http://www.ebroadcast.com.au/eblah/ http://www.eblah.com en http://www.ebroadcast.com.au/eblah/m-1281165916/ http://www.ebroadcast.com.au/eblah/m-1281165916/#num1 ]]> Sat, 7 Aug 2010 17:25:16 Paula http://www.ebroadcast.com.au/eblah/m-1278750444/ http://www.ebroadcast.com.au/eblah/m-1278750444/#num1 10 July 2010 | 00:00

Cadel Evans and Andy Schleck will be among the Tour de France contenders keeping their eyes glued to their rivals as the seventh stage takes the race into the Alps.

Behind them there are a group of riders just a single minute back who may be looking to make up any time on the two best positioned general classification chances.

Alberto Contador (Astana), Bradley Wiggins (Sky) and Denis Menchov (Rabibank) are three sitting behind Schleck and Evans on that mark, with others like Lance Armstrong (RadioShack) and Luis Leon Sanchez (Caisse d'Epargne) approximately a further minute back on the duo.

The first of three days in the Alps begin with a 165.5km ride from Tournus in southern Burgundy to the Alpine ski station of Les Rousses.

Despite the fact an already beat-up peloton will tackle five medium-sized climbs before the 14km ascent to Rousses, there have been hints the race's big guns will keep their powder dry for Sunday's more difficult stage to Morzine-Avoriaz.

In comparison, stage seven is more of an appetiser -- the final climb's average gradient is just five percent and it has been suggested that Swiss race leader Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank), who is not a climbing specialist, will emerge with the yellow jersey still on his back.

Yet both Geraint Thomas, Team Sky's Welsh debutant, and Evans (BMC), a former two-time runner-up, have a great chance of taking the race lead as both are only 23 and 39sec behind Cancellara respectively.

Nevertheless, Evans and Schleck will be keeping a close eye on attacks from riders like Armstrong and Sanchez, who have time to make up after losing time on the tough stage three over the cobbles.

"Even in these early days people will be looking for opportunities, and there's a couple of guys on the back foot," said Evans.

"I know how it is in that position, you've got to look for opportunities everywhere."

Evans, Schleck and Contador were all big winners on stage three's ride over the cobbles.

Luxemburger Schleck is now sixth overall 30sec behind Evans but 1:11 ahead of Armstrong while Contador is ninth at 1:01 behind Evans and 50sec ahead of Armstrong.

Schleck has come into the Tour as the main challenger to two-time winner Contador after he finished runner-up to the Spanish all-rounder in 2009, albeit over four minutes adrift.

And the Saxo Bank climbing specialist seemed to suggest he will be paying special attention to Armstrong.

"There's two riders I need to pay close attention to, and that's Armstrong and Contador. They are the strongest. Armstrong's in good form, better than people might think," he said.

Thomas, the Welsh former track cyclist, has brought an air of excitement to the Tour after a superb first week of racing.

In doing so he has upstaged team leader Bradley Wiggins, although in reality the situation suits the Londoner who is fully focused on staking his own yellow jersey claim after a fourth place finish in 2009.

Thomas therefore has a great chance of pulling on the yellow jersey himself. That would be considered a huge achievement for his team on their debut, and is a prospect he had never dreamed of.

"It's quite strange to be in this position, but it's been a nice first week. It's not bad really, is it?" he said Friday.

"Obviously if the opportunity arose then I'd definitely try and grab it."
http://tdf.sbs.com.au/tdf2010/news/article/24552/The-Tour-heads-into-the-Alps]]> Sat, 10 Jul 2010 18:27:24 LB http://www.ebroadcast.com.au/eblah/m-1278726085/ http://www.ebroadcast.com.au/eblah/m-1278726085/#num1 After a disastrous season so far, the coach has "stepped aside".  I am sure he was "pushed".

Collingwood spoils Choco's farewell

Port Adelaide went down fighting in a gutsy farewell to departing coach Mark Williams, falling by 26 points to Collingwood at Football Park on Friday night.

Just hours after Williams tearfully announced that he was leaving the club, the Power went goal-for-goal in the third term before eventually succumbing 16.9 (105) to 12.7 (79), extending their losing skid to eight matches.

Collingwood ball magnet Dane Swan was instrumental in the comeback victory, gathering a game-high 39 disposals, and Chris Dawes kicked three goals.

Port forward Brett Ebert kicked four majors, David Rodan and Steven Salopek were prolific ball winners, but Power players were unable to farewell Williams in style.

Williams blew a kiss to his home crowd when leaving the arena at three-quarter time, but was ultimately helpless as Port fell to its eighth consecutive loss - an extension of an unwanted club record.

Williams, who had coached Port since 1999, was afforded a pre-game standing ovation from the 24,260 spectators before his side, kicking with a gale, blitzed Collingwood in the opening stanza.

Alan Didak said despite the opposition's poor record, Collingwood had to be wary of an emotionally charged Power side.

"I think every team tries to lift for the coach's last game," he told Grandstand.

"We found out pretty early and we knew they were going to come out hard and give everything for Choco, so we just had to stick to our guns and we did that."

He said that Magpies coach Mick Malthouse lit a fire under he and his team-mates after the ordinary first term.

"Mick was pretty keen on us to get the footy and stick to our structures and we did that in the second quarter, I think we kicked seven goals," he told Grandstand.

"He does [get frustrated] at times any coach would, but we started off terrible and I think he was a bit annoyed so I think he showed his frustration."

The ugly scoreline at the first break was compounded for the Magpies when Travis Cloke was booked for striking Power onballer Travis Boak in the back of the head away from the play.

Magpies midfielder Swan was the catalyst for the comeback, which also featured influential gems by the mercurial Didak.

Didak set up Swan for the first of six unanswered goals with a blink fast handball before posting two majors himself - the first an up and under snap from 40 metres which sailed on the breeze, the second a classy curled shot from a tight angle.

The Magpies then bunkered down in a game defining third term, mustering three goals into the wind which nullified Port's three, as the visitors took a one-point lead into the last quarter.

While the advantage was slender, the result appeared inevitable given the impact of the wind - only six goals were kicked against the solid southerly, and the Magpies duly sailed home to post their 11th win of the season.

Port has the task of appointing a caretaker coach for its trip to Darwin to face the Western Bulldogs next round, while the Magpies return home to prepare for a blockbuster against fellow flag aspirant St Kilda.

Collingwood: 16.9 (105) - C Dawes 3, A Didak 2, D Thomas 2, J Blair 2, L Brown 2, D Beams, D Jolly, D Swan, T Cloke, T Lockyer.

Port Adelaide: 12.7 (79) - B Ebert 4, D Rodan 3, D Motlop 2, D Stewart, J Carr, M Banner.

- AAP/ABC

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/07/09/2949948.htm?site=sport&section=afl]]> Sat, 10 Jul 2010 11:41:25 Paula http://www.ebroadcast.com.au/eblah/m-1278299013/ http://www.ebroadcast.com.au/eblah/m-1278299013/#num1 If it is true, I hope he recovers.  

Cousins rushed to hospital

AFL star Ben Cousins was rushed to hospital this morning with what the Richmond Football Club says was "an adverse reaction to a sleeping tablet".

The 32-year-old was taken to Melbourne's Epworth Hospital by ambulance at around 11.45am (AEST).

The Richmond Football Club says it will provide more details once Cousins' condition becomes clearer.

In March 2007 Cousins was suspended indefinitely by his then-club the West Coast Eagles and ordered to enter rehabilitation after admitting to a drug problem.

In October 2007 he was arrested in Perth's nightclub district, Northbridge and charged with possessing drugs.

Those charges were later dropped, but Cousins was sacked by West Coast for serious breach of contract.

After being suspended for a year by the AFL, Cousins was picked up by Richmond in the 2009 draft.

He was admitted to hospital with stmach pains in March, just before the Tigers' season opener against Carlton.

He has been ordered by the AFL to undergo regular drug tests...

First posted July 5, 2010 12:39:00

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/07/05/2944916.htm

]]> Mon, 5 Jul 2010 13:03:33 Paula http://www.ebroadcast.com.au/eblah/m-1278203165/ http://www.ebroadcast.com.au/eblah/m-1278203165/#num1 Sun, 4 Jul 2010 10:26:05 Paula http://www.ebroadcast.com.au/eblah/m-1278202991/ http://www.ebroadcast.com.au/eblah/m-1278202991/#num1 Sun, 4 Jul 2010 10:23:11 Paula http://www.ebroadcast.com.au/eblah/m-1276760329/ http://www.ebroadcast.com.au/eblah/m-1276760329/#num1
Maroons massacre makes it five straight - but this time it's personal
Wayne Smith From: The Australian June 17, 2010 12:00AM  
RUGBY league's race row isn't going away any time soon, but for 80 minutes in Brisbane last night it was overshadowed by more explosive colour problems, the ones the Blues were having with the Maroons.

They had massive problems containing them, for starters, with Queensland captain Darren Lockyer celebrating what may have been his final State of Origin match at Suncorp Stadium by steering his side to a crushing 34-6 win to sew up an unprecedented fifth straight series victory.

A record-shattering winning margin had been in the offing until the second-last minute when Blues prop Brett White ambled over for a curiously soft try.

The ugliest preamble ever to an Origin match, courtesy of disgraced NSW assistant coach Andrew Johns's allegedly racist putdown of indigenous and Islander players in the Queensland side gave way to some of the ugliest brawls but prettiest football in the 30-year history of Origin.

After a week of pent-up racial tension, an explosion was inevitable and just as inevitably it was the "brother" Johns so colourfully had belittled who lit the fuse when Inglis scorched the Blues defence to score in the third minute.

AFL-bound Israel Folau, of Tongan descent, notched a second just 10 minutes later.

Barely 26 minutes into the contest, the match erupted after Blues forwards Luke O'Donnell and Nathan Hindmarsh drove Queensland winger Darius Boyd head-first into the Lang Park turf.

Within seconds, 26 warriors were trading all kinds of blows.

There was no extinguishing these fires. They flared again and again, with the normally placid Inglis never far from the fracas.

For long segments of the match, the rugby league was almost incidental. It had a Shakespearean feel to it. No, not Othello, but Henry V as Queensland's band of brothers swept to a fifth successive Origin series victory.

http://www.theaustralian.com.a.....frg7mf-1225880649995

Maroons magic but Mal left fuming

Steve Ricketts From: The Courier-Mail June 17, 2010 12:19AM 95 comments
Maroons forward Dave Taylor and Blues rival Luke O'Donnell square up in State of Origin II at Suncorp Stadium. Picture: Darren England Source: The Courier-Mail

FURIOUS Queensland coach Mal Meninga said NSW forward Luke O'Donnell should have been sent off and called for disciplinary action to be taken against him and teammate Paul Gallen.

Meninga said the two were guilty of planned cheap shots in the Maroons' 34-6 thrashing of the Blues at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium on Wednesday night.

Meninga was proud of his men for the way they resisted the temptation to throw the rule book out the window and seek revenge as they wrapped up an unprecedented fifth series win in a row.

Queensland centre Greg Inglis told teammates three minutes before kick-off he was ready for a big game and that was what they wanted to hear, with Inglis setting the stage with a try in the third minute.

The giant Melbourne Storm star was fuming after hearing that NSW assistant coach Andrew Johns had aimed a racial slur at him last week and he took out his frustrations on the Blues and rival centre Beau Scott in particular.

"I want the League to take action on this," Meninga said of the unsavoury incidents which marred the game.

"The Gallen shot on Nate Myles was ordinary and then you have O'Donnell with a spear tackle followed by a headbutt (on Dave Taylor).

"To me that is a send-off offence but we had some of those tough calls all night and I'm just so proud of my guys that they kept their focus and kept on playing rugby league."

Want more State of Origin coverage? Get your Courier-Mail print edition
Asked if he had expected the Blues to employ those tactics, Meninga said: "Yes. Most definitely. We knew they were desperate and they had to do something."

Queensland halfback Johnathan Thurston said things did not look good for his Cowboys teammate O'Donnell, but Maroons hooker Cameron Smith did not think O'Donnell should have been sent off, with the forward copping a grade two dangerous throw charge. That could bring a four-match suspension, given his record.

But Smith criticised referees Tony Archer and Shayne Hayne for not taking decisive action over the spear tackle on Dragons winger Darius Boyd.

"It is a physical game Origin. Highly intense," Smith said.

Click here for thousands of State of Origin memories
"I was waiting for a penalty to come from that tackle and it didn't happen and I'm thinking that's why the fight started, because the officials didn't blow a penalty straight away.

"So I was a bit confused. But those sort of blues happen in Origin and I think all of the players were happy to get on with the game."

O'Donnell and Gallen look set to front a ARL judiciary panel today and Thurston is pessimistic about O'Donnell's chances of being available for Saturday's match against Smith's club Melbourne Storm.

http://www.couriermail.com.au/.....frepbx-1225880657875

I can't find the photo of Alfie Langer that was on the news.com.au site with a frothing can of beer in his hand and reacting exuberantly and not a good look.   no wonder it has disappeared. ]]> Thu, 17 Jun 2010 17:38:49 SuziH http://www.ebroadcast.com.au/eblah/m-1276477685/ http://www.ebroadcast.com.au/eblah/m-1276477685/#num1 Andrew Johns not welcome back to NSW State of Origin camp

Andrew Webster in Brisbane From: The Daily Telegraph June 14, 2010 12:00AM

Rugby League - NSW Blues State of Origin .Andrew Johns press conference at Salt Resort , Kingscliff .Pic;Gregg Porteous Picture: Gregg Porteous Source: The Daily Telegraph

THE Blues last night slammed the door on Andrew Johns returning to their camp for the rest of this year's Origin series.

While Timana Tahu will be welcomed back with open arms,Johns will receive no such lifeline, NSWRL boss Geoff Carr told The Daily Telegraph.

"My personal view is that it would not be appropriate for Joey to return to the side for the remainder of this series - he shouldn't be involved," Carr said. "Whether he has a future with the team beyond that, I don't know."

As the fallout from the Johns' racism scandal continued yesterday, Blues coach Craig Bellamy admitted the shock departures of Tahu and Johns had "affected" the camp but had also galvanised it in the build-up to game two against Queensland at Suncorp Stadium on Wednesday night.

"It is a massive issue - we're not trying to say that it's not," Bellamy said. "But I must say, to the credit of the players, we've had two training sessions since this has happened, and they've been tremendous. You wouldn't have noticed there was a bit of a crisis going on in our camp. I'm not going to say it's not affecting anyone, because it has affected the team.

"But we've got to try and minimise that."

Johns was forced to quit his assistant coaching role on Saturday night after it emerged he had described Queensland centre Greg Inglis as a "black c. . t." during a team meeting - something that prompted Tahu to walk out on the camp on Friday night.

NSWRL chief executive Carr last night said the Eels superstar would be welcomed back to the fold for game three at ANZ Stadium on July 7 if his form warranted it - a sentiment backed-up by Blues coach Bellamy.

"As for Timana, I cannot see why this episode should affect his selection for game three," Carr said. "If his form warrants it, then he should be considered."

http://www.dailytelegraph.com......frexnr-1225879193319   for more

I find the use of the 'C' word disgusting under any circumstances.  ]]> Mon, 14 Jun 2010 11:08:05 SuziH http://www.ebroadcast.com.au/eblah/m-1272078475/ http://www.ebroadcast.com.au/eblah/m-1272078475/#num1 Will this scandal be the end for the club?  Do you think the NRL acted fairly?  Have the players been treated badly?  Who will/should pay for the dishonesty?  Should there be a police investigation?

NRL seize damning Storm documents
By Michael Vincent and staff
Updated April 24, 2010 12:36:00

Owners of the Melbourne Storm have confirmed new documents have been handed over to investigators which show the NRL club guaranteed third-party payments to three of its players.

There are three letters detailing payments for three players. Two of those three letters were signed by the players and their agents; all three were signed by former Storm chief executive Brian Waldron.

The letters detail payments from third parties for the players, which the club would guarantee. That is entirely in breach of the NRL's salary cap rules.

News Limited spokesman Greg Baxter says the letters were handed over by the former acting chief executive Matt Hanson and have now been passed on to the NRL's salary cap auditor Ian Schubert.

The documents were being kept at the home of Hanson who it is believed to have received them from Waldron, who in turn had kept them at his home rather than the office.

It is unclear if more documents are still being held by current or former club officials.

Mr Baxter says the documents not only fill in the picture of payments in the 2008/2009 season, but are the first evidence of payments planned for this year.

It is not clear how much money the documents guaranteed the players, but it is understood they help account for the projected salary cap breach of $700,000 for this year.

The Storm has been fined $1.6 million, stripped of its two premierships from 2007 and 2009 and effectively disqualified from this year's competition for salary cap breaches of $1.7 million over five years.

News Limited confirmed that the Victorian Fraud Squad has had preliminary discussions with its forensic investigators, Deloitte.

Already a list is being drawn up of officials, but also the players' agents who were party to the deals.

In the case of the latest documents, all three players are represented by different agents.

News Limited says they do not yet have a satisfactory explanation as to what the agents knew and when.

He also says they will also not name the three players because it is entirely unfair at this stage, but all will be interviewed by investigators.

The people providing the money were not named, other than to be called a third-party sponsor.

News Limited says the letters are worded in such a way that the players would not have known what they were signing was in breach of the salary cap.

It says one of the letters explicitly cites the salary cap in its conditions and that the letters also detail payments for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

It is not clear whether the players and their agents knew what they were signing would not be registered with the NRL.

First posted April 24, 2010 09:24:00

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/04/24/2881868.htm

]]> Sat, 24 Apr 2010 13:07:55 Paula http://www.ebroadcast.com.au/eblah/m-1269830274/ http://www.ebroadcast.com.au/eblah/m-1269830274/#num1 Mon, 29 Mar 2010 13:37:54 TONY