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Sharks grab Knights late in trial

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 23 Februari 2013 | 23.51

New colours ... recruit Beau Ryan takes the ball forward for the Sharks. Source: Colin Whelan / AAP

Cronulla ran in three tries in the last 10 minutes to beat Newcastle 22-16 in Saturday's NRL trial clash at Tamworth's Scully Park.

Trailing 16-4, the Sharks claimed victory through Jonathan Wright's four-pointer with less than 60 seconds of the match remaining.

A power outage had led to a 10-minute delay after the floodlights went out, but shortly after the resumption of play Kevin Naiqama opened the scoring for the Knights after Darius Boyd latched onto a clever Kurt Gidley pass.

Gidley added the extras before NSW State of Origin winger Akuila Uate went over in the corner after being put through by Boyd to give the Knights a 10-0 advantage at halftime.

Coach Wayne Bennett made a raft of changes after the interval and the Sharks got themselves back into the game when Stewart Mills darted over for his side's first points of the game.

Young Newcastle back Peter Mata'utia looked to have sealed the win for his side with 11 minutes remaining, with Tyrone Roberts kicking the extras.

But Cronulla refused to lie down and hit straight back when Nathan Gardner went over and Chad Townsend added the extras.

Hard-working hooker Isaac De Gois reduced the deficit with Townsend once again converting.

Wright, who recently joined from Canterbury, then capped off a great fightback with a try at the death and Townsend maintained his fine kicking with a third successful kick.

"We were on the back foot in the second half but we will take some things from the game to work on,'' Knights skipper Gidley said after the game.

Neither team had any major injury concerns to report.


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Lions condemn Hawks to second loss

Thumping ... Brisbane Lions put rivals Gold Coast Suns to the sword. Source: Dan Peled / AAP

Brisbane Lions have put their Queensland rivals, Gold Coast Suns, to the sword with a thumping 33-point win in the final game of their NAB Cup triple-header.

0.2.3 (15) Q1 2.1.2 (26)
0.3.6 (24) Q2 2.6.3 (57)
Q3
Q4

Jared Brennan

1

Todd Banfield

1

Campbell Brown

1

Aaron Cornelius

1

Thomas Lynch

1

Ryan Lester

1

Stefan Martin

1

Ashley McGrath

1

Brent Moloney

1

Elliot Yeo

1

Dayne Zorko

1

Backing up from a win over Hawthorn, the Lions fell behind early but stormed home to win 2.6.3 (57) to 0.3.6 (24) at Metricon Stadium.

The Lions bucked the trend of teams playing two game in a row losing to join Collingwood and North Melbourne as the only undefeated teams in the pre-season competition.

0.0.3 (3) Q1 0.1.3 (9)
0.4.8 (32) Q2 0.1.5 (11)
Q3
Q4

Dayne Zorko

2

Luke Breust

1

Todd Banfield

1

Jordan Lisle

1

Coming off a break, the Suns started well and led early but weren't able to sustain it and they couldn't handle the slippery conditions as well as the bigger-bodied Lions.

Danyne Zorko was impressive through the midfield and kicked a nine-point super goal for the Lions while Aaron Cornelius showed some good signs playing forward and new recruit Brent Moloney kicked  the other super goal.

Cornelius produced the highlight of the night when he took a spectacular high-flying mark against two Gold Coast defenders.

Playing without captain Gary Ablett, the Suns were best served by draftee Jesse Loneragan and enigmatic forward Jared Brennan was solid.

In the previous game with Lions smashed a sloppy Hawthorn outfit by 21 points, condemning last year's grand finallists to a second straight NAB Cup loss.

The Lions used the ball far better in slippery conditions at Metricon Stadium to finish 4.8 (32) to 1.5 (11).

Hawthorn were backing up after being upset by Gold Coast Suns in the opening game of the NAB Cup triple-header and, at times, looked lost under the Lions pressure.

There were few highlights but plenty of worries for coach Alastair Clarkson after Hawthorn crashed to back-to-back losses.

0.2.3 (15) Q1 0.2.4 (16)
0.4.6 (30) Q2 0.4.5 (29)
Q3
Q4

Harley Bennell

2

Luke Breust

1

Jarrod Harbrow

1

Sam Grimley

1

Zac Smith

1

Ryan Schoenmakers

1

Derick Wanganeen

1

Clarkson may not want to sift through the game tape of either match and his team were particularly rusty against the Lions, who were without the likes of co-captains Jonathan Brown and Jed Adcock, Simon Black, Matthew Leuenberger and Brent Staker.

The Lions could only manage three behinds in the first half but stormed home, keeping the Hawks to just a single point in the second 20 minutes.

Patrick Karnezis looked impressive for the Lions running off half-back while fellow young gun Billy Longer did some positive things in the ruck and Dayne Zorko kicked two goals.

Goal sneak Luke Bruest kicked the only goal for the Hawks, who saw another solid performance from new faces Will Langford, Derrick Wanganeen and Sam Grimley.

In the night's opening game, the highlights reel was dominated by Lance Franklin - mostly for the wrong reasons - as the Gold Coast Suns snatched a one-point win over Hawthorn in their NAB Cup  clash at Metricon Stadium on Saturday night.


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Utility Luke Russell was the hero for the Suns when his behind after the full-time siren sealed a dramatic 0.4.6 (30) to 0.4.5 (29) victory in the opening round robin clash at Carrara.

However, Franklin was the name on everyone's lips.

The Hawks superstar faces a nervous wait after collecting Suns midfielder Matt Shaw in the head in the second half.

"I didn't see it mate so I couldn't tell you,'' Clarkson said of the incident.

"He (Franklin) competed hard. He was a bit scratchy with the ball from time to time.

"It wasn't a game conducive to tall players. Both games were error-ridden. It was nearly like wet weather footy tonight.''

He had earlier made everyone sit up and take notice with some more subtle touches, including a sublime handball that set up a Sam Grimley goal in the second half and kept Hawthorn in touch with upstarts Gold Coast.

The Hawks led 0.2.4 (16) to 0.2.3 (15) at halftime.

Hawthorn - without the likes of captain Luke Hodge, Sam Mitchell and Brad Sewell on the Gold Coast - received another scare when Paul Puopolo was helped off the ground late in the clash with a suspected knee complaint.

The Suns were led by Ablett who backflipped and opted to take on Hawthorn rather than the Lions.

Suns coach Guy McKenna said before the match that Ablett was in "ripping nick'' and looked to at least match his 2012 form which had him in the mix for Brownlow Medal No.2.

And he lived up to the hype, leading the way with 13 touches while Russell had 10 disposals including the match-winning behind at the death.

For the Hawks, Matt Suckling was impressive with 13 touches while highlight machine Cyril Rioli had his moments in the first half.

Rising stars Jaeger O'Meara and Jack Martin also impressed for the Suns who will later take on arch rivals Brisbane on Saturday night.

Like O'Meara last year, 18-year-old Martin can't make his AFL debut until next season due to age restrictions but has been granted permission to take part in the NAB Cup.


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Video: Clarke's on-field Bollywood jig

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Gettin' jiggy ... Clarke does his best Bollywood dance impression. Source:Fox Sports

Michael Clarke appears to have won over the home fans in Chennai, and all it took was a bit of a jig.

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Clarke was caught on camera interacting with the locals while he was out in the middle during India's innings on day two of the first Test, at first waving and then appearing to pretend to eat a meal.

He then sent the crowd into a frenzy by breaking into an impromptu Bollywood dance, receiving a huge cheer usually reserved for the likes of Sachin Tendulkar.

Commentators for the host broadcaster noted that winning over the crowd is a smart tactic for a visiting captain, as was shown by the late Tony Greig during his playing days with England.

It remains to be seen if Clarke considered this fact when he decided to get jiggy with it, but it has certainly endeared him to India's cricket-mad public.


See what happened on the rest of the day's play by checking out our Match Centre.


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Raiders tame Bulldogs in Goulburn

Wild weather ... Blake Ferguson celebrates a try in Goulburn. Source: Kym Smith / News Limited

Five-eighth Josh McCrone steered Canberra to a 22-18 trial win over last year's NRL grand finalists Canterbury-Bankstown in Goulburn on Saturday night.

The five-tries-to-three victory was played in difficult conditions with strong winds and driving rain lashing the NSW Southern Tablelands.

Canberra rocketed home in the second half with 18 points in 16 minutes after trailing for most of the match.

The Bulldogs went into halftime leading 6-4 thanks to Sam Perrett's try, while Blake Ferguson opened Canberra's account after a kick from McCrone was batted back by winger Sandor Earl to the rangy centre in the 32nd minute.

The Bulldogs, who fielded a strong team including fullback Ben Barba, hooker and skipper Michael Ennis and five-eighth Josh Reynolds, were quick to get on the scoreboard in the second half when star centre Josh Morris crossed after just four minutes.

Morris got on the end of a Kris Keating kick and planted the ball, with Krisnan Inu converting from out wide to make it 12-4.

Ennis, Barba and Morris left the field in the 57th minute and the Raiders crashed over soon after as they went on a scoring rampage to grab a 22-12 lead.

A McCrone cross-field kick resulted in a try to Raiders speedster Dimitri Pelo before big forward Tom Learoyd-Lahrs powered over from close range to score a converted try to level the match at 12-12.

Earl and Jarrad Kennedy added tries for the Raiders with the Bulldogs scoring a consolation four-pointer through replacement fullback Drury Low in the dying minutes.


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Impressive Roosters tame Tigers

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Early crow ... the Roosters impress in their big trial win over the Tigers. Source:News Limited

Sydney Roosters rounded off an eventful NRL pre-season campaign with a 28-16 victory over Wests Tigers at a sodden Allianz Stadium on Saturday.

In a summer that has featured the arrival of Sonny Bill Williams, Michael Jennings, Luke O'Donnell, James Maloney and the appointment of new coach Trent Robinson, the Roosters go into the new campaign unbeaten after outscoring the Tigers by five tries to three to win the Foundation Cup.

The Roosters have a mouth-watering season opener against South Sydney on March 7 and will head into that game - where Williams will make his long-awaited debut - full of confidence.

Robinson's side opened the scoring after 17 minutes through exciting young back-rower Boyd Cordner who was picked out superbly by Mitchell Pearce and darted his way to the line.

The hosts were in again from their next attack when giant winger Daniel Tupou leapt above Matt Utai to haul in Maloney's crossfield kick.

The Tigers, who crushed Parramatta 41-4 in last Saturday's trial, responded well after a quiet start and were rewarded for some enterprising play when Benji Marshall scored a try on the stroke of halftime.

The Kiwi playmaker was picked out by Robbie Farah's perfectly-weighted grubber kick to dive forward and get his hand to the ball.

The second half saw both sides make a host of changes.

Tigers centre Chris Lawrence was forced off with a shoulder injury and Blake Ayshford went off with concussion after coming off second-best when tackling Aidan Guerra.

But it was the Roosters who looked the more likely to extend their lead after the break and Daniel Mortimer touched down under the posts following a break from Maloney.

Jennings added a fourth four-pointer when he showed his searing pace to latch onto Tupou's hopeful kick.

Roosters back-rower Guerra crashed over 12 minutes from time to ice the victory before the Tigers scored two late consolations through Joel Reddy and Matt Utai.

Maloney finished with three goals in what was an encouraging display from the former Warriors five-eighth, with Marshall kicking two.

Robinson, whose partner gave birth to their second child on Friday night, was satisfied with the performance.

However he was keen to point out the two wins his side recorded in successive weekends, after beating Manly last Friday, counted for little ahead of round one.

"I thought there was some good control in parts," Roosters coach Robinson said.

"The wins don't make a difference when it comes to round one but there's been parts of both trials where we've seen what we've wanted to see, both in attack and defence."

Tigers coach Mick Potter, who lost Braith Anasta and Tim Moltzen midway through the game due to gastro issues, said the display from his side showed they still had plenty of work ahead of them.

"At times there we couldn't go with them and it just shows we need to do a little bit extra at training," Potter said.

"Defensively we've got a little bit of work to do."

Lawrence (shoulder) and Ayshford (concussion) were both forced off but the Tigers' medical staff said they were not concerned.


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WA on verge of stunning Shield win

Michael Hussey ... finds form for Western Australia. Source: Annaliese Frank / AAP

The quirky laws of cricket mean Western Australia and Tasmania will be back on Sunday morning at the WACA Ground, with the hosts needing six runs and the Tigers two wickets.

Despite the fact the Sheffield Shield game could very well be decided in an over, a result was not achieved with an extra half-hour taken at the end of the third day on Saturday.

The Warriors have done a brilliant job to be 8-351 and within striking distance of their third-best run-chase at the WACA after appearing out of the contest for much of the match.

WA were bowled out in their first innings for a paltry 97 with Tasmania making 211 and 242 either side of that to set the Warriors 357 to win.

That looked near impossible when WA slumped to 3-37 with Liam Davis (15), Marcus Harris (seven) and Luke Towers (five) all out, only for WA to start their resurgence.

Michael Hussey scored 44, his highest score since posting 115 not out in the first Test against Sri Lanka in December.

John Rogers added 39 and then Mitch Marsh continued his strong comeback from a hamstring injury with 51.

With the score 6-203, Sam Whiteman (83) and Ashton Agar (71 not out) then formed a partnership of 121 runs, the best stand of the bowler-dominated match.

WA coach Justin Langer was impressed with his side's fightback, and accepting of the sleepless night ahead.

"Mitchell Marsh, Sam Whiteman and Ashton Agar are only 20 or 21-year-old kids so I've been really thrilled with the way they have fought back,'' Langer said.

"There were a few people getting right into the game like we all were, but the fact is that is the rules of the game.

"I thought the umpires showed good commonsense to allow those eight overs to happen.

"I could jump up and down saying that of course we would like the game decided tonight, but that's the rules and we have to abide by them.''

Tasmania had still looked on top when Marsh was out with WA still needing a further 154 to win, but Whiteman and Agar swung the momentum again.

Whiteman eventually fell for a game-high 83 when caught by Alex Doolan off James Faulkner.

Agar was dropped by Ricky Ponting before he scored, but showed he could very well be a long-term all-rounder of considerable quality and not just a left-arm spinner.

Agar was joined by Burt Cockley (four not out) after Ryan Duffield was out for nine.

Faulkner took 4-65 for Tasmania and Ben Hilfenhaus 3-59.

Adding further spice to the result is the fact that the winner remains in contention to make next month's final and the loser is out of the race.


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Cowboys thrashed by Titans

Playmaker ... Albert Kelly played a leading part in the Titans trial win. Source: Adam Head / News Limited

Missing Johnathan Thurston, North Queensland Cowboys were thrashed by an almost full strength Gold Coast Titans 28-10 in their NRL trial in Mackay on Saturday night.

Thurston will go into the 2013 NRL season with just one game under his belt after succumbing to the hand injury he suffered in the February 9 All Stars clash.

The Test pivot was named on an extended bench but North Queensland coach Neil Henry opted to hand Ray Thompson the No.6 jersey.

The Cowboys later dismissed fears that trump card Thurston was in danger of missing the NRL season opener against the Bulldogs in less than a fortnight.

While the Cowboys looked disjointed without their playmaker, the Titans boasted a near full strength line-up lacking just Queensland Origin backrower Ashley Harrison (broken nose) and hooker Beau Falloon (knee).

The Titans got off to a dream start in front of a heavily pro-Cowboys crowd after winger David Mead ran almost the length of the field to score an intercept try in the first five minutes.

The crowd were on their feet again when Titans recruit David Taylor nailed Cowboys forward Dallas Johnson with the now banned shoulder charge and North Queensland scored soon after the ensuing penalty through Ashton Sims.

Winger Kalifa Faifai Loa scored after great lead-up work by Brent Tate and Ash Graham to give the Cowboys a 10-6 lead at the break.

However, the Titans - led by impressive halfback hopeful Albert Kelly - hit back hard in the second half, running in four tries to one including three in the final 10 minutes.

Cowboys halfback Robert Lui also had his moments in a scrappy display from both teams.

Titans prop Luke Bailey was promoted to the starting line-up for the trial, marking his first appearance in Gold Coast colours since tearing an Achilles in round 23 last year.


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