breaker Nathan Merritt. Picture: Brett Costello Source: News Corp Australia

"We just wanted to concentrate on making one tackle at a time. It was a great effort."

Watching history unfold in the dry comfort of the visiting coach's box, Michael Maguire was aware his team had completed 184 tackles — 60 more than their opponents — without a blemish in the first half.

"The boys spoke about it during the week and wanted to stand tight together," he said.

"We went through that hard period (losing three games in a row), that we probably didn't want. The first half defensive performance was excellent."

To earn a 2-all deadlock at the break, it needed to be. The heavens might have opened with a vengeance five minutes before kick-off, but there were simply no leaks in South Sydney's defence as Penrith enjoyed a glut of goal line possession in the first 40 minutes.

Heavy rain hits Sportingbet Stadium. Picture: Brett Costello Source: News Corp Australia

By half-time South Sydney's entire starting pack — with the exception of David Tyrell — had each made 20 tackles. By full-time Ben Te'o topped the count with 41, followed Burgess brothers Sam (37) and George (35) to complete a memorable team effort.

Panthers coach Ivan Cleary felt his team were "unlucky" to dominate while the conditions were most hostile, but was nevertheless compelled to acknowledge the opposition.

"Hat's off to them," Cleary said. "It doesn't matter who you are playing against, to do that against any opposition is impressive."

The only time Souths line was genuinely threatened arrived with the result just about sealed in the 67th minute, when rookie winger Dallin Watene-Zelenziak dropped the ball with the stripe at his mercy.

Dylan Walker on the attack. Source: Getty Images

By that stage Souths were 12-2 leaders, following tries to debutante centre Kirisome Avua'a and Merritt's history-maker within 15 minutes of the resumption. Another try of note — rookie forward Kyle Turner's first in the NRL — capped a marvellous night for the visitors with nine minutes remaining.

With his new recruits still forming combinations, Cleary was still encouraged. His only regret was a decision to level the scores with a penalty goal shortly before half-time — an effective concession of South Sydney's defensive dominance.

Kyle Turner scores for the Rabbitohs. Picture: Brett Costello Source: News Corp Australia

"I didn't think we deserved to lose by that much," Cleary said. "For big chunks of the game, we gave ourselves a chance to win.

"The conditions played a part in the first half. The second half we were behind, and it was probably our lack of time together that played a part."

SOUTH SYDNEY 18 (K Auva'a N Merritt K Turner tries A Reynolds 3 goals) bt PENRITH 2 (J Soward goal) at Sportingbet Stadium. Referee: Ashley Klein, Adam Gee. Crowd: 11,674.

Re-live our live coverage of Friday night footy here.

22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Anderson: no room for Choc in top 10

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AS his career fades and hopefully his voice, it's time to reflect on where Anthony "The Man" Mundine sits in the pantheon of Australian boxers.

We will rate him over the past 50 years, which excludes pugilists such as Jimmy Carruthers, Les Darcy, Young Griffo, Vic Patrick and Dave Sands.

Anthony Mundine and Joshua Clottey both land snapping jabs during their bout. Source: News Corp Australia

Hopefully Mundine will now call it quits, 14 years after he knocked out Gerrard Zohs in his 2000 debut in front of an assortment of celebrities and spivs at the Sydney Entertainment Centre.

He deserves huge credit for becoming an elite performer in two sports, rugby league and boxing. He wasn't the best in either, his mouth always overshadowing his skills.

One of the five times Mundine was put on the canvas by Clottey. Source: News Corp Australia

But the facts are he fought some good fighters and was only knocked out twice. His finest performance to my mind was a points loss to brutal Dane Mikkel Kessler in 2005, proving he belonged on the world stage.

After that loss he should have campaigned in the US instead of continually putting up patsies while attempting to convince everyone through his brash countenance that he would become a world champion.

Mundine lands a jab on Antwun Echols to win the vacant WBA super middleweight title in 2007. Source: News Limited

Sadly he never did win a fair dinkum world title, his belts coming from fights described as Interim World Titles, a confusing tactic used by boxing bodies to ensure more dollars.

Barry Michael, who was ringside for most of Mundine's career, believes he firmly belongs in the top 10 from 1964-2004.

I disagree, rating him in a group along with his father Tony, Danny Green and Daniel Geale just outside.

Is Anthony Mundine among our top 10 fighters of the past 50 years?

Kostya Tszyu delivers an overhand right that finds its target as he fights on the front foot. Source: News Limited

AUSTRALIA'S BEST BOXERS OF THE LAST 50 YEARS

I: Kostya Tszyu. His amateur career before turning professional, the quality of his opponents and the titles he held suggest Tszyu is our greatest boxer in that time period after he left Russia 23 years ago.

2: Jeff Fenech. I'm not convinced Fenech would have beaten any or all of Rose, Famechon, Michael and Ellis, but his overall record demands he sit second to Tszyu on this list.

3: Lionel Rose. Has there ever been a more natural boxer than Lionel? He was born to fight and at his peak in 1968-69 was among the finest pound for pound boxers in the world.

Johnny Famechon after successfully defending his world featherweight title in London. Source: News Corp Australia

4: Johnny Famechon. The artful dodger who personified the golden rule in boxing of to hit and not be hit. "Fammo" won his featherweight title when there weren't all the alphabet bodies.

5: Hector Thompson. To my mind the most underrated of any Australian boxer. Beat the best before losing to the best in Roberto Duran and Antonio Cervantes for world titles.

6: Barry Michael. If every world title was held in a phone booth, Michael would have been champion for a decade. Devastating body puncher who ate big punches for breakfast.

Vic Darchinyan strikes Shinsuke Yamanaka with a left hook during their title fight in Tokyo in 2012. Source: AFP

7: Vic Darchinyan. Never captured the Australian public and has campaigned largely in the US, but for quality of opponents and titles he has to rank highly.

8: Rocky Mattioli. A massive banger who knocked out the best to win his world light middleweight title. Not as scientific as some but had a hammer in both hands.

9: Lester Ellis. For sheer talent the Sunshine Comet ranks up with Rose and Tszyu. It probably all came too early him yet when he put it all together, Lester was a jet.

Jeff Harding returns home to Australia with his light heavyweight world title belt. Source: News Limited

10: Jeff Harding. Copped more punishment than any other Australian world champion, but for sheer toughness nobody betters him.

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How to watch the Tahs for 33 cents

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WHAT costs $5 million to put on the field but less than a postage stamp to watch?

The Waratahs, apparently, based on a new a ticketing deal being advertised on their website.

Under a new membership package tied to the Wallabies, a Combo 4-game deal gets you a ticket to the first Bledisloe Cup Test in Sydney and seats at any three Tahs home games for $90.

Eagle-eyed snouts point out, however, the Test ticket at ANZ Stadium — a bronze general admission — is priced at $89 on its own.

Doing the maths, this would break down to 33-cent tickets to see Izzy, Kurtley and the NSW team; representing either the best value in town or perhaps worries in Tahland about modest crowd figures.

To be fair, it must be said package deals are always the sum of discounted products, and in the wider sporting world, anything tends to go when it comes to boosting the total number of "members".

One rugby province was recently suspected of selling one-game memberships late in the season, although most draw the line at two games at the base-standard deal.

What can then follow is season memberships being counted several times as multiples of two; so an eight-game deal is counted as four members.

Some Australian clubs suspect this is the tactic of one rival currently boasting huge membership numbers.

And which high-profile Sydney NRL club that counts up to 1000 "Pet Memberships" (at $50-a-pop) in their annual tally? The pets would be furry, named Maximus and eat carrots, if that helps.

***

Usually Waratahs players can't wait to get their shirts off and go for a dip after a long training session of curls and bench-presses, but few were overly enthusiastic at a Perth beach on Thursday.

Just as the NSW squad were walking to the beach, they were told that lifeguards had spotted the biggest ever shark off the West Australian coast on Wednesday, estimated to be five metres. We reckon the shark steered clear as soon as it saw Will Skelton wading into the surf.

***

In a big loss for Australian rugby, former Wallabies prop Dan Palmer is set to retire at the age of 25 and pursue full-time studies.

Ex-Brumbies teammate Clyde Rathbone revealed the news in his column last weekend and inquiries of Palmer's management confirmed the 25-year-old plans to hang them up at the end of the current French season, where he plays for Grenoble.

A cerebral front rower (yes, they exist), Palmer is looking to study in the US or possibly at Oxford.

Former Brumbies prop Dan Palmer is set to retire. Source: News Limited

Ewen McKenzie is a big fan and will be disappointed to lose Palmer, after he first blooded him as a teenager for the Waratahs in 2008.

Palmer played one Test for the Wallabies against Scotland in 2012 and injury prevented more Tests that season. He was a rock of the Brumbies scrum last season.

It had been hoped Palmer would return to Australia and be a fixture in the Wallabies squad for years to come.

***

Don't be surprised to see Henry Speight training with the Wallabies well before the IRB officially allows him to play his first Test in September.

Under eligibility rules, Speight can't play a Test for Australia until September 11 because he had a short stint in New Zealand rugby at the end of 2011.

But there are no rules saying a player can't train with a national side before he is eligible to play, and Ewen McKenzie is not the type of coach who plans haphazardly.

If Speight continues to perform at his usual level when he returns from a broken jaw, McKenzie will have him in his squad learning plays and calls well before September.

***

The battleground that is TV rights negotiation tends to be a bloody arena, but the various combatants were holding fire this week after Bill Pulver's early "we want soccer's deal" salvo was fired last weekend.

Pulver wants the ARU to get their current $25m-a-year deal bumped up in 2016 to match the FFA's $40m-a-year deal from Fox Sports and SBS.

Rugby hopes to attract free-to-air interest and create "competitive tension" for their Wallabies and Super Rugby rights. It's understood Channel 10 are undecided if they'll beef up their current deal to screen Tests only, which they buy off Fox Sports.

The ARU are intent on a big result, and we hear Pulver has approached an insider to help them in the next negotiations. John Marquard, a former chief operating officer of both Fox Sports and Channel Ten, has been asked to consult for the ARU.

***

THE Brumbies success in recent years is starting to take a toll on the club's abilities to keep all its star players, and the vultures are circling.

A squad full of offcuts just a few years ago, the ACT squad is now chock full of Wallabies and up to 10 big-name players, including Christian Lealiifano, Scott Fardy, Jesse Mogg and Matt Toomua, are off-contract this year.

Jesse Mogg is one of several Brumbies players off-contract this year. Source: Getty Images

The word is out that with all the expanding salaries they will struggle to fit everyone under the salary cap next year, and clubs like the Rebels and the Force are keeping a very keen eye on proceedings. Melbourne desperately need a Test-quality playmaker and you'd assume they'd pay good money for either Lealiifano or Toomua. The Force need to build depth in a number of positions.

Stay tuned.

***

Congratulations to Western Australia and Victoria, who are the under 17 and under 15 Junior Gold Cup champions respectively after winning their finals last weekend.

The inaugural competition was a huge success, and showed the immense talent coming through in non-traditional rugby states.

Just so you can throw their name into a sideline conversation first, good judges say to keep an eye out for outstanding Victorian centre Sione Tuipulotu, WA's kicking five-eighth Nick Jooste and the Victorian backrowers Robert Loeta-Lu and Robert Valentini.

The Rebels and Force have their men in respective junior programs and tell us they don't intend on letting their next-gen talent go. League's financial lure — though mostly tiny — is a danger at this age but WA and Victoria being non-league states will help hold onto the promising teens, we're told.

***

The drums are beating from Europe that Digby Ioane is heading back to Australia next season. The question remains where?

The obvious destinations appear Melbourne or Queensland, but the mail from Mexico is the Rebels aren't interested.

Digby Ioane could be heading home to Australia. Source: News Limited

Ioane seemed to burn bridges at the Reds on his way out last year over a money dispute, although we're told relations have been mended and the door isn't closed.

With the Waratahs and Brumbies well-stocked for wingers, could Ioane even return to Perth, where he debuted for the Force in 2006?

***

Former Wallabies winger Damian Smith is lending his profile to a "Time to Move" campaign aimed at reducing the debilitating effects of arthritis that affects large numbers of Australia's huge sporting population.

Smith, who was diagnosed with osteo-arthritis after retiring from rugby, is encouraging the implementation of "neuro muscular" training for young kids as they begin to play sport. The techniques help youngsters develop muscular structures that help them avoid serious problems such as knee injuries later in their sporting pursuits.

Neuro-muscular training is used successfully overseas, and the rates of people developing knee injuries after major knee reconstructions (which numbers in the tens of thousands in Australia) were slashed by up to 60% in Norway.

''Time to Move'' is a national collaborative policy white paper spearheaded by Arthritis Australia.

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