New rules for NAB cup

Five new rules have been announced by the AFL, and are to be trialled during the 2011 NAB Cup, including awarding a free kick against the last team to touch the ball before it crosses the boundary line.

Boundary umpires will also have the power to award free kicks for holding and high contact at stoppages, whilst video replays will be used to assist the goal umpires.

The rules to be trialled are:

- A player awarded a 50m penalty which takes him inside the 50m area can elect to kick from outside 50 for nine points or from inside 50 for six points

- The goal umpire can consult with the official scorer to determine the correct decision in situations where a video replay is immediately available

- Boundary umpires will be empowered to pay free kicks for holding and high contact at stoppages

- A free kick will be paid against player who drags or holds the ball under his opponent

- A free kick will be paid against the last player to touch the ball before it went out of bounds.

This last rule will apply for the first round of NAB Cup matches only when each of the 18 clubs will be broken up into six groups of three.

A free won't be paid if the umpire is unable to determine who touched the ball last, if the ball goes out of bounds from a spoil after a marking contest, or if the ball goes out of bounds as a result of a defensive smother to a kick or a handball.

Man in hospital following umpiring decision

A man was taken to hospital after an argument over an umpiring decision at Melbourne Park took a violent turn yesterday.

A 48 year old man was allegedly assaulted by a 51 year old man during a juniors tournament, prompting a call to Emergency services.

Police spokeswoman Sharna Roberts said officers were called to the spat about 4pm.

"As a result, one man was arrested and interviewed for assault-related matters", Ms Roberts said.

"He was released pending further inquiries".

Ms Roberts wouldn’t comment on what triggered the spat or whether a weapon was used.

Susannah Wilson, spokeswoman for Ambulance Victoria, said the 48 year old was left with bruising to his face, a cut to his nose and grazing on his knee and elbow

The spat occurred during a game at the 'December Showdown', a series of national junior titles being held at Melbourne Park.

The Good, The Bad and The...(14/12)

The Good – Peter Senior

Peter Senior has proved that "age is but a number" and shot his way into the record books, as one of the rare golfers to win tournaments across five decades.

At the second hole of a sudden death playoff on Hyatt Coolum's closing hole, the 51 year old toppled Australian Open champion Geoff Ogilvy to claim his third Australian PGA title.

The victory comes 21 years after Senior's first Australian Open triumph in 1989, and he seems to be enjoying his golf more than ever.

"Tom Watson proved that age is nothing when he nearly won the British Open (at 59), so we are really lucky that we play a long-life sport that we can get a lot of enjoyment out of".

Senior has now earned above $1 million in earnings for this year.

The Bad – Donald Sterling/Baron Davis

Baron Davis is used to being heckled, however, the recent jeers directed at the team’s struggling point guard are coming from a far more surprising source: The man paying Davis, Clippers owner Donald Sterling.

Sterling has expressed his displeasure about Davis’ play by taunting him from his courtside seat at Clippers’ home games, amongst Sterling’s verbal attacks:

“Why are you in the game?”, “Why did you take that shot?”, “You’re out of shape!”.

While Sterling has also taunted other Clippers players since the middle of last season, none have received it worse than Davis. Davis has missed 14 of the team’s 25 games this season and is only averaging 7.4 points, while making a team-high $13 million.

One member of the organization who wished to remain anonymous expressed disappointment in Sterling’s lack of support for Davis and the players.

“The owner of the team has to be the main supporter of the team and the staff”, the source said.

“And when the owner of the team isn’t supporting the players, it doesn’t give you confidence to play the way you want to. This guy is supposed to be on your side, not against you. You want someone who can support what you’re doing and be on your side”.

The … Streak – Brett Favre

Brett Favre will miss his first NFL start in more than 18 years as a strained throwing shoulder has sidelined the quarterback for today's game against the New York Giants.

Favre was listed on Minnesota's inactive list with an injury that snapped his National Football League record for consecutive starts at 297, dating back to September 20, 1992 with the Green Bay Packers.

The 41 year old Favre has fought through various injuries to get on the field throughout his illustrious career with the Packers, New York Jets and Vikings, but the three-time league MVP could not overcome the latest injury, suffered last week against the Buffalo Bills.

Opinion: Confusion reigns over Test team

Andrew Hilditch and his team of Australian test selectors are puzzling the nation one person at a time, and slowly killing interest in one of Australia's favourite past times.

Yesterday Andrew Hilditch announced the third test squad to a wall of silence, the media and public stunned.

Hilditch called back Ben Hilfenhaus and Mitchell Johnson into the squad, a step into the past, but looked to the future, with Steven Smith and unknown spinner Michael Beer joining the squad... the message ... still very unclear..

Are we looking forward, or clinging to the past?

In Mitchell Johnson's case, obviously his mental and bowling issues are now well and truly rectified, a full week after saying he wasn't ready for the stresses of test cricket.

The selection of Michael Beer is one for the future, and I praise them for that, but the reasons Hilditch gave for the selection confused me even more.

"Michael is a left-arm orthodox spinner who has been very impressive at domestic level this year. He took wickets against England in the tour match earlier this summer and we expect he will bowl very well against the English on his home ground".

But Hilditch's comments seemingly ignore the fact that the WACA has been Beer's home ground for only a few months, after he moved from Victoria during the off-season. He has played only THREE first class matches at the ground and in his five first class appearances, all of which have taken place this summer, he has 16 wickets at 39.93 with a best of 3 for 39.

Nathan Hauritz looks like Shane Warne in comparison.

The move smelt of desperation, just like the inclusion of Philip Hughes for the injured Simon Katich.

Hughes has had a horrible summer, averaging a mere 22 runs, and most recently made a combined four runs in his two innings against South Australia.

Why can't Michael Hussey open the batting (which he has done with great effect before), and bring in a David Hussey or a Shaun Marsh to provide some stability in our shaky middle order? Both are in terrific form, and the latter would certainly love the opportunity to bat in front of his home crowd.

As one cricket fan put it to me last night, "I'm just not interested anymore; they've just lost the plot".

Your Mate … (10/12)

Australian Cricket fans

A “Bring Back Warne” website (www.bringbackwarne.com) has been created and are taking donations from the public, which they will then present to Warne in order to entice him to return to test cricket.

Donations have already topped $4,000 but as “The Daily Telegraph” reported, a group of Queensland businessmen are said to tempt to Warne with a whopping $1 million carrot.

The concern for Australian cricket is that by using Warne to regenerate interest, they are not making it sustainable for the future. At some stage, cricket must identify new heroes to market and follow in the shadow of Shane, now matter how hard the job may seem.

What message does it send the rest of the team? Are we in that bad a state that we have to call on a 41 year old who hasn't bowled in a creditable match since 2007?

This would be nothing more than a sideshow distraction, a marketing ploy, attempting to ease the decline of arguably the greatest cricketing team ever seen.

It's time for the Australian media and Australian sporting fans to stop clinging to the past and embrace the future of cricket in this country.


Anthony Mundine

In what may be the first of many appearances for ‘The Man’ in this column, Anthony Mundine may have just been served his first reality check.

Anthony Mundine was planning to head to the US with bigger plans in mind, but after suffering a shock fifth round knockout at the hands of little known Garth Wood in their middleweight bout on Wednesday night, those US dreams are shot.

In typical Mundine fashion before the bout he spruiked, “Kessler couldn't do it (knock Mundine out), Green couldn't do it… he (Wood) ain't got it”, but Wood did knock Mundine out, maybe finally knocking some sense into him...

...maybe...

Mundine had planned to use this fight, Wood's reward for winning 'The Contender' television series, as his final stepping stone before heading overseas, but admitted everything was now up in the air after Wood left him sprawling on the canvas 58 seconds into the fifth round.

Maybe this fight proved it's time for Mundine to hang up the gloves and close his mouth, because 'The Man has finally become 'The Myth'.

History made at European Golf awards

Graeme McDowell and Martin Kaymer have been voted joint winners of the 2010 European Tour Golfer of the Year award, the first time the prize has been shared in its 26 year history.

McDowell and Kaymer both won their first major titles during the 2010 season, with McDowell winning at the US Open and Kaymer at the US PGA. The pair also both won four times during the season, and were members of the victorious European Ryder Cup side.

McDowell, who on Sunday beat Tiger Woods in a play-off for the 'World Challenge title', commented; "I am truly humbled to accept this coveted award",

"It is the icing on the cake on what has been a very special year for myself, Martin and everyone involved in European golf".

Kaymer, who also this year topped the coveted 'Race to Dubai' money list said; "This has been a truly great year for me and winning this award is the perfect ending",

"I am always trying to follow in Bernhard Langer's footsteps and to see that I have now won an award that he was the first to win back in 1985 is very satisfying indeed".

1977 Ashes legends square off

Ashes legends Ian Chappell and Ian Botham have been involved in an altercation outside the Adelaide Oval according to reports.

The 'Sydney Morning Herald' reports Botham reacted angrily as Chappell directed a jibe at him follow Australia's crushing second Test defeat at the hands of England.

The knighted Englishman and Chappell had to be separated after clashing in the car park of the Adelaide Oval.

"It could have got very nasty if there hadn't been people on hand to keep them apart", said a Channel Nine source who spoke to English newspaper 'The Mail'.

The pair have been at odds ever since 1977 when they clashed at a pub after words were exchanged.

The Good, The Bad and The...(06/12)

The Good – Serbia

World number three Novak Djokovic and under rated youngster Viktor Troicki swept Serbia to an historic first Davis Cup title, overturning an overnight deficit to beat nine-time winners France 3-2.

Troicki, the world number 30, eased past Michael Llodra in straight sets, after Djokovic had crushed Gael Monfils in similar fashion.

"It's the best moment of my life", said Troicki, who had lost Saturday's doubles alongside Nenad Zimonjic to Llodra and Arnaud Clement, forcing his team to face a nail biting last day.

Djokovic has been in scintillating form in the Davis Cup this year, winning all six of his ties.

The Bad - Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods just can’t catch a break at the moment. After dealing with a scandal that threw his personal life into turmoil, Woods still hasn't won a tournament since the 2009 Australian Masters.

Tiger had his chance in the recent ‘World Challenge Tournament’, where he headed into the final round with a four shot lead. It seemed Tiger had the tournament at his mercy, but after three-putting on two of the first three holes, trouble once again circled the former world number one.

Capitalising on a nervy Woods, Graeme McDowell pushed the tournament into a playoff, and defeated Woods on the first hole. The defeat marked the first time in his professional career that Woods has lost a tournament when he led by three or more shots after 54 holes.

As the tournaments pass, Tiger's once magical touch seems to be unraveling, but hopefully for all sports fans this is a merely a small bump in what has been a stellar career.

The…Horrible Idea – The FFA

With our nation still grieving over the loss of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar, we are seeking people to blame, and in this instance an animated kangaroo is the target.


In defence of Frank Lowy and the FFA bid team, they were clearly playing to what they thought were Australia's strengths; a beautiful country with a rich, multicultural population with a history based on running with kangaroos and catching crocodiles.

The animated kangaroo was cute, and was a good mechanism to showing off the country, but it also appeared to be slightly childish and not something appealing to a board of senior citizens.

What the bid seemed to leave out in everything were the Australian people. Nothing could promote Australia as a nation better than us.

In what was a rather dated pitch, appearances by Elle McPherson and Paul Hogan showed Australia as being still stuck in the past with nothing fresh and new to offer.

Hopefully the FFA have learnt a big lesson from this failed pitch, and the next time we throw our hat in the ring, we can truly showcase the passionate and loving country we truly are.

Rising star under investigation

Rugby League's betting scandal continues to grow, with a rising star being drawn into investigations after being captured placing a bet on a contentious match earlier this year.

Brad Murray, 20, played for the Sydney Roosters last season before joining the Parramatta Eels, where he will play for the next three years.


Murray has been touted as being the Eels starting halfback next season, and is the second rugby league figure to be caught on CCTV placing a highly irregular bet on the match.

The game involving the Canterbury Bulldogs and the North Queensland Cowboys has suspicious activity involving a penalty goal being the first scoring option.

Murray placed his bet on the game at 1pm on August 19 in a Flemington hotel on Parramatta Rd.

Over the next two days an unusual number of similar bets were placed with punters standing to win more than $250,000.

"We didn't go into the specifics but, yes, I have spoken to Brad", said Parramatta chief executive Paul Osborne.

"It is a difficult time for him and his family but I've encouraged him to fully co-operate with police".

Johnson dropped for 2nd test

Mitchell Johnson will aim to straighten out the problems with both his head and his bowling action, after being dropped from the Australian Test team for the first time.

At a sombre press conference Johnson vowed to fight his way back into the team.

"It's not the end of the world", he said, sitting next to Australian coach Tim Nielsen, "I've come back from stress fractures when I was younger".

After not taking a wicket in Brisbane, Johnson said he was looking forward to getting away from the hype of the Ashes series and attempt to rebuild, whilst remaining on the fringes of the Australian squad as he is counseled by Nielsen and bowling coach Troy Cooley

After leading the bowling attack for the past two years, Johnson will watch as Peter Siddle and either Ben Hilfenhaus, Doug Bollinger or Ryan Harris start in Adelaide.

The second test begins tomorrow, with the series tied at 0-0.

Transgender players welcomed in the LPGA

The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour commissioner Michael Whan has confirmed that a requirement for players to be "female at birth" will be removed from the LPGA constitution.

Whan said players voted on Tuesday night to make the change, and the change will be finalised in the coming weeks which opens the door to transgender players playing in the 2011 season.

A federal lawsuit filed last October in San Francisco by Lana Lawless, a 57 year old American who underwent a sex change operation five years ago to become a woman, prompted the move.

Lawless was seeking a ban on LPGA events in the state of California until the state changed the law, claiming the "female at birth" requirement violated California's civil rights laws

The LPGA's first major championship every season is the multi million dollar 'Kraft Nabisco Championship', which is staged in California.

World Cup plans falling apart?

Australia's 2022 World Cup bid may be over, after suspended Oceania chief Reynald Temarii rejected FIFA conditions to allow his replacement to participate.


FIFA had said acting Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) president David Chung could only replace Temarii on the voting panel for the decision, if the Tahitian waived his right to appeal his one year ban.

Temarii has vowed to press on with his appeal against the FIFA ban for ethics violations however, saying he's yet to even be told exactly what he's been punished for.

The OFC representative had been mandated to vote for Australia to get the 2022 tournament but Chung confirmed the region will now not participate in the vote.

Chung confirmed in a statement that, "The OFC will not have a voice at the voting table in Zurich on December 2".

Frank Lowy, who is heading Australia's bid, is now not overly confident heading into the decision, but is hopeful Australia gets a just result.

"We are just at work doing our best to make sure that as many friends as we can have on the executive committee will be voting for us".

The decision will be made at approximately 2:00 am (AEST) Friday morning.

Third times a charm for Rodan

Port Adelaide has confirmed that midfielder David Rodan has had LARS surgery for a second time in a year on his problematic left knee.

The 27 year old midfielder injured his knee at a training session on Friday and an arthroscope later revealed that the original LARS ligament was frayed.


Rodan had his initial surgery at the same time last year and returned just four months after the dramatic procedure.

The Power say they expect Rodan to undertake a similar rehabilitation program to last season where he was able to play 19 matches during the 2010 season.

This was Rodan's third major knee operation after having a reconstruction on his right knee during his time with Richmond.

Former Carlton forward Brad Fisher and Sydney defender Nic Malceski are others to use the LARS surgery to speed up the recovery process.

The Good, The Bad and The...(29/11)

The Good – Dan Carter

New Zealand ‘All blacks’ five-eighth Dan Carter has surpassed Jonny Wilkinson’s test record of 1178 points, as New Zealand beat Wales 37-25.


Carter now holds the record for most Super Rugby points, most International points and the highest point average per test (15.1).

Since his international debut in 2003, New Zealand has only lost a total of nine games, showing Carter’s enormous impact on games. This latest honour is certainly well deserved.

The Bad – Floyd Landis

Disgraced cyclist Floyd Landis has placed doubt on reigning Tour de France champion Alberto Contador's claims that a positive test for clenbuterol was down to contaminated meat.


And the American, speaking on German television on Sunday, claimed that world cycling chiefs have protected top riders from the scandal of positive doping tests for the past 20 years, including serious allegations involving Lance Armstrong.

Landis knows a thing or two about doping, He was stripped of the 2006 Tour de France crown after a positive test for testosterone, and despite denying doping for four years he finally confessed several months ago.

So can we really trust this man…?

The … Rivalry - Federer Vs Nadal

Possibly the biggest rivalry in current sport is Roger Federer Vs Rafael Nadal, with another chapter being added this morning at the season ending World Tour Finals.


The winners of 21 of the past 23 majors squared off for bragging rights ahead of the 2011 season, with Federer defeating World number 1 Nadal 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 in a great contest.

The win was especially significant for Federer, given he had lost six of his previous seven encounters against the reigning French, Wimbledon and US champion Nadal.

They have now clashed 22 times, with Nadal leading the ledger 14-8. The rivalry seems to only just be beginning, and hopefully for Tennis fans, it maintains it's intensity and excitement.

It's not over, till it's over!

In one of the more bizarre cricket matches, South Australia has defeated Tasmania after making only 55 runs in their first innings.

After batting first, Tasmania set a modest first innings target of 251, but claimed a huge first innings lead of 196 after James Faulkner claimed the remarkable figures of 5 for 5. The South Australian team were in diabolical form, with 55 being their 3rd lowest score of all time.

Tasmanian captain George Bailey then smartly (or so it seemed) enforced the follow on and this is where the South Australian fight back began.

Aiden Blizzard struck his second century of the season belting 115 and Daniel Christian's blazing 93 helped the Redbacks set the Tigers a target of 221.

Fast bowler Rob Cassell then destroyed the local top order to leave Tasmania at 4 for 15 in their chase. George Bailey and James Faulkner (44) resurrected the Tasmanian innings in a match that had more twists and turns than the ongoing Gabba Test.

By stumps on day three, Bailey was on 77, with Luke Butterworth on 12, and at 5 for 144 the Tigers needed a further 77 runs for victory.

Bailey looked like being Tasmania's great white hope, but after being dismissed with the first ball of the day, the Tasmanian camp were in shock. Half an hour was all it took to take the remaining five wickets of the hosts as Peter George sounded a warning to the struggling Mitchell Johnson claiming the last four wickets of the Tasmanian innings, as they were bundled out for 177.

With 20/20 matches being touted as the future, surely this particular game is enough to suggest that Test cricket is needed. The drama that unfolds over the four or five days cannot be matched, and the game isn't over until the last ball is bowled.

'Your mate..' (26/11)

Whether it be a brain explosion, an egotistical tirade or a drunken escapade, 'Your mate..' presents this weeks stranger moments in sport..

Sorin Cartu

Romanian champions Cluj announced on Thursday the sacking of coach Sorin Cartu after he kicked down the visiting team dugout during the Champions League match at Basel.

He repeatedly kicked the side of the shelter smashing through the plastic structure and had to be restrained from causing further damage by another team official sitting next to him.



Greg Inglis

Greg Inglis, arguably the best player in Rugby League, has agreed to a three year $1.8 million deal helped heavily by third party (Russell Crowe is this your doing?) agreements with South Sydney.

Inglis opted against signing for Brisbane last month, despite shaking hands on a three year deal with the Broncos, and now has already linked up with the Souths playing group, despite having not yet been released by Melbourne.

The deal hasn't yet been approved by the NRL, so Inglis might end up without a team, and another of Australia's players will be lost to France.

Mike Conley...The Memphis Grizzlies

In a league that often throws up some ridiculous contracts, and at a time where money is at a premium, this is one of the strangest decisions in the NBA in recent history.

ESPN's Chris Broussard reports that the Memphis Grizzlies have agreed to a 5 year, $40 million plus extension for Mike Conley.

Mike Conley is not a bad NBA player, I'll start by saying that, but he certainly is not in the upper echelon. In his first four seasons he has averaged a mere 11 points and 5 assists a game, hardly breath taking for a starting point guard.

Considering one of the premier point guards in the NBA, Rajon Rondo, is on a similar contract, the Grizzlies are obviously hoping that Conley is just a slow starter, and the best is yet to come.

This is obviously not Conley's fault, if I were offered that amount of money I wouldn't say no, so the blame is well and truly with Memphis. Unfortunately this is just one of many worrying contracts the Grizzlies have handed out over the years, and it looks as though things aren't changing. Maybe it's time for the General Manager to take an extended holiday, or pursue other business opportunities.

Williams joins GWS

Former Port Power coach Mark Williams has agreed to terms with the Greater Western Sydney Giants and will join the AFL's newest team as Kevin Sheedy's senior assistant.

The appointment will be confirmed at a media conference in Sydney later this afternoon.

It is rumoured that Williams, who stood down as Port Adelaide coach late last season, has signed on for three seasons.

Before being targeted by GWS, Williams applied for the top job at Essendon only to be overlooked for club great James Hird, and will reunite with Sheedy having served as his assistant at the Bombers from 1995-97.

Williams led the Power to their only premiership triumph in 2004.

Scottish referees replaced

In an attempt to ensure all Premier League matches will go ahead this weekend, The Scottish League is bringing in overseas referees to replace local referees who have gone on strike.

The Scottish Football Association (SFA) said it had reached agreement over referees with "several European national associations to ensure matches in the Premier League and the Alba Cup final will be covered this weekend".

"Negotiations are continuing with other national associations to help ensure that some, if not all, matches in the Scottish Football League go ahead as normal", a statement said.

"Clubs will be informed ... whether their matches will go ahead or not in light of the Scottish Category One referees electing to persist with their withdrawal of labour".

As a result of the fallout from some of their recent on field decisions, Scotland's top referees have chosen to strike in protest at what they say is the "intolerable pressure" that has been placed on their personal and professional lives.

Bollinger to miss Ashes opener

Australian captain Ricky Ponting today confirmed that in form speedster Peter Siddle has beaten Doug Bollinger into the final bowling spot for the Ashes opener tomorrow.

Ponting said that Siddle will join Mitchell Johnson and Ben Hilfenhaus in the pace attack for the first Test against England, with Bollinger overlooked.


Bollinger has recently been recovering from a stomach injury and his lack of recent bowling may have helped the selectors final decision.

Ponting also said Clarke, who has been nursing a back ailment, would take his spot in the Australian eleven, with young New South Wales batsman Usman Khawaja missing out.

"Doug Bollinger and Usman Khawaja are the two guys who won't be playing", Ponting said today.

"Michael Clarke has got through his work particularly well the last couple of days and had a solid session in the nets today".

Ponting was also confident that test debutant Xavier Doherty would slot straight into Test cricket and bowl effectively.

Bollinger and Khawaja leave Brisbane tomorrow after the toss to play for New South Wales in their first class clash against Western Australia.

Clarke confident about fitness

Michael Clarke, the Australian vice-captain, completed a net session at the Gabba today, telling team mates he felt good in preparation for the first Ashes test against England on Thursday.

Clarke has been battling an on-going back injury which kept him out of playing a first class game for New South Wales last week, and also forced him to miss the Australia's training session yesterday.

On Monday he had said on his Twitter page that he felt confident he would be fit in time for the start of the keenly anticipated series, but captain Ricky Ponting had said he needed to practice on Tuesday if he was to be considered for the opening game.

Uncapped batsman Usman Khawaja was brought into the squad on Monday as cover for Clarke, but it looks unlikely he will be needed.

Clarke took part in fielding drills as well as his net session, and reports say that he finished training with a grin on his face.

After the session, fast bowler Mitchell Johnson said, "He batted for about 45 minutes today. He had a bit of a throw-down in the outside nets",

"He said that he felt pretty good with the throw-downs and with the batting that he did, so that's a good sign for him and for Australia".

Clarke has made 4549 runs at an average 48.91 in 64 tests, and is a key component heading into Thursday's first test with Australia's middle order batting support looking slim.

Child dies at Lakers game

The family of a two year old boy was posing for pictures high inside the Staples Centre, when he managed to scale a clear safety barrier and fell more than 20 feet to his death, police said on Monday.

Lucas Anthony Tang suffered head injuries when he landed on rows of seats minutes after the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Golden State Warriors on Sunday. The boy later died at a hospital.

Officer Julie Sohn confirmed that the boy’s family was taking photographs at the time of the fall.

The 'Los Angeles Times', citing unidentified police sources, said the toddler’s family was looking at digital photographs, lost track of him and somehow he got over the top of the glass barrier.

Sohn, however, said she could not confirm those details.

The child fell 25 to 50 feet, according to various estimates from police detectives, fire officials and Roth.

In a short prepared statement Michael Roth, a spokesman for the Staples Centre, said, “Our condolences and prayers go to the Tang family”.

The Lakers organisation issued a statement expressing shock and sadness at the tragedy.

“To go from a moment of happiness and enjoyment, to the loss of this boy’s life, is tragic and heartbreaking. We would like to ask Lakers fans to join us in keeping Lucas and his family in our thoughts and prayers”, the statement said.

The Good, The Bad and The...(22/11)

The Good - AB De Villiers

A big congratulations this week goes to South African batsmen AB De Villiers. The flashy middle order batsmen finally put it all together, destroying a youthful Pakistan line up making 278*, the highest ever score by a South African. Hopefully for Pakistan's sake they had a bit of money on him for top innings scorer…


The Bad – Fernando Alonso

New Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel recently revealed that fierce rival Fernando Alonso has yet to congratulate him on his success. Alonso may just be a sore loser, and blowing a 15 point lead going into the last race should make you an angry man, but don't be a jerk about it...just ask LeBron James.


The…Rook - Blake Griffin

Blake Griffin, the 2009 number 1 draft pick, may have missed all last season with serious knee problems, but he is certainly making up for lost time. Through his first 14 games, Griffin is averaging 18.5 points a game as well as hauling in 11 rebounds.

In yesterday’s game against the New York Knicks, Griffin had a lazy 44 points and 15 rebounds, and posterised young Knick centre Timofey Mozgov. Hopefully this is just one of the many highlights this young man will provide us with over his career.

Folau headed to Parramatta

Rugby League have secured at least one Folau to play in their code next year, with the Parramatta Eels signing Israel's teenage younger brother Eni.

As older brother Israel began his much awaited AFL career by training with the Greater Western Sydney Giants yesterday, the Eels snapped up his younger sibling in the hope of finding the next big thing.

Eni is expected to play in the Toyota Cup competition for Under 20's next year, whilst his famous brother cuts his teeth in Australian Rules.

Eni played for the Easts Tigers Under 18's and Under 20's this year and is labeled as being a big bodied centre/winger, in the mould of his older brother. In a relief for the NRL, the AFL may not be interested in Eni because according to talent scouts, he is not blessed with the same freakish skills as his brother.

The scouts have questioned whether Eni will blossom into an NRL quality player, but his presence at the Eels could help heal the rift between Israel and Rugby League, should he opt to return to the code once his AFL contract with Greater Western Sydney expires in 2015.

The worst #1 of all?

Ahead of tonight's National AFL draft, I have decided to take it upon myself and decide which clubs have made the biggest mistakes on draft day... since 1995...

This of course is pure opinion and my list is as follows:



5. Jack Watts - Of course the boy is still developing and shows immense talent with every game he plays, but unlucky for him, I was looking for five players to put on this list and he's the worst of the rest thus far.

4. Josh Fraser - Playing 200 games in the AFL is no easy task, but after the continued promise Fraser has shown throughout his early footballing career, he certainly deserves a place on this list. Whether it be his continuous inconsistency or getting towelled up by Paddy Ryder on Anzac day, Fraser was always in the forefront of Collingwood supporters hit list.

3. Travis Johnstone - Throughout his career at Melbourne, Travis Johnstone was recognised as one of the AFL's most dangerous and talented midfielders; however, he often struggled for consistency, and finished in the Melbourne Best and Fairest top ten only twice. A ball magnet even at the worst of times, Johnstone's main problem was distribution. A beautiful kick but unfortunately Johnstone didn't possess the best footballing brain.

2. Des Headland - Even though Headland was a premiership player, and polled well in 'The Brownlow' once for the Brisbane Lions, as soon as Headland jumped ship to Fremantle, his true footballing colours were shown. Persistent leg injuries hampered his play, but after not being cited in Fremantle's Best and Fairest count year after year, doubts certainly began to circle his play.

1. Clive Waterhouse - The unfortunate honour as the 'Worst number 1 draft pick' goes to Clive Waterhouse. This may not of been the case had injury not ruined his promising career, but after compiling only 106 games at the top level, Clive called it quits. After beginning promisingly, Waterhouse struggled throughout 1997-1998 before hitting his 'peak' in 1999. Waterhouse always possessed a great sense for goal, but in hindsight, maybe not worthy of the coveted number 1 draft choice.

Feel free to post your thoughts!

Murray keen to please at home

Home town favourite Andy Murray faces a tough task at the ATP's season-ending World Tour Finals in London, having been drawn in Group B alongside Roger Federer.

Murray's task hasn't been made any easier with Group B also consisting of world number seven David Ferrer and the man who has just replaced the Scot as world number four, Robin Soderling.

The tournament which is being held at London's o2 Arena from November 21-28 divides the top eight players from across the season into two groups of four. The players then play each other in a round-robin format for qualification through to the knockout semi final matches.

World number one Rafael Nadal as well as Novak Djokovic, Tomas Berdych and Andy Roddick will compete in Group A, which will throw up repeats of this year's 'US Open' and 'Wimbledon' finals in which Nadal defeated Djokovic and Berdych respectively.

Up to a quarter of a million spectators are expected at the o2, and Murray can rely on vociferous support from the partisan crowd.

"The atmosphere when I played last year was amazing," the Australian Open finalist added. "Hopefully that will help me again this year."

With crowd support in tow, Murray doesn't believe that his group is more difficult than the other, and is eagerly awaiting his opening match on Sunday.

Murray will begin his quest for the title against Sweden's Robin Soderling in the tournaments curtain raiser.

Group A: Rafael Nadal (Spain), Novak Djokovic (Serbia), Tomas Berdych (Czech Rep), Andy Roddick (US)

Group B: Roger Federer (Switzerland), Robin Soderling (Sweden), Andy Murray (Britain), David Ferrer (Spain)

Australia's Ashes plans in tatters?

Plans for Australia’s domination of the first Ashes Test are in a woeful mess after a day on which eight specialist batsmen in their 17 man Test squad failed in three matches around the country.

Incumbent batsmen Michael Hussey and Marcus North did nothing to ease the scrutiny of their test spots against a tough Victorian line up at the MCG. Hussey was caught at slip by his brother David for an 18-ball duck, and his Western Australia team mate Marcus North also departed cheaply for 17. The only good thing for the pair was the failure of the young batting specialists in Hobart.

Most significant of the failures today was that of Usman Khawaja and ‘Australia A’ team mate Callum Ferguson. The youthful duo, who were both named in the squad for the Gabba Test, struggled on a green top pitch under cloudy skies. Ferguson was removed after starting positively for 7, whilst Khawaja struggled before being dismissed for 13, all but ending a late call up for the first test.

In Sydney, Simon Katich, Shane Watson and Brad Haddin all failed to get past 10, as New South Wales were demolished by Tasmania in their first innings for 97 on a horribly difficult SCG surface. When Tasmania replied, Ricky Ponting came in for the third ball of the innings and managed only 7.

The only positive to come out of today’s failures is that England’s frontline attack was sent to Brisbane early to prepare for the first Test, leaving no true indication of how these two teams will line up come next week.

Guus Hiddink the wanted man

Former Chelsea boss Guus Hiddink has claimed that both Liverpool and Manchester City approached him in an attempt to fix their off season problems.

In an interview with the 'Daily Mirror' Hiddink stated that, "In the summer City and Liverpool both came to me with an inquiry".

At that point Liverpool were without a manager due to Rafael Benitez's departure, however City had publicly backed the incumbent Roberto Mancini.

Vicky Kloss, Manchester City's chief communications officer, has come out in defence of his club stating, "We strenuously deny that we have ever spoken to Guus Hiddink or any other manager about the possibility of succeeding Roberto Mancini".

Hiddink, who had a successful short spell with Chelsea in the second half of the 2008-09 season, insists he has no intention of returning to club management on a full time basis.

"At my age I don't want to manage a club again for seven days a week over three years".

Both current Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson and Mancini now find themselves under pressure, but in very difference circumstances. Liverpool's resurgence suffered a setback in defeat at Stoke on Saturday, while City fans have not seen a home goal for six weeks and have become disillusioned with Mancini's tactics.

City have won just one of their last five League games taking only five points, and the fans are calling for a change. After such a large public show of support however, it looks as though Mancini is safe for the time being.

The Good, The Bad and The...(16/11)

The Good - Stuart Appleby

After shooting a final round of six under, Stuart Appleby claimed his first Australian title in nine years winning by one shot over third round leader Adam Bland.

The victory couldn’t have come at a better time for the 39 year old, with his wife expecting to give birth to Appleby’s fourth child on Friday.

The low point of Appleby’s week was flying to Canberra to meet Julia Gillard and talk about competing in the prestigious President's Cup next year.

The Bad - The Australian Rugby League Team

Not only did Australia lose from an un-loseable position on Saturday night, ending their dominance of world rugby, but now they're blaming it on 'dirty tactics'.

Giant Canberra prop David Shillington was certainly adamant this was the case.

"They had a few dirty tactics, twisting knees and elbows,"

"One of them kneed Billy Slater in the head at the end of the first half and they pushed Nate Myles".

Harsh words David...but how about rather than making excuses, maybe look at yourselves after losing both the World Cup and the Four Nations finals in front of a home audience..

The....Ridiculous - Kobe Bryant

We always knew Kobe Bryant wasn’t one to pass the ball much, and if he could, he’d play 'one on five' all game long. I guess yesterday he was just trying to prove a point.

Australia's Ashes squad announced

Australia have named an extended 17 man squad for next week's first Ashes Test, putting the current side on notice. Xavier Doherty and Callum Ferguson were the major surprises in an extended 17 man group that also included Usman Khawaja, Ryan Harris and Peter Siddle.

With the inclusion of two spinners in the squad, the selectors look as though they are not considering an all pace attack at the Gabba, where the seam friendly conditions sometimes encourage sides to do so. This being the case, the most likely pace attack looks like being Mitchell Johnson, Ben Hilfenhaus and Doug Bollinger, who made a promising return in club cricket on the weekend.

In what is shaping as a particularly fascinating match, The four day game between New South Wales and Tasmania pits the two spinners named, Hauritz and Doherty, head to head on an SCG pitch that should offer some assistance. The inclusion of the 'left arm orthdox' Doherty, who made a promising One Day International debut earlier this month, has placed extra pressure on Hauritz, who has struggled over recent times.

There are unlikely to be any surprise changes to the incumbent Australian batting line-up, although selectors are waiting to confirm the fitness of Michael Clarke, who suffered a recurrence of the disc problem in his back while playing for New South Wales on the weekend. Clarke will sit out of this week's Sheffield Shield match but he is hopeful he will take his place at the Gabba.

"I'm not going to play against Tasmania on Wednesday", Clarke said. "I'm going to give myself another few days off to get my back right. But I'm confident that if I do all the right things over the next week I'll be 100% ready to go come Brisbane".

Unless Clarke succumbs to the problem, there shouldn't be any changes to Australia's established top six, meaning that Khawaja and Ferguson will have to wait to receive their debut test call ups.

The youthful duo's selection however, is a strong indication that should the selectors lose faith with Michael Hussey or Marcus North during the summer, both Ferguson and Khawaja will be knocking on the door.

Australia squad: Simon Katich, Shane Watson, Ricky Ponting (capt), Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, Marcus North, Usman Khawaja, Callum Ferguson, Brad Haddin (wk), Steven Smith, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Hauritz, Xavier Doherty, Ryan Harris, Peter Siddle, Ben Hilfenhaus, Doug Bollinger.

Suns Nash trade bait?

A startling rumour is running riot throughout Arizona at the moment that two time MVP Steve Nash will at some point be traded by the Phoenix Suns this season.

Nash was interviewed about the rumour during the week by a local paper, and it seems he is happy playing for the Suns.

"I've done everything I possibly can for this club", Nash stated, "If that were an eventuality, we'd move on. There's no real loyalty in sports. But I signed here because I wanted to play with these guys and play for our fans. I'd love to stay here. My personal opinion is it's a lot of chatter, not really substantial".

Suns coach Alvin Gentry was a little more forceful in his opinions on the subject practically guaranteeing Nash's allegiance to the club.

"Steve's not going to be traded, that I can tell you. If he's getting traded, I'm going along with him, OK? Have you looked at the way he's playing? He's playing at a real high level. Why would we trade him? I don't understand that. That's nothing that's been discussed here. It's not going to happen".

36 year old Nash is having another stellar year with a re shaped Phoenix line up, after All Star forward Amare Stoudemire left the Suns during the off season.

Nash is averaging 19.9 points and 9.5 assists a game, showing that if we were to be traded, another all star calibre player would surely have to come into conversation.