WA on brink of hosting final

On the brink ... Western Australia can host their first Sheffield Shield final in 15 years. Source: Lincoln Baker / News Limited

Western Australia is within touching distance of hosting their first Sheffield Shield in 15 years after another dominant batting performance from Mike Hussey on Saturday at the WACA Ground.

The third day finished with Queensland at 6-179 with a 115-run lead, with the Warriors looking to end the Bulls' second innings quickly to ensure they would not be chasing a tough total to win.

SHEF - WACA Ground

14 March 2013 - Day 3, Session 3

Queensland 2nd Innings

J. Burns	73	171	10	0	42.69
M. Neser	0	9	0	0	0

The last time the Warriors hosted a Shield final at the WACA, Hussey and coach Justin Langer were playing - back in 1998.

If Western Australia win outright, the only other result which will affect them will be if Victoria manage an outright victory over Tasmania - a very tough ask with a high chance of showers on Sunday at Bellerive.

WA will look to concentrate on the job at hand and not be stressed by other results.

"We are in a position where our destiny is in our own hands,'' Hussey said.

"It depends on how well we play tomorrow and, again, I think it's about disregarding all that's going on around the country and we still need another four wickets.''

Hussey continued Friday's form and was the last man dismissed in the first innings for 96, leaving WA all out for a respectable 228 in reply to to Queensland's first knock of 164.

The veteran was happy where the team was at this point of the game.

"We are in a position where our destiny is in our own hands,'' Hussey said.

"I think we have put in two really good days of cricket and hopefully we can finish the job tomorrow.''

It wasn't entirely a good day for the WA batsmen, losing key wickets early with Ryan Harris in fine form with the ball to collect six wickets.

Harris claimed Sam Whiteman as the first wicket of the day sending him back to the shed with 11 after a spectacular catch by Chris Hartley.

The fast bowler also sent WA teenager Ashton Agar walking (16) with help from a diving catch from Hopes and later dashed Hussey's century hopes.

Minutes out from lunch, the stumps were spread by a lightning quick ball from Ryan Duffield, bowling Luke Pomersbach for a duck.

After the lunch break, Greg Moller was caught superbly by Hussey off Hogan.

The Warriors took their fourth wicket, following a 72-run partnership between Nathan Reardon and Joe Burns, when Adam Voges caught Reardon in slips off Duffield.

Burt Cockley then trapped Hartley lbw for 16.

Burns fought hard for 73 not out as light faded quickly and will carry on with Michael Neser on Sunday.

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Records tumble as India belt Aussies

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Record breaker ... Dhawan hit the fastest hundred by a Test debutant. Source:Fox Sports

Australia's bowling attack was destroyed again on Saturday as Shikhar Dhawan blazed his way to 185 not out, the highest score by an Indian batsman on Test debut.

3rd Test - Punjab Cricket Association Stadium

14 March 2013 - Day 3, Session 3

India 1st Innings

M. Vijay	83	181	10	2	45.86
S. Dhawan	185	168	33	2	110.12
N. Lyon	15	3	69	0	4.60

India raced to 0-283 from 58 overs at stumps on day three in reply to Australia's first innings of 408.

The day was made even more painful for Australia's Steve Smith (92) and Mitchell Starc (99), who both fell narrowly short of scoring their maiden Test hundreds.

Dhawan reached his century off 85 balls, which is a record for a debutant in all Test matches.

The Delhi-born 27-year-old smashed 33 fours and two sixes from 168 deliveries while Murali Vijay is unbeaten on 83 from 181 balls.

Dhawan's century included an amazing 21 fours.

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Follow all the day four action from Mohali LIVE with our Match Centre.

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The left-hander looked in command from the outset, after coming into the side as a replacement for dumped veteran Virender Sehwag.

Earlier, Australia relied on a lower-order fightback to produce their highest score of the series of 408 after being 7-251.

No.5 batsman Smith and No.9 Starc shared a crucial 97-run stand for Australia's eighth wicket.

The homework affair which sent shockwaves through world cricket on Monday presented Smith with the chance to play his first Test since January 2011.

The energetic 23-year-old grabbed it with both hands with a brilliant knock on a turning pitch.

Starc, also 23, was on 56 when his New South Wales teammate Smith was stumped playing a defensive prod at 8-348.

Starc and Nathan Lyon (nine not out) added 51 for the ninth wicket.

A nervous Starc was caught behind on 99 off the bowling of paceman Ishant Sharma after hitting 14 fours off 144 balls.

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Honours even in breathless Big Blue

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Bewildered ... Alessandro Del Piero missed a second-half penalty against Melbourne Victory. Source:News Limited

Sydney FC salvaged a vital point to keep their A-League finals prospects alive in a 1-1 draw with Melbourne Victory on Saturday at Allianz Stadium.

An 85th-minute equaliser from Sky Blues substitute Yairo Yau cancelled out a Mark Milligan strike in the third minute.

Yau headed into an open goal at the far post after Rhyan Grant had skilfully headed the ball on from the near post from an Alessandro Del Piero corner.

The goal from the Panama international brought the 22,233 crowd to its feet after the Sky Blues had missed a number of chances to level the scores in the second half.

Uncharacteristically, Del Piero was the chief offender when he pushed a penalty kick into the path of a diving Nathan Coe on the hour after a Victory defender handballed in the box.

In a high tempo free-flowing game, Marco Rojas was wasteful at the other end for the visitors but a draw was probably a fair A-League result.

The point moved Sydney to equal fifth with Newcastle but the Sky Blues can still fall out of the top six if Perth and Central Coast each win on Sunday.

		P	W	D	L	GD	Pts
1	Western Sydney	25	17	2	6	17	53
2	Central Coast	24	13	6	5	22	45
3	Victory	25	12	5	8	3	41
4	Adelaide	25	12	4	9	3	40
5	Sydney	25	9	4	12	-8	31
6	Newcastle	26	8	7	11	-12	31
7	Brisbane	24	8	5	11	1	29
8	Perth	24	8	4	12	-2	28
9	Heart	25	8	3	14	-6	27
10	Wellington	25	6	6	13	-18	24

Sydney goalkeeper Vedran Janjetovic was benched for arriving to the ground late after getting stuck in the pre-game traffic and he hardly had time to take his seat before the Victory scored through Milligan in the third minute.

A lovely cross from Connor Pain found two Victory forwards free and, at the far post, Milligan duly threaded the ball past Ivan Necevski for the early lead.

Sydney had their chances to hit back but couldn't convert. In the 17th minute, Terry Antonis meekly headed to

Nathan Coe before a poor first touch from Joel Griffiths denied him a golden chance when Del Piero put him one-on-one with the Victory keeper.

Del Piero surprisingly then put two free kicks wide of the net.

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Re-live all the drama from the epic encounter at our A-League Match Centre, with video highlights and all the stats you need.

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Coe was yellow-carded when he collected the ball from outside the area in the 15th minute but Del Piero pushed the attempt wide.

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The Italian World Cup winner then pushed another effort over the bar from a little further back in the 22nd minute.

But Yau's late equaliser ensured the Sky Blues are still well and truly in the finals hunt.

Given the opportunities his side had, Sydney FC coach Frank Farina was unhappy with the result.

"We are a little bit disappointed to be honest," he said.

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"We gave away an early goal which put us behind the eightball but after that we were still well and truly in the game and for a large part we were dominant."

Victory coach Ange Postecoglou bemoaned his side's inability to put the game beyond doubt.

"We needed the second goal to get clear and that was probably the only thing lacking in our game," he said.

"We kept them sort of in the game."

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Video: fastest century on Test debut

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Standing ovation ... Dhawan was a very popular debutant. Source:Fox Sports

Late on day three in Mohali, the Indian commentators ran out of superlatives for Shikhar Dhawan's innings.

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It was with good reason - it would be hard to describe just how good the 27-year-old's knock was for someone who didn't see it.

The numbers don't tell the whole story, although ending the day unbeaten on 185 off 168 balls, with 33 fours and two sixes to his name does paint a certain type of picture.

But it was the sheer dominance, and utter confidence with which the debutant played that really characterised the innings.

Batsmen are supposed to be nervous in their first Test outing, but from the moment Dhawan faced his first ball, he showed the Australia bowlers who was in charge.

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It could have been so different, as Dhawan was actually technically run out without facing a ball after Mitchell Starc accidentally performed a 'Mankad', but the closest Australia came to appealing was Michael Clarke jokingly calling for the third umpire.

With that heart-in-mouth moment out of the way, Dhawan didn't take long to get going.

His array of strokes were as varied as they were imaginative, highlighted by a couple of unique sweep shots that were described by one punter on Twitter as a "reverse straight bat leg drive".

The natural assumption for many Australian fans would be that Dhawan was merely taking advantage of poor bowling, but that does him a disservice.

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Yes, this is a weakened Australia bowling line-up, but for chunks of the day they really didn't bowl poorly at all, especially the two left-armers Xavier Doherty and Mitchell Starc - even though they ended the day with figures of 0-57 off 10 overs and 0-46 off 11 overs respectively.

Dhawan just didn't allow any of the bowlers to settle into a rhythm, seemingly hitting boundaries at will.

Meanwhile, Murali Vijay was barely being noticed up the other end, even though he also hit 10 fours and two sixes on his way to 83 not out.

It's not easy to replace a man as dynamic and belligerent as Virender Sehwag, but Shikhar Dhawan left many Indian fans asking, "Virender who?"

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Brilliant Lions claim NAB Cup title

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Victorious ... Lions captain Jonathan Brown celebrates a goal. Source: Andrew Tauber / News Limited

Brisbane co-captain Jonathan Brown has shown Carlton what they're still lacking while leading the Lions to a 0.16.13 (109) to 2.7.9 (69) win over the Blues to clinch the AFL pre-season premiership.

It was Brisbane's first pre-season flag, to go with their three grand final triumphs in 2001-03.

Brown kicked five goals, including two in the third quarter as Brisbane made their decisive break, at Etihad Stadium on Friday night.

1.2.0 (21)	Q1	0.5.3 (33)
2.6.6 (60)	Q2	0.7.5 (47)
2.7.7 (67)	Q3	0.12.10 (82)
2.7.9 (69)	Q4	0.16.13 (109)

Eddie Betts 1	Jonathan Brown 5
Levi Casboult 1	Joshua Green 3
Nicholas Duigan 1	Dayne Zorko 2
Bryce Gibbs 1	Rohan Bewick 1
Matthew Kreuzer 1	Patrick Karnezis 1
Mitch Robinson 1	Ashley McGrath 1
Sam Rowe 1	James Polkinghorne 1
Zach Tuohy 1	Jack Redden 1
Simon White 1	Daniel Rich 1

Small forward Josh Green kicked three majors for the winners.

But the Blues did not have a multiple goal-kicker.

With Carlton almost certain to enter the season proper without their best key forward Jarrad Waite (calf), they lack a stand-out target, with the likes of Shaun Hampson, Levi Casboult and Sam Rowe failing to convince.

Blues coach Mick Malthouse said his team was terrible on the night but was confident of ironing out the issues quickly.

"I'm a realist. Things don't change just like that in football clubs,'' he said.

"You've just got to make sure you stay sound and each week you keep chipping away and getting better.''

The Lions will enter the season unbeaten, while the Blues, who started so strongly under their new coach, ended their pre-season with back-to-back defeats.

Lions coach Michael Voss praised his players, saying their pre-season would give the team great confidence, particularly about their ability to finish games strongly.

"I reckon every single week we've been able to finish out the games really strong so that's a really good asset to have going into the season,'' he said.

The Lions dominated early.

After the Blues kicked the night's first goal, from a Mitch Robinson free kick, Brisbane kicked the next five to build a 27-point lead late in the first quarter, with Daniel Rich and ex-Melbourne recruit Brent Moloney well on top in the midfield.

Rich won the Michael Tuck Medal for best afield.

Carlton narrowed the gap to 12 points at the first break, boosted by a Bryce Gibbs nine-pointer.

Gibbs was again prominent as Carlton kicked three goals in the first six minutes of the second term, capped by a Zach Tuohy nine-pointer, on their way to building a 13-point halftime lead.

But it was all Brisbane after that.

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The visitors kicked five goals to one in the third term, including two Brown majors, to surge clear.
Rich was again crucial in Brisbane's run.

Exciting youngster Dayne Zorko, Pearce Hanley and Patrick Karnezis were all influential, while Daniel Merrett was strong in defence.

Carlton never looked like recovering, as Brisbane pushed further clear in the last quarter.

Ruckman Matthew Kreuzer was the Blues' best, with Kade Simpson, Kane Lucas and Gibbs all handy, but Chris Judd was quiet in his return from injury.

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Hussey bats WA into strong position

Western Australia ... chase a first-innings lead against Queensland. Source: Tony McDonough / AAP

Michael Hussey is batting Western Australia towards a handy first-innings lead against Queensland in the crucial Sheffield Shield match at the WACA Ground.

SHEF - WACA Ground

14 March 2013 - Day 2, Session 3

Western Australia 1st Innings

M. Hussey	48	95	8	0	50.53
S. Whiteman	6	21	1	0	28.57

Hussey was given a life when on nine, but moved to 48 not out with Sam Whiteman on six, as WA advanced to 5-141 at stumps on Friday's second day in reply to Queensland's 164.

With the entire first day lost to rain, a result looked likely by stumps on day two with two days remaining and both sides needing to notch the six points to remain a chance of making the Shield final.

WA haven't had it all their own way with the bat, losing Liam Davis for five, John Rogers for 12, Adam Voges for eight and Mitch Marsh for nine. But a solid 42 from opener Marcus Harris and Hussey's 48 have the Warriors on top.

However, Queensland quick Ryan Harris was outstanding with the ball, finishing the day with figures of 3-31 from 16 overs.

Captain James Hopes had 1-14 but should have had the wicket of Hussey when he was dropped by Greg Moller with the score at 3-74.

Earlier, Burt Cockley led the way with the ball for WA taking four wickets, as only Luke Pomersbach offered much fight with 57 against his former side before the Bulls were all out.

The game started on the morning of day two with Voges having no hesitation electing to bowl first after he won the toss.

Moller made a solid start for the Bulls opening the batting and making 14 before he became the first wicket to fall when caught at slip by Hussey off the bowling of Cockley.

Peter Forrest has had a horror run of late with the bat, failing to score in his past three innings, and he was lucky to get off the mark again when he was dropped at slip by Marsh second ball.

It didn't prove too costly as he was the next wicket to fall for just eight when caught behind by Whiteman off Michael Hogan.

Queensland were 2-41 and then 3-58 when Nathan Reardon came and went for seven.

Pomersbach was looking good, though, and brought up his half-century with a six over the sightscreen off Ashton Agar.

However, shortly after, he was trapped in front by Ryan Duffield for 57 with Queensland 4-113 at the break with Joe Burns and Chris Hartley surviving to lunch.

The interval halted Burns' momentum and he fell in the second over back for 25 caught by Voges at first slip off Duffield.

Queensland then kept losing wickets cheaply with Hartley making just six, Hopes 12, Neser six, Nathan Hauritz 11 and Harris 15.

Cockley continued his strong form since returning from career-threatening knee injuries to finish with 4-50 while Duffield took 2-53, Hogan 2-18 and Marsh 2-23.

Queensland captain Hopes is desperately hoping the dropping of Hussey on nine doesn't prove fatal as they enter day three trying to limit the damage and learn from their mistakes when batting again.

''... We would like to limit them to making 200 at the most and, if we can do that, both teams are in it,'' Hopes said.

"We could have had him (Hussey) out and, when things like that happen, you pray they don't come back and bite you, but he has put on another 40 since. Hopefully it doesn't cost us too much.

"You just felt that because we lost the first day's play, we were in a bit of a rush to get the game going.

"That's probably cost us in the end, but we will be a bit more patient and there's still technically 225 overs left to go in the game. That's a lot of cricket.''

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PSG to face Barca in quarter-final

Homecoming ... Zlatan Ibrahimovic will play against his former club. Source: Thomas Coex / AAP

UEFA Champions League favourites Barcelona will play big-spending Paris Saint-Germain in the pick of the quarter-finals after Friday's draw in Nyon, Switzerland.

Matches to be played on April 2/3 and April 9/10
 

• Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) v Barcelona (ESP)
• Malaga (ESP) v Borussia Dortmund (GER)
• Real Madrid (ESP) v Galatasary (TUR)
• Bayern Munich (GER) v Juventus (ITA)

Last year's losing finalists Bayern Munich will play the first-leg at home against Italian giants Juventus, while record nine-time champions Real Madrid will take on a Galatasaray team attempting to become the first side from Turkey to lift the trophy.

In the last quarter-final, Spanish outsiders Malaga were drawn against 1997 champions Borussia Dortmund, with the first-leg matches held on April 2 and 3 and the return legs to be played on April 9 and 10.

The final is set for Wembley on May 25 although there are no English clubs remaining in the last eight for the first time since 1996, while defending champions Chelsea failed to make it out of the group stages.

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Chelsea face Russian Europa test

Quarters ... Juan Mata and Chelsea will face Russian outfit Rubin Kazan. Source: Kirsty Wigglesworth / AP

European champions Chelsea face Russian side Rubin Kazan while English Premier League neighbours Tottenham Hotspur meet Swiss side Basel in the quarter-finals of soccer's Europa League in the draw made on Friday.

Newcastle United, the third English side in contention, face Portugal's Benfica, and Italian hopes Lazio are up against Turkish outfit Fenerbahce.

Chelsea, Tottenham, Fenerbahce and Benfica are at home for the first legs on April 4, with the return legs on April 11.

Europa League match-ups (first leg to be played April 4)

Chelsea (ENG) v Rubin Kazan (RUS)
Tottenham Hotspur (ENG) v Basel (SUI)
Fenerbahce (TUR) v Lazio (ITA)
Benfica (POR) v Newcastle (ENG)

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Mel's A-League preview: R25

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Date/Time: 2012:10:12 12:34:45 Source:FOX SPORTS

Fox Sports football commentator Mel McLaughlin previews round 25 of the A-League season and gives you her tips for every game.

Adelaide United v Newcastle Jets, Hindmarsh Stadium, Friday 7.30pm (EDT).

RUN HOME:

Adelaide - 4th, 39 points: Newcastle (H), Central Coast (H), Perth (A)

Newcastle - 6th, 30 points: Adelaide (A), Western Sydney (H)

Two very different situations - Adelaide are back home with the three points against Melbourne Heart, an emphatic performance just weeks out from the finals. Newcastle were also the better side in their match, but a combination of lacking the killer instinct in the final third coupled with an outstanding performance from Danny Vukovic cost them, with all three points snatched in the final seconds of added time. A cruel game, this.

So, the Jets are sitting ducks. Still in the six but a game less than the others in the mix for finals, they have no choice but to win at Hindmarsh and then hope to still be alive on the final weekend – even then they'll have to beat the Wanderers. I said last week that without the injured Emile Heskey the side would need to look to the experienced Michael Bridges and Ruben Zadkovich and that's exactly what they did, and the two led by example. The conversation regarding why exactly Bridges hasn't been utilised until now is for another day ... Adam Taggart scored his first goal in front of his home crowd and the signs were good – so what now?

Michael Valkanis will be a far happier man after the Reds' first away win since November - Dario Vidosic was at his best, Iain Ramsay scored a screamer and promising youngster Jake Barker-Daish impressed in his run-on debut. Marcelo Carrusca looked as dangerous as ever.

So they're home, but should be wary of a desperate opposition. 0-0 in their last encounter, Newcastle will have to work just as hard but simply be better in front of goal. They have to go for it, they must score goals, but an at times suspect defence will have to cope with the numerous attacking options Adelaide possesses. It's an exciting prospect, things may be a little cautious at first, but the Jets must throw everything at United. I think they might ultimately get beaten though, narrowly.

Tip: Adelaide

		P	W	D	L	GD	Pts
1	Western Sydney	24	16	2	6	15	50
2	Central Coast	24	13	6	5	22	45
3	Victory	24	12	4	8	3	40
4	Adelaide	24	12	3	9	3	39
5	Sydney	24	9	3	12	-8	30
6	Newcastle	25	8	6	11	-12	30
7	Brisbane	24	8	5	11	1	29
8	Perth	24	8	4	12	-2	28
9	Heart	24	8	3	13	-4	27
10	Wellington	25	6	6	13	-18	24

Melbourne Heart v Western Sydney Wanderers, AAMI Park, Saturday 5.30pm (EDT)

RUN HOME: 

Melbourne Heart - 9th, 27 points: Western Sydney (H) Brisbane (A) Mariners (A)

Western Sydney Wanderers - 1st, 50 points: Heart (A) Sydney FC (H) Jets (A) 

Melbourne Heart's season is over. I'm calling it. A golden opportunity to stay in touch with the six and they blew it – barely turned up against Adelaide, in fact. How did it go so horribly wrong?

Congratulations to Western Sydney, another milestone with an A-League record nine straight victories after beating a very good Wellington side, and perhaps with a bit of luck to help them along the way. Regardless, this side has won emphatically, and it has won less convincingly, but they now travel to Melbourne aiming to break the all-time Australian football record by taking their streak to 10, and with a five-point buffer on the Mariners at the top of the ladder.

The pressure is clearly on the home side after Monday night, but the way Heart's season has gone they'll probably get back to their best and be the team that beats the Wanderers. I won't be the one to tip that though. John Aloisi made a number of changes and it was surprising to see Eli Babalj on the bench, and Patrick Gerhardt and Jonatan Germano left out all together. Strange decisions.

Tip: Wanderers

Sydney FC v Melbourne Victory, Allianz Stadium, Saturday 7.45pm (EDT)

RUN HOME: 

Sydney FC - 5th, 30 pts: Victory (H) Wanderers (A) Brisbane (A)

Melbourne Victory - 3rd, 40 pts: Sydney (A) Perth (H) Wellington (A)

Sydney's final home game of the season plays host to the enormous fixture that is the final installment of the Big Blue (for the regular season anyway). After a terrible two-week road trip, the Sky Blues' finals hopes were hanging by a thread, but they returned to that fortress they've created at Allianz Stadium and beat Central Coast – again – in front of over 16,000 fans. The defence had taken quite a beating, five goals leaked, so a clean sheet would have been welcomed. Fabio was suspended and Lucas Neill injured, so with both potentially available, does Frank Farina alter the backline? I'd be surprised if he did. Still, a nice problem to have for the coach.

Victory came away from Suncorp Stadium with a point, a cracking game played out in Brisbane, one the Roar could have won had they finished better.

Tip: Sydney FC

Perth Glory v Wellington Phoenix, nib Stadium, Sunday 7pm (EDT)

RUN HOME: 

Perth - 8th, 28pts: Wellington (h), Victory (a), Adelaide (h)

Wellington - 10th, 24pts: Perth (a), Victory (h) 

Perth are coming off just their second victory away from home all season and are back in the hunt. They face a team that, although their campaign is over, finally showed what they're capable of – the Phoenix of old. They were unlucky not to come away from Parramatta Stadium with at least a point. The Glory have now won three games from four under new coach Alistair Edwards – but even he'll admit the most recent one, at Hunter Stadium, was as close to theft as you can get. Second best for much of the night, Perth snatched the win only in the dying stages of added time through Michael Thwaite (who came in for criticism for a woeful goal celebration – but give him a break – it was just his second ever A-League goal!)

Much like their opposition on Saturday, Wellington are also typically terrible travelers so it's remarkable to think they have taken more points on the road than home to date, and as such they've stayed in the country.

Jeremy Brockie is well and truly locked in a battle with Daniel McBreen for the golden boot, scoring his 15th at Wanderland to ensure someone in his team is still in the mix for a major award. But motivation to finish off the season strongly is high, across the squad, with many off contract shortly or vying for spots in their national squads. Even interim coach Chris Greenacre is on show, as he is no certainty to be given the position full-time for next season. With the coach sending the message to his team to forget about the ladder and have fun the players have responded. They are such a better side with Paul Ifill at his best and he's not far off it judging on the past few weeks.

Tip: Perth Glory

Central Coast Mariners v Brisbane Roar, Bluetongue Stadium, Sunday 5pm (EDT)

RUN HOME: 

Central Coast - 2nd, 45 pts: Brisbane (h), Adelaide (a), Heart (h)

Brisbane - 7th, 29 pts: Central Coast (a), Heart (h), Sydney (h)

Are Brisbane back? Can the Mariners get back on track? Some big questions ahead of this showdown on Sunday.

Central Coast are looking more than a little wobbly and returned home empty-handed from a grueling mid-week trip to Japan, the hectic Asian Champions League schedule making life more than a little difficult. Graham Arnold again rang the changes in a bid to manage players' workloads and as a result their regular right and left fullbacks didn't travel, Pedj Bojic dealing with a back problem picked up in their loss to Sydney. Daniel McBreen will want to get back in the goals if he's to take out the Golden Boot, he's now tied on 15 goals with Wellington's Jeremy Brockie and hasn't scored in over a month.

For their lofty standards, the Mariners are in a little rut and won't want to slide much further off the pace with the finals just weeks away. The Premiers' Plate is also not 100% stitched up, so although a very distant, unlikely prospect. Unbelievably another missed penalty in Kashiwa, another sign of dented confidence? They've got the firepower, but Graham Arnold has to get this team believing again.

It would do wonders for them to beat fierce rival from recent years in Brisbane Roar – they've only beaten the Roar once at Bluetongue, and that was this season. Brisbane are starting to play like the Brisbane of old, but suffer the same problem of not converting dominance and shots into goals. If Mike Mulvey finds a solution to this his team will make the finals, and could be a dark horse. Ivan Franjic's move further up the park seems to be working, he's looking harder to contain than ever and was rewarded with a cracking goal to level the scores last week.

Tip: Draw

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Watch every game of round 25 of the A-League, Live and Exclusive, and in stunning High Definition, on Fox Sports.

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'Quade welcome, Smith not an option'

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Different strokes ... Smith (L) is unlikely to face the Lions while Cooper could return. Source:AAP

Wallabies coach Robbie Deans insists Quade Cooper's infamous public spray will not affect his chances of returning to the Test squad, but says George Smith is not an option for the British and Irish Lions unless there is a change of protocol.

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Deans joined Rugby HQ host Nick McArdle for a wide-ranging interview during the week, where the Wallabies boss confirmed plans for the pre-Lions camp were well underway.

Much has been made of the task that lies ahead for Australia, with the Lions having several warm-up fixtures to settle on their Test line-up while the Wallabies will rely on a three-week training camp.

And while Deans said the squad would just have to "make it work", there appears to be next to no chance of veteran flanker Smith stepping into the role vacated by the injured David Pocock.

"It was typical George – he's a class act," Deans said of Smith's jaw-dropping Super Rugby return.

"There's not too many blokes who could come from a competition that's clearly at a much lesser level in Japan and look like he'd never left.

"He showed the class that he has and remarkably, not only capable, but he's also resilient athlete - he hasn't had many injuries which is indication of getting yourself into good position."

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Smith's Wallabies claims were obvious as he slipped straight back into the intensity of Super Rugby with ease, the 110-Test veteran securing a number of turnovers and producing a couple of thumping hits.

Still, it appears rising stars Michael Hooper and Liam Gill will now fight out the No.7 spot – that is unless the Australian Rugby Union alters its long-running contract policy.

"Well there's two key things that would need to change," Deans said.

"One of them is individual, which is personal to George and his contractual circumstance. He's currently contracted to Suntory, which means then we'd need a secondary change which would be a change in protocol if you like.

"Currently, we are unable to select foreign players. Essentially, George is a foreign player - given that he is contracted to Suntory.

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"So they (Suntory) either release him from that contract and he becomes a possibility - but they're not going to want to do that - or conversely the ARU says 'well despite the fact you're contracted to Suntory we're prepared to consider you'.

"But right now he's not an option and that's where it sits."

The path back to the Wallabies squad appears a little less rocky for Cooper, with Deans confirming his infamous "toxic environment" comments were a thing of the past.

"Every time you gather a group of people you've got human dynamics and that is the only constant in many ways," Deans said of expectations Cooper may face an uneasy return to the national set-up. 

"So it's a part of the key requirements to have a functioning group to deal with that stuff.

"Quade's always been welcome and he's been a part of that group. Obviously there's different pieces of history … that's just part of the terrain.

"He has the same opportunity as every other player to earn his spot, earn respect … and we'll go from there."

Cooper, however, faces a much tougher task to regain the No.10 jersey with Deans admitting the playmaking role could be filled by any number of suitors.

The Wallabies coach isn't bothered by the fact no player has managed to nail down the position since Rugby World Cup 2011, saying everyone lacked experience when it came to the Lions.

"We haven't had a lot of continuity but that's going to be the case across the board," he said.

"That might be an advantage in so far as he won't be exposed in terms of lack of experience at this level because a Lions series is the deep end.

"Wherever we finish up we've just got to make it work."

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Watson's wife has baby boy

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Happy family ... Shane and Lee Watson welcomed Will into the world on Thursday. Source: Julian Smith / AAP

Shane Watson's sacking from the Australia cricket team has allowed him to witness the birth of his first child.

Watson's wife Lee gave birth to a boy in St George hospital Thursday night. They have named the boy Will.

"Shane and Lee are naturally delighted," Watson's manager Tony Connelly told The Daily Telegraph.

Watson was one of four players sacked from the Australian side earlier this week for the third Test against India.

The Australia vice-captain made the choice to fly home when he was informed the baby could arrive early.

His original plan was to return home after the third Test.

Under international rules, Watson could not have been replaced in the Test match once he had started in the game.

His manager said his wife and baby were doing well.

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Mitchell opens up on Waratahs axing

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Dropped ... Mitchell won't line up against the Cheetahs on Friday night. Source:News Limited

New South Wales Waratahs winger Drew Mitchell says he was left out of the 22 for Friday night's clash with the Cheetahs because he's not pulling his weight as a senior player.

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Plenty of eyebrows were raised on Wednesday when Waratahs coach Michael Cheika revealed his squad for the Allianz Stadium showdown, the same venue where the South Africans pulled off one of Super Rugby's biggest upsets in 2011.

And while Mitchell himself admitted the demotion had taken him by surprise, he said he'd already begun taking steps to ensure the axing was a temporary.

"It's probably two-fold, I'm under no illusions I know I'm not playing to the best of my ability and to my potential," Mitchell told Fox Sports' Rugby HQ.

"And that's not only something I picked up, but also within the coaching staff and probably amongst my peers as well.

"And also being a leader in the experience sense. What I need to bring to the group is not just what I do on the field, it's also off the field and obviously there's a feeling that I'm falling short in that regard as well."

Mitchell said that while he didn't exactly agree with all of Cheika's home truths, he'd already had a number of conversations with the rookie Super Rugby coach.

"That's not my judgement, he's the one making the call for the team," Mitchell said when asked if some of Cheika's thoughts were wide of the mark.

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Watch the Waratahs' clash with the Cheetahs Live and in HD on Fox Sports 1HD from 7.30pm (EDT) Friday!

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"I guess he's made me aware of it this week – it's something that I can address.

"If this has been an ongoing thing, then I've spoken about this with Cheik and asked that if anything else comes up in the future then we speak about it prior to the event rather than perhaps after it."

Mitchell's spot on the wing has been filled by Peter Betham while Lachie Turner will also make his first start of the year on the opposite flank.

That reshuffle has seen Israel Folau revert to fullback and Mitchell said the new look back three had earned the opportunity for a crack at the in-form South Africans.

"The other thing we've got to look at is that, Lachie Turner, he was in my position three weeks ago," Mitchell said.

"He's now fought his way back in and he got some time off the bench last weekend and did really well.

"Peter Betham's come in off a pretty good ITM Cup campaign last year, but even through the trials he's worked his way back in as well.

"So whilst I'm disappointed, perhaps the focus should be less about me and more about these guys that are going out there to try and change our fortunes."

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Wilshere out for three weeks

Gunned down ... Arsenal's Jack Wilshere will miss three weeks with an ankle injury. Source: John Walton / AFP

Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere has suffered an ankle injury that will keep him out of action for up to three weeks, manager Arsene Wenger revealed on Tuesday.

		P	W	D	L	GD	Pts
1	Man United	28	23	2	3	37	71
2	Man City	28	17	8	3	27	59
3	Tottenham	29	16	6	7	15	54
4	Chelsea	28	15	7	6	26	52
5	Arsenal	28	13	8	7	21	47
6	Liverpool	29	12	9	8	20	45
7	Everton	28	11	12	5	9	45
8	West Brom	29	13	4	12	2	43
9	Swansea	29	10	10	9	4	40
10	Fulham	28	8	9	11	-5	33
11	Stoke	29	7	12	10	-8	33
12	West Ham	28	9	6	13	-9	33
13	Newcastle	29	9	6	14	-10	33
14	Norwich	29	7	12	10	-18	33
15	Sunderland	29	7	9	13	-9	30
16	Southampton	29	6	10	13	-12	28
17	Aston Villa	29	6	9	14	-26	27
18	Wigan	28	6	6	16	-22	24
19	Reading	29	5	8	16	-21	23
20	QPR	29	4	11	14	-21	23

The 21-year-old missed the whole of last season with ankle and knee problems, before returning to action in October.

He has impressed since then but his latest injury will rule him out of Arsenal's Champions League clash at Bayern Munich on Wednesday, as well as the forthcoming Premier League meeting with Swansea City.

He will also miss England's World Cup qualifying double-header against San Marino and Montenegro later this month.

"Jack Wilshere is out," Wenger said.

"He has an inflamed ankle; the other ankle to the one he injured (last season). He will be out for three weeks and will not be available for Munich, Swansea, and not for England."

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Fox Sports football editor David Weiner will be live blogging Barcelona's great escape attempt against AC Milan right here at 6.40am (EDT) tomorrow morning.

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Watson hits back at Howard

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Media storm ... Dropped Test star Shane Watson arrives back in Sydney from India. Source: Stephen Cooper / News Limited

Shane Watson has fired back at Australia high-performance manager Pat Howard, saying he and Michael Clarke have a strong relationship that goes back to when they were 12 years old.

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Watson landed in Sydney on Tuesday night after leaving the Test squad in India in the wake of being stood down by coach Mickey Arthur for failing to complete some homework.

The Australia vice-captain accepted he had done the wrong thing after mistakenly thinking the review was to be done in the lead up to the third Test in Mohali.

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Howard had earlier said that Watson was a "sometime" team player and that he and Clarke had some issues to work out.

However, Watson was adamant he and Clarke have a strong relationship that is stronger than Howard understands after only being appointed a year and a half ago.

"Pat Howard doesn't know me particularly well," he said.

"In the end, the way relationships work there's ups and downs. I've played against and with Michael Clarke since I was 12 and there's a lot of history there.

"Things are going really well with myself and Michael, Pat Howard has only come on board in the last year and a half ... he hasn't been in and around cricket for very long.

"Myself and Michael go back a little more than a year and a half and I actually talked to Michael when I got off the plane because he obviously heard the comments that Pat made."

Watson said bluntly said "yes" when asked if he was disappointed in Howard's comments.

Watson remained strong in his view that to have a Test match taken away from him was "extremely harsh".

But it allowed him to return to Australia to be with his pregnant wife, Lee Furlong.

"I think it is extremely harsh to be suspended for a Test match for your country, in any circumstance," he said.

"I expressed my opinions to the leadership group ... I have a very open relationship with all of the guys. I expressed my extreme disappointment with the decision.

"It means I can come home to something very exciting in my life. At this point in time I'm only thinking about the safe arrival of our baby."

Howard held a press conference on Tuesday, saying Watson and Clarke didn't get on.

"They have normal difficulties that anybody has in a relationship," said Howard.

"I'm not going to get drawn into that  conversation, the captain and vice-captain have got to sort their issues out.

Watson said he wasn't in the leadership group but didn't talk about his future in the sport.

"Look, I'm not in the leadership group, at least I wasn't in the leadership group for that decision," he said.

"They obviously thought that was the right decision for the team at this point. I accept I did the wrong thing but I will always find it hard to accept being suspended for a Test match for your country.

"I've missed a lot of games for my country because of injury in my career. When that's taken away from you you'd think the actions that had that taken away from you would have to be pretty severe."

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Magpies' stars to miss season start

Grounded ... Dale Thomas, Luke Ball and Alan Didak will miss the start of the season. Source: News Limited

Collingwood expect to start their AFL season without premiership stars Luke Ball, Dale Thomas and Alan Didak.

And there are doubts over whether Ball and Thomas will make it back for the much-anticipated round two clash with Carlton and their former coach Mick Malthouse.

Ball is still on the comeback trail from major knee surgery, while Thomas is yet to return from an off-season ankle operation.

Didak is yet to play this pre-season because of a hamstring strain.

In an injury update on their website on Wednesday, the Magpies said Ball and Thomas were both three to four weeks away from returning.

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Fox Footy is the only place to see every game of the 2013 AFL regular season live in high definition and uninterrupted siren-to-siren.

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The Magpies open their season against North Melbourne on March 31.

Their clash with the Blues, whose new coach Malthouse led Collingwood to the 2010 flag, is less than four weeks away.

Didak, 30, who played just 11 games in an injury-riddled AFL season last year, is forecast to return in three weeks.

"Alan is getting towards the sharp end of his recovery," Magpies football manager Geoff Walsh said.

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Check out the full 2013 AFL premiership season fixture

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"He is stepping up his training and has had no setbacks."

Key defender Ben Reid, who injured his knee against West Coast in early March, is expected to recover in time for Collingwood's season-opener.

Versatile big man Lachy Keeffe, who suffered a major knee injury in round nine last year, won't be back until well into the home and away season.

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Aussie F1 star gets aggressive

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Determined ... Ricciardo has his eyes well and truly set on moving up in F1. Source: Mark Baker / AAP

Rising star Daniel Ricciardo is vowing to crank up the aggression when the red lights go out on the new Formula 1 season this weekend.

The Australian is about to begin his second full season at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne with the Red Bull-backed Toro Rosso team.

No.	Driver	Team
1	Sebastian Vettel (GER)	Red Bull
2	Mark Webber (AUS)
3	Fernando Alonso (ESP)	Ferrari
4	Felipe Massa (BRZ)
5	Jenson Button (GBR)	McLaren
6	Sergio Perez (MEX)
7	Kimi Raikkonen (FIN)	Lotus
8	Romain Grosjean (FRA)
9	Nico Rosberg (GER)	Mercedes
10	Lewis Hamilton (GBR)
11	Nico Hulkenberg (GER)	Sauber
12	Esteban Gutierrez (MEX)
14	Paul di Resta (GBR)	Force India
15	Adrian Sutil (GER)
16	Pastor Maldonado (VEN)	Williams
17	Valtteri Bottas (FIN)
18	Daniel Ricciardo (AUS)	Toro Rosso
19	Jean-Eric Vergne (FRA)
20	Charles Pic (FRA)	Caterham
21	Giedo van der Garde (NED)
22	Jules Bianchi (FRA)	Marussia
23	Max Chilton (GBR)

Ricciardo often lost places on the run from the start down to turn one in his debut year with the team, but is looking to take no prisoners on the opening lap of this year's races.

"Hoping to tear it apart!" he said during a News Limited online chat session with fans. "Don't plan on making any friends."

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Check out everything Daniel Ricciardo had to say to fans during Tuesday's live chat HERE.

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The Perth-born racer has his fingers crossed that there will also be fewer cars in front of him on the grid.

Ricciardo is hoping Toro Rosso's new STR8 will be a leap forward on last year's car, which saw both he and French teammate Jean-Eric Vergne struggle to make the first qualifying cut early in the season.

This year, Ricciardo has his sights set on being inside the top 10 on Saturday.

"I'm really hoping to make Q3. That's the first aim for the weekend.

"We will soon find out if the car is better than last year. I believe it is, but question is how much more have the other teams improved."

The 2013 season is make or break for Ricciardo. One of many young drivers Red Bull has on its books, he will be under pressure to retain his seat at the team if he doesn't show star potential this year.

The Italian team has rarely kept drivers for more than two years since the energy drink company's name went over the doors in 2006.

But, despite knowing there is a raft of up-and-coming drivers all waiting for their shot at the big time, Ricciardo revealed the greatest pressure comes from himself.

Chasing his Formula 1 dreams meant giving up a lot, something Ricciardo has never forgotten.

"I think once I made that commitment to move to Europe, that was my biggest motivation.

"I sacrificed a lot of my teenage childhood and friends' birthdays etc. So to go home empty handed would feel like a loss.

"For that reason, I want to do it properly."

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Follow our Live Blog of the Australian F1 Grand Prix this Sunday on SPEEDTV.com.au.

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Shattered Watson quits tour

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Stood down ... Shane Watson didn't meet team guidelines. Source: Rick Rycroft / AP

Australia's selection crisis took an extraordinary twist tonight with Shane Watson quitting the tour to be with his pregnant wife in the wake of his sacking for the third Test.

In one of the most dramatic days in Australian cricket history, coach Mickey Arthur dropped a bombshell on the team by dumping Watson, Mitchell Johnson, James Pattinson and Usman Khawaja for breaching team discipline.

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The quartet were stood down from selection for one match for failing to take part in a peer review of the side's dismal performance in the second Test.

But the team was rocked by a second ruction late tonight, with vice-captain Watson deciding to leave India to be with wife Lee, who is heavily pregnant and due to give birth.

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It is unknown if Watson's sacking was the driving force behind the decision but coach Mickey Arthur said yesterday he was left shattered when informed of his demotion by Australian hierarchy.

Shane Watson exits the team hotel. Source: News Limited

The departure of Watson is a savage blow to the Australian team and could have huge ramifications for his future as vice-captain.

In a landmark day for Australian cricket, coach Mickey Arthur revealed the quartet have been stood down for one match for not taking part in a written review following the side's heavy innings defeat in the second Test.

The 16-man touring party was asked to complete a personal review of the team's culture and expectations and the improvements needed to be made for the third Test starting Thursday.

Arthur said Watson, Pattinson, Khawaja and Johnson had failed to submit a personal analysis - prompting team hierarchy to immediately rule the group out for the Test in Mohali.

The coach said the quartet are "gutted". He added it was the toughest day of his coaching career, but a step necessary in his goal to make Australia's the No.1 Test side in world cricket.

While the contingent will be considered for the fourth Test in Delhi, Arthur said the decision was a "line in the sand" for Australian cricket.

The fallout is particularly severe for Watson, who is the Australian vice-captain and has been under pressure after a dismal run of form at Test level in the past 18 months.

Arthur said that after going two down in the series the team was "really hurting."

"We were discussing ways to get back in the series. I asked the players to give me a presentation individually.

"I wanted three points from them - technically, mentally and team - as to  how we were going to get back into the series.

"Unfortunately four players did not comply with that.

"We pride ourselves on attitude - we have given the players a huge amount of latitude to get culture and attitude right. 

"We believe those behaviours were not consistent with what we want to do with this team, how we want to take this team to be the best in the world.

"The teams that are best in the world have best attitudes, have best behaviour patterns and have a good hard ruthless culture."

Pattinson is Australia's leading wicket-taker in the series with eight wickets at 23.62. Watson has scored 77 runs at 19.25.

Former Australian captain Allan Border said he was surprised the players had been axed for the reasons given  and labelled the decision as an "over the top reaction".

"It seems a bit of a strong measure for a coach or captain to take," Border told Fox Sports News.

"I'm surprised that's the penalty for something so mundane. It seems like it was on a schoolboy tour or something. It's an over the top reaction.

"I haven't seen anything quite like this - there have been players stood down for bad behaviour or breaking curfews but something like this where you have basically refused to fill out a performance review, it's the first time I've ever heard of it."

"I'm stunned," said former Test player Mark Waugh. "I just want to know what would have happened if eight of the guys hadn't filled in the form, we wouldn't have a team for the game.

"I've never heard of this sort of thing before at top level in any sport.

"When you are losing there are niggling things there but they're grown men, it's not school boy stuff. It's not under 6s, this is Test cricket… there would have been a better way." 

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Reds shatter Heart's finals hopes

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Teetering ... Melbourne Heart look unlikey to make the finals after losing to Adelaide. Source: George Salpigtidis / News Limited

Adelaide United have all but locked in a home A-League final and left Melbourne Heart's top-six chances creaking with a 2-0 win at AAMI Park on Monday night.

Dario Vidosic's first-half penalty and a second-half goal to winger Iain Ramsay snapped the Reds' indifferent form and Heart's good home run.

The victory lifts Adelaide nine points clear of fifth place with three matches remaining, with the third and fourth-placed sides at the end of the A-League regular season guaranteed home finals.

		P	W	D	L	GD	Pts
1	Western Sydney	24	16	2	6	15	50
2	Central Coast	24	13	6	5	22	45
3	Victory	24	12	4	8	3	40
4	Adelaide	24	12	3	9	3	39
5	Sydney	24	9	3	12	-8	30
6	Newcastle	25	8	6	11	-12	30
7	Brisbane	24	8	5	11	1	29
8	Perth	24	8	4	12	-2	28
9	Heart	24	8	3	13	-4	27
10	Wellington	25	6	6	13	-18	24

But Heart now slide to second-bottom after other weekend results went against them, though they are just a win out of the top six in the closely congested battle to make the playoffs.

In front of a crowd of just over 5,000, Heart were left to rue some missed early first-half chances.

Midfielder Nick Kalmar had three good attempts in three minutes and Reds goalkeeper Eugene Galekovic was forced into two outstanding saves.

Adelaide United coach Mike Valkanis was thrilled with his side's whole-hearted victory after several weeks of inconsistency.

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"We've had our ups and downs in form and we spoke about it during the week that we have to flick the switch on, and keep it on," Valkanis said.

"We can't keep thinking that we've got games in front of us and we'll be playing finals.

"It was a good professional performance."

Heart coach John Aloisi admitted the defeat would make it difficult for his side to make the playoffs, and felt they should have made Adelaide pay early when they had the chances.

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Re-live all the action from the Reds' convincing win at our A-League Match Centre, with video highlights and all the stats you need.

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"It's still close. We've still got a chance of making the six. We just have to believe that we can," Aloisi said.

"We've made it hard for ourselves. We should have punished them. Three great chances ... and they weren't causing us problems.

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"Then they got the penalty and we struggled. They were better than us after that."

Heart now need maximum points from Saturday's home match against table-topping Western Sydney Wanderers to re-ignite their top-six challenge.

The Reds face a quick turnaround to host Newcastle Jets on Friday night at Hindmarsh Stadium.
 

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'Are you not entertained NRL fans?'

Set of Six ... Cronulla complete emotional victory over Gold Coast. Source: Brett Costello / News Limited

'Are you not entertained?' Russell Crowe's Rabbitohs thumped their fierce rival; the Hayne Plane soared with his little co-pilot, Chrissy Sandow, steering the craft; and Jonathan Thurston re-signed with the Cowboys on a small five-year wage.

1st tackle

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So, yes - game one, round one. Good to have the grand old girl back, isn't it? You sports bet it is.

On Thursday night, giant thick swadges of humanity filled Allianz near to the brim and were entertained as if Russell Crowe had asked, "Are you not entertained?"

Oh yes, Rusty! Yes! The Rabbitohs looked strong. And big. When they trot out, all four of these great thundering Burgess boys will shake cities.

On the back of punishing, hard-boned hit-ups, Souths' backs had pill on the hop and space to complete, repeat, and torch the Roosters out wide, with winger Nathan Merritt adding a hat-trick to his club record 42,278 tries.

With the big yins rumbling, five-eighth John Sutton found holes, Adam Reynolds found support, and Greg Inglis found the Chooks defence to his liking.

At 105 kegs with pace, footwork and the mother-of-all fends, there's no harder player to bring down than great big GI. Certainly the Chooks struggled. And they were plucked like their sponsor's product.

2nd tackle 

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Had a yarn with the great Joseph Johns the other day, talking shop about rugby league for Rugby League Week, and he reckoned Jonathan Thurston was a player he'd pay to see (y'know, if Joey was ever made to pay to get in).

"The bigger the stage, the better he plays," said Johns. "Everyone knows what he's going to do. And everyone works on it all week at training. But it's one thing knowing and another thing stopping it."

As the Dogs found out on Saturday night when Thurston's simple, lethal dummy carved them like mum's Sunday roast.

Thurston is a master liar in body language and it's little wonder the Cows opened many vaults to keep him.

Behind a pack of monsters rumbling forward and support from Mango Matt and Neckbrace Brent, Thurston can win the Cows the comp.

3rd tackle 

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Next time you're listening to a windbag at work holding court about who's going to win this weekend (or, er, reading one), remember this: they're probably half-right. Knowing which half is the trick to wiping the smile off old smiley, Glenn Munsie.

Again the NRL looks harder to predict than a maiden at Moe.

Sure – it's round one and form lines should sort themselves out. But you could study team lists and trial form, motives and motivation, speak to punters, bookies, players, journos, coaches and sundry officials, and consult the entrails of a thousand Bogong moths, and still come up with, as I did, "Canberra by 12" and "Warriors by 18", tips so wrong as to be nearly illegal.

No wonder old mate Muns looks happy reading odds on the telly. Each time he opens his mouth in floods a river of gold.

4th tackle 

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Whatever form of transport Jarryd Hayne chooses to shape-shift into - Plane? Train? Hybrid Flying Caboose? - it's safe to say this: when Hayne is humming, rugby league is a happy place.

Taking the ball on the balls of his bouncing feet he makes people sit forward in their seat. What's he gonna do?

That is a fun footballer. And if he can sneak up on some of the form that made the end of 2009 so freaky – and if his little mate Chrissy Sandow can bounce about like Zebedee the Spring – the Eels will win more than lose.

Yes, yes, yes – mighty big "Ifs" in a long season. And Eels' supporters have been hurt before. Still, you don't mind winning your first game by 30 points, not no how.

5th tackle 

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Vision of Peter Sharp addressing the Sharks at half-time stuck in the craw like a mangled macaw.

Good fellah, Sharpy, they say. But this is Shane Flanno's team. These are his boys.

When Paul Gallen took over for his captain's address, there was a resignation about him. Even a sadness.

(Could just be me.) But in the post-game presser he looked haggard, drawn, and not because of 80 minutes rough-n-tumble.

As Gallen said: the game was the easiest thing he did all week. The game? The Sharks played rock-hard footy against committed Titans, and the Shire folk leapt about like happy trout. And the team felt the love. But is love enough? Can love find a way? Can the Sharks pull themselves from this abyss on pure goodwill?

These hard-eye emissaries of ASADA and the Crime Commission are not given to sentiment. They talk goodies and baddies and busts. Player X took Substance Y? Book him, Danno. And if you're on the wrong side of their ledger, they'll hunt you like Mounties. So, good luck, Shark People. You're gonna need it.

Last tackle 

After a "summer" of cricket longer than a verbal retelling of the Hundred Years War, how good is it having footy on the telly every night of the week bar two? As good as Brazilian gold bullion, friend. That good. Then the other two nights you can watch people gibbering about it. Good times.

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Ioane pays price for misdeeds

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Banned ... Digby Ioane will sit out the Reds next game. Source: Mark Evans / News Limited

Past misdemeanours have come back to haunt Digby Ioane as the Queensland Reds on Monday sought to improve a flagging team culture by axing the Wallabies winger for one match.

Despite being the Reds' second best player this season, behind flanker Liam Gill, Ioane has been stood down for Saturday night's Super Rugby clash with the Western Force following an incident in a Melbourne hotel on the weekend.

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Victorian police are still investigating an alleged assault following an altercation between Ioane's older brother and another patron in a Prahran hotel on Saturday afternoon.

But the Queensland Rugby Union have been quick to act and send a strong message ahead of any police findings after being unhappy with a continued slip in standards expected at Ballymore.

"We're taking a stand at this point in time that this type of behaviour is not what we're about," said Reds director of coaching Ewen McKenzie.

"This isn't just a message to Digby but to all our players about what we think is acceptable and what isn't.

"It's irrelevant of what's going in terms of the police investigation. It's how we want to be seen in the rugby community and how our young players see our senior players."

The pub incident took place the same day Reds teammate Quade Cooper posted a picture of him, Ioane, James O'Connor and Kurtley Beale as well as Hawthorn star Lance Franklin and other bare-chested men in gangster-style poses in a spa on a Melbourne rooftop.

QRU chief executive Jim Carmichael and McKenzie were both unhappy about how it represented their code.

A role model for other young Polynesians at the Reds, Ioane's been guilty of letting his behaviour lapse before the weekend, and has persisted in playing a mug lair in public.

"There's been bits of things over the years and there's always a cumulative impact," McKenzie admitted when asked whether the 27-year-old had been guilty of other misdeeds. "But it's subtle things and we know how we want to be perceived.

"Our culture is very important to us.

"Sport is about culture as much as anything.

"There's been lots of things over time, and lots of players, and we've got to this point in time that enough's enough.

"We've taken a stand ... and this type of stuff has to stop."

Queensland normally have ample depth in their outside back division to replace the tackle-shedding Ioane against the Force but they're also missing another Wallabies flyer Dom Shipperley, who injured his back in the 23-13 win over the Melbourne Rebels, as well as Rod Davies (hamstring).

Teenager Chris Feauai-Sautia and one-cap Wallaby Luke Morahan, dropped from the 22 to play the Rebels, are now set to start on the wings.

In good news for the Reds, Wallabies halfback Will Genia will make his long-awaited return from a knee reconstruction on Saturday night and captain James Horwill (ankle) is on track to play the following week against the Bulls.

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Noddy's Weekend Wash Up

Smiling assassins ... Chris Sandow and Parramatta Eels. Source: Renee McKay / AAP

In his new weekly column, Fox Sports expert and Canberra assistant coach Brett Kimmorley offers his thoughts and predictions for round one of the 2013 NRL Premiership season.

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Sydney Roosters v South Sydney Rabbitohs, Allianz Stadium

The opening 15 minutes was an aggressive period and gave us all an insight into the future of the Roosters under new coach Trent Robinson. South Sydney has picked up from where they left off last season and won the battle of the forwards which ultimately won the game. The Burgess Brothers and Roy Asotasi laid the platform for Adam Reynolds and Greg Inglis to carve the Roosters to pieces. Inglis set up two tries for Merritt with two of the best cut out passes I have seen in a long time. They like to play the right to left shift with Inglis chiming in around the back and that pet-play sealed the game.

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Brisbane Broncos v Manly Sea Eagles, Suncorp Stadium

The first 40 minutes of Friday's match showed Scott Prince and Peter Wallace are building a nice partnership but when the game needed to be aggressive and someone had to stand-up, it was Manly who took control. I thought the game was on the line around the 50 minute mark and Manly upped the tempo with Brent Kite leading the way, while Daly Cherry-Evans and Kieran Foran ran the football at Prince's edge testing the veteran's defence. Ultimately the halves were the difference. Being able to create something out of nothing and getting rewards, the Sea Eagles are only going to get stronger when Glenn Stewart and Jason King return to the side.

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Parramatta Eels vs Warriors, Parramatta Stadium

If you make Jarryd Hayne happy the rest of the team is probably going to be happy. This is a philosophy I believe Ricky Stuart will be working by this season. I can't recall the last the last time Hayne had such a big smile on his face. He genuinely looked as if he was enjoying himself and "The Plane" soared. The same can be said for Chris Sandow.  Sandow looked relaxed Sandow and as if he has found the spark he was missing last year. Sandow showed maturity, calmness and clear direction while the Warriors finished the start of the season the same way they finished last year. The Eels exposed the Warriors weaknesses through the forwards and on the edges. It's something we will see a lot of in a Ricky Stuart game plan.

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Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs vs North Queensland Cowboys

The Bulldogs were always going to play a similar style to that of last season but without Ben Barba, Sam Kasiano, Frank Pritchard and James Graham they suffered. The absence of their ball-playing forwards hurt them while last season a chunk of their tries were long range plays involving Barba. Without him they lacked spark, although they put in a gutsy effort with plenty of their young players stepping up. For the Cowboys, the inclusion of English hooker Scott Moore only makes them more of a threat thanks to his running game. They have two outstanding Australian front rowers who eat up meters and showed just why the Cowboys are genuine contenders to win the competition.

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Penrith Panthers vs Canberra Raiders, Centrebet Stadium

This wasn't a pretty game of football. Penrith were the more aggressive and enthusiastic of the two sides while neither team managed to create any real beautiful passages of play. Luke Walsh was magic with the boot for the Panthers while Tim Grant and Sam McKendry offered a lot in terms of second-phase play. It was a disappointing afternoon all round for Canberra who trialled well in the pre-season but early errors on a hot day hurt them. The difference was that Penrith gelled as a team. Too much time spent defending their line ultimately cruelled them in what I believe will be a wake-up call for the club.

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Melbourne Storm vs St George Illawarra Dragons, AAMI Park

The differences in these two sides is the halves, hooker and fullback. The Dragons are lacking in this department as they trial new combinations. When they won the competition in 2010 they were defensively great. They are a great defensive unit but struggle to score points and that has been an issue for some time. The Storm is such a well drilled unit with class across the pitch. We haven't had back-to-back premiers in quite some time and they are already showing why it is going to be very hard for someone to take the trophy from them this season.

Cronulla Sharks vs Gold Coast Titans, Sharks Stadium

I must congratulate the Cronulla fans for the atmosphere and support they created and that probably rallied them home in the end despite a valiant fight back from the Titans. The Titans halves showed a lot of promise and will continue to grow while Dave Taylor and Greg Bird looked very sharp and showed signs that better days are ahead for them. The game was full of emotion. They threw some good football at each other with cross field kicks to the right hand edge, the scoring play for both sides. The game didn't present a whole lot of scoring opportunities but it did go end-to-end which made for entertaining viewing. Todd Carney had a tremendous game in a limited pre-season thanks to an achillies injury. The Sharks new signings were very strong as was Wade Graham. It goes to show the confidence Shane Flanagan instilled in these players over the pre-season held up despite being thrown a thousand distractions.

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'Mentality' lost the Premiers Plate

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Fragile ... Central Coast have seen the Premiers' Plate slip from their grasp in recent weeks. Source: Dean Lewins / AAP

So, who is happy that there's a finals series now?

With Central Coast Wanderers five points adrift of the Western Sydney Wanderers' juggernaut, Graham Arnold's attention will likely have to turn to the A-League finals series – a format he hasn't been shy to criticise – for a shot at silverware this season.

Arnold declared the Premiers' Plate run and won after his side's loss to Sydney FC - the first time his Mariners side have lost back-to-back games since he joined the club – saying Wanderers have "two hands on the trophy".

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His side's trough has coincided with the side's arduous AFC Champions League campaign and whispers questioning whether the side has the killer instinct to get the job done when the pressure is on.

All of a sudden, Arnold is also throwing the gauntlet down to his players, after a lethargic performance against Sydney FC – their second loss to the Sky Blues this term.

"Probably the biggest disappointment was we lost the fight, the battle. You'd think we'd want it more than Sydney, but that wasn't the case," Arnold said after the game.

		P	W	D	L	GD	Pts
1	Western Sydney	24	16	2	6	15	50
2	Central Coast	24	13	6	5	22	45
3	Victory	24	12	4	8	3	40
4	Adelaide	23	11	3	9	1	36
5	Sydney	24	9	3	12	-8	30
6	Newcastle	25	8	6	11	-12	30
7	Brisbane	24	8	5	11	1	29
8	Perth	24	8	4	12	-2	28
9	Heart	23	8	3	12	-2	27
10	Wellington	25	6	6	13	-18	24

"Sydney really turned up ... their home record is extremely strong.

"If anything, I'm just disappointed by the lack of leadership from senior players in those types of games, and situations."

It's been well-documented that the Mariners are the competition's perennial Mr Consistent, but who haven't got the grand final silverware to go with it. Arnold has been a vocal advocate of the Premiers Plate being the No.1 prize in Australian football – but this year, that even looks like slipping from their grasp after setting the pace for so long this season.

Is it physical? Is it mental? Is the Champions League an excuse?

"There's two sides to fatigue; physical and mental," Arnold said.

"There's signs showing me the physical side is OK.

"They could be mentally fatigued. With that comes decision making and they're doing things they don't normally do. They're turning over possession, taking time on the ball.

"That could be a reason, but they've got to be bigger and better than that. But that's international football.

"Maybe we're not mentally strong enough to handle it."

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To exacerbate the perception of 'choking', the club's horrific record in penalties was lampooned last week. That overshadowed the fact that the Mariners were actually quite unlucky in three tough matches in quick succession, just lacking a killer edge to some polished play.

Against Sydney FC, they dropped the ball. They were outplayed - and even when presented with three or four decent chances – they weren't good enough to take them.

"Mariners won't want a great season to start to fall apart," Fox Sports football expert Mark Bosnich said.

"They were exceptional in all three games last week, but today they weren't.

"They need to pick themselves up and their mentality is very important."

Arnold wasn't completely displeased with the performance - but wonders where the finished product has gone.

"We found the spaces easily, got into good areas easily, we just lacked that final punch in front of goal."

A month ago, when the Mariners were the top dogs, Fox Sports football expert Gary Phillips told foxsports.com.au he feared that in the big games, the Mariners might lack the x-factor.

As we reach the business end of the season, is that prediction coming to fruition?

"While they're a very good unit, when it comes to a semi-final or a final, you need special players. While they've got very good players there, I'm not sure they've the special ones to win the championship," Phillips said at the time.

So how can a fatigued Mariners revive that killer instinct? Will be it be youth? Will it be the underdog tag? Or have the Mariners run their race?

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This time around, it's Arnold's turn to play the mind games to try and conjure some late season pressure on the Wanderers.

"The  pressure is definitely on them.

"There's nothing better than being in front; a test of character and mentality to withstand the pressure of being in front. Last year we were in front for 20 of the 27 weeks, this year, for 16 of the 22.

"Combining two competitions isn't easy. (Especially when FFA squads are restricted to) 23 players, and we've got three season ending injuries, which makes it tough.

"You don't want to use it as an excuse.

"Look at where we were two weeks ago before the ACL started, now it's made it a lot tougher."

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