Cooper to face ARU hearing: report

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Charged ... Cooper could face the music next week. Source: Dave Hunt / AAP

Quade Cooper's future in the Wallabies jersey is set to come under close scrutiny at an Australian Rugby Union code of conduct hearing next week into comments he made criticising the national team.

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The controversial playmaker will face an ARU hearing in Sydney on Wednesday over a charge of bringing the game into disrepute following incendiary comments on Fox Sports' The Rugby Club and on his Twitter account.

Senior Wallabies players are understood to be keen to see Cooper punished for the latest in a litany of off-field discretions.

The Queensland Reds five-eighth's public airing of his vitriolic criticism of the Wallabies set-up under coach Robbie Deans, including claims of a "toxic environment" has deeply angered current and former players and coaching staff.

That in itself could ensure the hardline precedent over player misbehaviour set by the ARU when winger Lote Tuqiri's multi-million dollar contract was torn up in 2009 for off-field indiscretions could be followed.

Cooper, who is sitting out the Wallabies' spring tour to Europe due to a knee injury, faces the threat of his current contract, which ends on December 31 this year, being torn up, or the prospect of a hefty fine.

The World Cup No.10's history of indiscipline, including a boozy late night incident with Kurtley Beale at a Brisbane nightspot in June and a disagreement between the duo and Wallabies teammate James O'Connor in Paris in 2010 are likely to count against Cooper.

Former Wallabies coach John Connolly had earlier suggested a year's ban from the Wallabies could be a possible punishment for Cooper. But the former Queensland mentor stopped short of calling for a ban on Saturday.

"I have no problem with Quade Cooper as a player or a bloke, but he has to be held accountable for what he said," Connolly said.

"Imagine if he was an All Black.

"Quade needs to realise how lucky he is, most blokes would give their right arm to play for the Wallabies.

"I don't know why this hasn't been hit on the head sooner.

"But he has criticised the team publicly, said he wasn't being allowed to play to his potential and wouldn't play for Australia again and those comments are out of order."

ARU chief executive John O'Neill and chairman and former Wallaby Michael Hawker are both likely to sit in on the ARU panel to decide Cooper's fate.

The panel might need to tread a fine line on any sanctions against Cooper amid fears he could be lost to the Wallabies and the code altogether.

Cooper has previously spoken of a desire to play alongside good friend Sonny Bill Williams in the NRL, or he could opt to continue his career in Europe.

They are two options which would undoubtedly upset the Queensland Rugby Union given the Super Rugby winner has a contract to play with the Reds in 2013, a contract that is dependent upon a top-up from the ARU.

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Stoner takes pole after crashing

Remarkable ... Casey Stoner on his way to claimin pole position on Saturday after crashing. Source: Jake Nowakowski / News Limited

Casey Stoner proved he was human.

Then, perhaps that he's superhuman.

Stoner claimed pole position at the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix in extraordinary style on Saturday, clocking his best lap after being flipped off his bike at high speed.

Already carrying an ankle injury, the Australian dusted himself off, got on a new bike, then immediately clocked a flying sub-1min 30sec lap time to give himself the best possible shot at a sixth successive win at Phillip Island in Sunday's race.

He backed up that amazing effort with even quicker laps for the rest of the session.

His best of 1:29.623 put him on pole ahead of Yamaha's championship leader Jorge Lorenzo (1:30.140) and Stoner's Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa (1:30.525).

Another record attendance of more than 40,000 watched Stoner on Saturday in his home MotoGP farewell before he retires.

He started the day with more head-shakingly quick laps in morning practice, following on from dominating both practice sessions on Friday.

But after a fast early qualifying lap, all held their breath as Stoner was bucked off a bike which trailed desperately close to his injured leg as both slid off the circuit.

After limping away and visiting the pits to get some new wheels, Stoner then came out and did what no one else has yet been able to do at Phillip Island this weekend - break 1min 30sec.

He has now done it six times this weekend - auguring well for his shots at history and destiny on Sunday.

Stoner said he was thrilled to be on pole for his farewell Australian race, especially after his fall.

"I was on my 'out' lap on a hard tyre, and the thing just decided to flick me,'' Stoner said.

"I was very fortunate it didn't come down on my foot.

"I'm very happy to be on pole considering all that's happened for my home Grand Prix."

Lorenzo leads Pedrosa by 23 points in the championship going into the penultimate race of the season.

They are the only two riders who can win the MotoGP title.

Australian Kris McLaren, making his MotoGP debut as a late replacement rider for the Avintia team, failed to qualify inside the cutoff time for Sunday's race.

McLaren, from Leongatha in Victoria, had a fall just prior to Stoner's.

He improved markedly on his Friday practice times, but was still the slowest of the 20 riders.

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Ocean Park wins Cox Plate

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By a whisker ... Glen Boss rode Ocean Park to victory at Moonee Valley. Source: Wayne Ludbey / News Limited

New Zealand star Ocean Park has produced a sweeping run from the back of the field to give glamour jockey Glen Boss a third Cox Plate triumph.

In a stirring finish, Ocean Park wore down the three-year-old All Too Hard to claim Australia's weight-for-age championship at Moonee Valley on Saturday.

"I feel like this is my finest moment .. this horse is just a winner," Boss said.

"To all those who doubted him, stick that up your shirt.

"He gave me a great ride and always felt like he was going to win throughout the run."

Settling in the second half of the pack, Ocean Park made a long, sustained run to put himself into the race at the 400m.

In search of a fourth successive Group One triumph, Ocean Park levelled up to All Too Hard at 100m before edging ahead.

"It's the epitome of every trainer's career," Ocean Park's trainer Gary Hennessy said.

The Gai Waterhouse-trained Pierro finished third, just ahead of Ethiopia.

Modern-day great Makybe Diva gave Boss his breakthrough Cox Plate win and he partnered So You Think in the first of the horse's two victories in the race.

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Jeronimo fires Reds over Phoenix

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At the double ... Jeronimo continued his impressive start in the A-League. Source: Sarah Reed / News Limited

Adelaide United folk hero Cassio celebrated his 100th A-League game with a goal as the Reds downed Wellington Phoenix 3-1 on Saturday.

Argentine striker Jeronimo Neumann scored twice as Adelaide netted three goals in the final 40 minutes to deliver the Phoenix their first loss of the season.

The Phoenix finished with 10 men after Ben Sigmund was controversially sent off in the 77th minute.

		P	W	D	L	GD	Pts
1	Adelaide	4	3	0	1	4	9
2	Newcastle	4	3	0	1	1	9
3	Perth	3	2	0	1	2	6
4	Wellington	4	1	2	1	0	5
5	Brisbane	4	1	1	2	3	4
6	Central Coast	3	1	1	1	0	4
7	Heart	3	1	1	1	-1	4
8	Western Sydney	4	1	1	2	-1	4
9	Sydney	3	1	0	2	-2	3
10	Victory	4	1	0	3	-6	3

Wellington's Stein Huysegems scored the opening goal in the Hindmarsh Stadium fixture before the visitors were overwhelmed by Adelaide, who return to the top of the ladder with the win.

Jeronimo's brace was punctuated by fan favourite Cassio's 68th minute goal, which gave Adelaide a 2-1 lead.

Cassio, after a 20 metre run that sliced open Wellington's defence, flicked to Jeronimo, who fed the ball back to his teammate and the Brazilian promptly scored with a slick left-footer.

Replays suggested Jeronimo might have been offside when the ball was played to him, but the goal still stood.

Adelaide's comeback triumph came after Phoenix talisman Paul Ifill created Huysegems' strike with a crafty through ball in the 42nd minute.

As a flat-footed Adelaide defence stood hoping for an offside call, Ifill's insightful pass played the Belgian international into ample space.

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Huysegems closed within 10 metres and powered a left-footer with such force it gave Reds goalkeeper Eugene Galevokic no chance.

Adelaide hit back just 10 minutes after halftime when Jeronimo scored.

After a scramble, Wellington's attempt to clear their defensive area rebounded into the path of the Argentine just 10m from goal.

While fortunate to find the ball at his feet, Jeronimo's finish was clinical - a left-footer which equalised against the flow of play.

Jeronimo repeated the dose in the 85th minute after being played into space by Adelaide's creative Dario Vidosic, his left-foot finish sealing the victory for the Reds.

While Phoenix captain Andrew Durante was fuming after the game about Jeronimo's actions that saw Sigmund sent off, coach Ricki Herbert was riled at a goal by Wellington's Jeremy Brockie being ruled offside in the 59th minute.

"You have seen the video footage, write it yourself, I probably don't need to put words in your mouth," Herbert said.

"At the end of the day we have got an opinion and sometimes we can't voice it and I think that is to be respected.

"But all we ask for, is there an equal sort of line across the board?

"I think Jeremy's goal was a great goal.

"I thought Cassio's goal ... that is offside.

"You make your own assessments on those.

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Vettel, Webber fastest again

Same again ... Vettel and Webber have dominated qualifying recently. Source: Greg Baker / AAP

Defending world champion Sebastian Vettel completed a third-successive Red Bull front row lockout on Saturday when he took pole position for Sunday's Indian Grand Prix ahead of teammate Mark Webber.

The 25-year-old German, who is seeking to become the youngest triple champion in F1 history, made an error on his first flying lap in the top-ten shootout but responded with a second effort in one minute 25.283 seconds to clock the fastest time.

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It was his fifth pole of the season and the 35th of his career.

"All in all it has been a great weekend so far," Vettel said.

"We have to keep pushing - there are a lot of races to go.

"I'm happy to be on pole but there's a hard race coming up tomorrow."

His Australian partner Webber did his utmost to match him, but could only deliver 1:25.327 and took second as Red Bull proved they have the overall pace to start as clear favourites.

"It wasn't the smoothest (flying lap) for (Sebastian) and also for me," said Webber.

"On the last corner I got a little on the Astroturf on the exit and didn't have the cleanest run to line, but I'm driving the car.

"It was a pretty tight run thing between Seb and I. The McLarens were doing a very slow out-laps, and I had no grip in the first sector. I was surprised to end up in second."

McLaren's Lewis Hamilton took third place late in the session to jump ahead of his teammate and fellow Briton Jenson Button.

The two Ferraris of Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa are on the third row.

Alonso, championship leader for a long period of the season, is now six points behind Vettel and, with four races remaining, needs to deliver a strong result, if not a victory, to stay in serious contention.

But the Red Bulls appear stronger, Vettel having overturned a 39-point deficit to Alonso by winning the last three races in Singapore, Japan and South Korea.

The German also won the inaugural Indian last year at the 5.125km Buddh Circuit, 45km south of New Delhi.

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Wanderers beat Roar for first win

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Landmark ... Wanderers celebrate their first A-League goal, scored by Mark Bridge (second left). Source:AAP

Striker Mark Bridge headed home Western Sydney's first goal as the rookie A-League club secured a maiden win in a massive 1-0 upset of defending champions Brisbane Roar on Saturday night.

After missing a sitter in last weekend's 1-0 derby loss to Sydney FC, Bridge nodded in the drought-breaker 18 minutes into the first half, leaving Brisbane and the home fans shellshocked.

Brisbane's defence gave Bridge far too much space to move after Dutch import Youssouf Hersi delivered him a perfect ball off a short corner kick from star Japanese import Shinji Ono.

It ended 288 minutes of anxiety for for the Wanderers, who failed to score in their opening three games, though Bridge may have been lucky to grab his place in club history.

		P	W	D	L	GD	Pts
1	Adelaide	4	3	0	1	4	9
2	Newcastle	4	3	0	1	1	9
3	Perth	3	2	0	1	2	6
4	Wellington	4	1	2	1	0	5
5	Brisbane	4	1	1	2	3	4
6	Central Coast	3	1	1	1	0	4
7	Heart	3	1	1	1	-1	4
8	Western Sydney	4	1	1	2	-1	4
9	Sydney	3	1	0	2	-2	3
10	Victory	4	1	0	3	-6	3

It could easily have gone to 22-year-old midfielder Aaron Mooy, whose fourth minute speculator rebounded off the right post into the left post as powerless Roar 'keeper Michael Theo looked on.

Western Sydney coach Tony Popovic said before the game he was hoping for a "lucky goal'' to put Brisbane under pressure.

Mooy almost provided it.

The coach had to wait another 14 minutes but there was nothing lucky about Bridge's goal and Western Sydney grew in confidence.

They made Brisbane look average in the first half with eight corners to nil.

The magnitude of the upset can be measured by Brisbane's fabulous Suncorp Stadium record, having lost just three of their previous 34 home games.

The visitors continually upset Brisbane's rhythm.

Popovic's defensive structure closed down the Roar in the middle of the pitch where they are usually very dangerous.

Hersi tormented Brisbane's defenders all night, taking the sting out of the crowd, who expected most of the action would be directed at Wanderers 'keeper Ante Covic who was rarely tested.

Covic had heated words with Brisbane's Jack Hingert, who he claimed had clipped him in the head with his boot searching for the equaliser.

Popovic kept his emotions under control despite the significance of the win for the club and the pressure on his players to score.

"Obviously the stats don't lie and we hadn't scored but there was no lack of confidence in this group,'' he said.

"We came here with a belief we could win the game if we played well and in the end we did that.

"At no stage did we doubt ourselves before the game.''

Popovic said keeping a class outfit like Brisbane scoreless for 90 minutes was equally as satisfying as the win.

"It would have been an injustice had we come away tonight without those three points, which can happen in football,'' he said.

"We didn't get down on ourselves when we didn't get a win or a goal in our first three games and we certainly won't get ahead of ourselves after this.

"It's three points, three great points.''

Roar coach Rado Vidosic looked in shock after the loss, unable to offer an excuse after two high quality training sessions during the week.

"They were very hard to penetrate, their defence was excellent,'' he said.

"They looked better (than us) on the fast break and could have punished us with more goals.''

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Durante labels Jeronimo a cheat

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Heated ... Durante was clearly displeased with Jeronimo's actions. Source: Sarah Reed / News Limited

Adelaide United's double-scorer Jeronimo Neumann has been branded a cheat by Wellington Phoenix captain Andrew Durante for diving in a bitter A-League fixture at Hindmarsh Stadium on Saturday.

The Phoenix were left fuming after defender Ben Sigmund was given a straight red card for bringing Jeronimo down as the last defender during the Reds' 3-1 win, but replays suggested the Argentine's reaction was significantly delayed.

Durante was incensed at the time, as he was when Cassio scored Adelaide's second goal after receiving a pass from a seemingly-offside Jeronimo, and the Wellington skipper didn't hold back during the post-game interview with Fox Sports.

"We got a few tough decisions against us," Durante said.

"I think the first one was offside from what I saw, the second one he's dived. He's a cheat.

"In my book, if he's dived, he's a cheat. I think the referees were shocking tonight.

"To end the game with a referee's decision like that ... I mean, that linesman on that far side did nothing to help this game. I thought it was extremely poor.

Phoenix coach Ricki Herbert was equally disappointed with the match officials, and while he said he wasn't aware of Durante's comments, he had a similar message.

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"Let's have a look at the review on the dive - if the boy hasn't dived, then fine, we all move on, it happens from time to time," Herbert said.

"But if he has, then maybe there is a chance to make a bit of a statement here."

Adelaide coach John Kosmina was surprised at Durante's comment about Jeronimo.

"That is a bit unfortunate, not a nice to thing to say," Kosmina said.

Kosmina suggested referee Jared Gillett, who made headlines last season for awarding a stoppage time penalty for Brisbane Roar in the A-League grand final, was in best position to judge whether Jeronimo dived.

"The referees make decisions that you agree with sometimes and they make decisions that you don't," he said.

"Looking at the replay, it was a hard one to call.

"And he was in a better position than I was, and probably in a better position than the cameras, because he was right behind it."

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