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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