Bookies sweat on Ablett's medal

Gold Coast captain Gary Ablett is raging favourite to claim his second Brownlow Medal. Picture: Sarah Reed Source: Sarah Reed / The Advertiser

ONE bookmaker paid out on Gary Ablett winning the Brownlow Medal in early August.

Bad move.

At the time, a spokesman for the company — which erred in paying out early on Chris Judd in 2011 when Dane Swan eventually saluted — said it had learnt its lesson and wouldn't risk it twice.

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Well ...

There's no doubt the Gold Coast captain has played some of his best footy in 2013, even eliciting comparisons with the legendary Leigh Matthews.

And he will start a deserved favourite to take home "Charlie" for the second time after his triumph while at Geelong in 2009.

He was also runner-up in 2010 and, remarkably, hasn't failed to poll at least 20 votes since 2006.

But he's far from bulletproof tomorrow night.

Bombers skipper Jobe Watson with his Brownlow Medal. Picture: Michael Klein. Source: Herald Sun

Ablett will likely vie with Jobe Watson — and maybe Patrick Dangerfield — for the midpoint lead and could possibly have seven best-afield votes by Round 11.

But to take home Gold Coast's first Brownlow Medal, he'll likely need them all because there will be a charge of the light brigade after Round 10.

And the attacks will come from the game's biggest names.

Joel Selwood turned it on in the last quarter against Ablett's Suns at Simonds Stadium in Round 11 and, symbolically, it could be the turning point of the Brownlow count.

From there, the Cats' skipper barely missed a beat and could score as many as 20 votes from that point.

Sam Mitchell's numbers perhaps aren't as imposing on face value.

But the Hawks champion has been a vote-gathering machine for the best part of a decade and has tallied at least 13 votes each season since 2006, including a combined 56 in two runner-up finishes in the past two years.

The Hawks won 19 matches and didn't have a standout all year long — leaving Mitchell, a chance to poll in 13 games, to be more than an outsider if he can convert a few of those into threes.

But, in the opposite vein, Scott Pendlebury could be the man to ease the Pies' pain.

Dane Swan runs in support for Scott Pendlebury. Source: Getty Images

Pendlebury and his midfield mate Dane Swan will be Collingwood's standouts in most wins.

From the time Collingwood trounced Melbourne in Round 11, it's not inconceivable that Pendlebury will nab six best-on-grounds.

If, in doing the form, you can make a case that he topples Swan in Rounds 11 and 12 to pick up six votes, Pendlebury could well win a Brownlow Medal to add to his 2011 Copeland Trophy and 2010 Norm Smith Medal.

In short, it's far from the foregone conclusion we thought it was two months ago.

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Villa win despite Benteke blow

Aston Villa's Libor Kozak (R) is congratulated after scoring the only goal against Norwich. Source: AAP

ASTON Villa lost key striker Christian Benteke to injury but still managed to snap a three-game Premier League losing streak with a 1-0 win at Norwich City on Saturday.

Last season's top scorer with 19 goals, Benteke limped off with an apparent groin injury during the first half but his replacement, Libor Kozak, tapped in the game's only goal within two minutes of coming on.

It was the Czech Republic striker's first goal for Villa since his £7 million ($11.2 million) move from Lazio and gave Paul Lambert's side a first win since their 3-1 success at Arsenal on the season's opening day.

Leaders Liverpool will look to strengthen their grip on first place when they welcome Southampton to Anfield later on Saturday.

Brendan Rodgers's side went into the weekend with a one-point lead over Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, both of whom play on Sunday, having ceded their 100 percent record in Monday's 2-2 draw at Swansea City.

Jose Mourinho's Chelsea, meanwhile, can bring an end to a damaging run of four games without victory in all competitions if they prevail at home to west London rivals Fulham.

The Europa League holders lost 1-0 at Everton in their last league outing and were surprisingly beaten 2-1 at home by Basel in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Elsewhere, bottom two clubs West Bromwich Albion and Sunderland meet at The Hawthorns, while Everton travel to West Ham United and Newcastle United are at home to Hull City.

Manchester United visit Manchester City on Sunday in the season's first Manchester derby, when both City manager Manuel Pellegrini and his United counterpart David Moyes will be sampling the fixture for the first time. 

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Raiders up the ante to keep Milford

• by: Peter Badel
• From: The Courier-Mail
• September 22, 2013 12:00AM

• Tweet

CANBERRA are set to table a contract upgrade in excess of $100,000 in a last-ditch bid to stop Anthony Milford joining the Broncos.

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Barba won't run until Christmas

Ben Barba has been at the centre of the good and bad of the Bulldogs season. Source: Brett Costello / DailyTelegraph

BEN Barba's career at the Broncos has suffered a blow before he even arrives with the troubled big-name recruit facing almost three months on the sidelines.

Brisbane warhorse Corey Parker has warned Barba is not the one-man solution to curing the club's ills as the Canterbury import comes to terms with his own well-being.

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Barba, who injured his ankle in Canterbury's season-ending finals loss to Newcastle, underwent surgery on Thursday. He will miss the start of Broncos pre-season, but is hopeful of training at full capacity before Christmas.

The Broncos are banking on Barba's instinctive brilliance to be their X-factor next year after a dismal 2013 campaign in which they struggled to unearth a regular game-breaker.

Former Test centre Tony Currie has hailed Barba's signing as one of the greatest coups in the club's history, but Parker insists the 24-year-old cannot rebuild the Broncos on his own.

"Ben Barba is a very classy player, he proved that to everyone last year but let's get one thing straight, Ben Barba's inclusion all of a sudden won't turn the Broncos around," Parker said.

"It's certainly exciting to have him on board. I'm looking forward to him playing for the Broncos as much as any Brisbane fan, but there are a number of things we have to work on as a group.

"Ben Barba won't solve all our issues."

Barba will arrive at Red Hill in November in a fragile state. Aside from assault allegations hanging over him, the Queensland Origin hopeful is facing a lengthy rehabilitation from his ankle injury.

Barba's quest for redemption will be mirrored by Broncos stars, with Parker admitting Brisbane's finals wipeout in 2013 cut deep for a squad accustomed to success.

The 31-year-old is struggling as a finals spectator - he won a premiership ring in 2006 and has missed the finals just twice in 13 seasons at the Broncos.

"It hurts enormously," Parker said of Brisbane's 12th-placing.

"I've played 13 years at the Broncos and barely missed the finals. It is something that I'm not quite used to but you learn a lot about yourself and you learn a lot about each other in terms of character building.

"One thing I can't question is the effort that was put into games. If you were questioning our passion, you would be scratching your head quite a bit.

"But there were quite a few games where we just fell short and a lot of that came down to execution.

"The reality is we didn't make the finals and I think we need to concentrate on executing for the full 80 minutes.

"There were a number of games where we were in a position to win and we just didn't execute right." 

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The rapid rise of Bernard Foley

Bernard Foley was a revelation for the Waratahs this year. Source: Mark Evans / News Limited

THIS man could be Ewen McKenzie's perfect 10 for the 2015 World Cup, and the rapid rise of Bernard Foley can be traced back to a phone call two years ago that changed everything.

With the attacking incisiveness of Quade Cooper and reliable defence of Matt Toomua, Foley hops on the plane for his first Wallabies tour on Monday. Yet as recently as 2011 he believed he would be a Sevens specialist.

He'd won a silver medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, and was captain of the Australian Sevens team, when he received a call from then Waratahs assistant Scott Bowen prior to NSW's 2011 Super Rugby elimination final in Auckland.

"He said 'You're flying to Auckland, we need you for the final'," Foley said.

"I hadn't played much XVs for two years before that."

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But once he entered that Eden Park dressing room alongside Phil Waugh, Tom Carter, Kurtley Beale and Ryan Cross, there was no second-guessing his future.

"A few words those guys said before and after the game really lit the fire," Foley said.

"I remember sitting there in awe of their passion.

"We didn't get the job done, but for me it ignited something.

"I only got eight or 10 minutes on the field, but looking back, that was the turning point. I got the drive.

"I knew then I wanted to make a real go of XVs."

And how.

Looking at Foley's statistics in his first year as a first-choice five-eighth in Super Rugby, he dominated Cooper and Toomua in vital areas.

Under the Waratahs' attack-based game plan Foley led the competition for try assists and line-break assists up to the finals.

This alone does not warrant his inclusion in the Wallabies side ahead of incumbents Cooper and Toomua, who have both shown glimpses of brilliance this Test season.

But Foley continues to provide Wallabies coach McKenzie with an alternative option for the looming Tests against South Africa and Argentina, having developed his skills throughout the year, impressing during Australia's practice sessions, and leading Sydney University to the Shute Shield premiership with outstanding poise in the semi-final and grand final.

Foley recognises the step up to the international arena will be grand, but readily accepts the pressure.

"It is driving me to be a better player, hopefully to get an opportunity to finally wear that gold jersey," he said.

"Whether it is on this trip, or later down the road, I will be grateful to get the opportunity.

"Growing up as a kid it is something I always aspired to, in the backyard with my brothers and sisters, lots of touch footy games at lunchtimes, and now to be so close is very exciting.

"But in saying that, it has been a dream for a long time so when I get that opportunity I want to be ready and take it with both hands."

The reason he walked away from the assured prospect of competing at an Olympic Games is the global event that falls a year earlier.

"We're two years away from the World Cup, hopefully with another couple of Super Rugby seasons and hopefully some Wallabies experience it can put you in good stead for building this group forward at the World Cup," Foley said.

"To get an opportunity to play in a World Cup would be pretty exciting, just to be involved with this squad.

"With the depth and youth here at the moment, in another two years it could be very exciting times."

But as much as Foley has dedicated himself to the XVs cause, he has not given up all hope of going to Rio.

"Even through school and colts, I honestly didn't believe I could make a living from rugby," he said.

"I got that first opportunity through Sevens, and with a couple of good teammates we really pushed ourselves, we saw this as a pathway to being a professional rugby player.

"It taught me what needs to be done, how I need to train to push myself.

"I still think about 2016 now, in the back of my mind, the opportunity to go to the Olympics and be part of the Australian team and win one of the most valuable things that a sportsman can win – a gold medal.

"It was always a dream for me to establish myself as a XVs player, but Sevens made me what I am today."

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Secret fines guiding Souths to title

A typical Rabbitohs celebration. Source: Matt King / DailyTelegraph

DEPENDING on who you speak too at Souths, it all started with the threat of a fine.

A whopping $10.

All year, we've watched and wondered why, after every South Sydney try, players — one through to 13 — stream from all corners of the field to celebrate.

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They pile on top of each other like they've won lotto.

On 102 occasions this season, the Bunnies have celebrated tries like it's the 1971 grand final.

High-fives, back slaps and bear hugs. It's like they've already booked a spot in this year's big dance, and it's all because every player is wary of being pinged 10 bucks, if they fail to display a bit of man love.

It's difficult to recall any previous Souths side — or any other club, for that matter — display such public affection as Michael Maguire's squad have done this season.

The secret to Maguire's success, on this occasion, isn't overly scientific, or a trick-shot you'll find in a coaching manual.

While South Sydney chief executive Shane Richardson says he's unaware of the $10 infringement notice for failing to celebrate a try, the penalty has created unrivalled team harmony, camaraderie and mateship at the club. The money collected from the fines is used to pay for team dinners and family functions.

According to Souths hooker Issac Luke, big prop Jeff Lima and Ben Te'o lead the infringement list.

"Ben Te'o, he power walks. He's stuck on a treadmill when he runs," Luke laughed.

"I've only been done once when Manly's Jorge Taufua put a shot on me and I was winded and couldn't get up to join the boys.

"Jeff Lima, he always whinges after that he couldn't get there for one reason or another.

"But it's all good fun. It's just the brotherhood that we've created and able to enjoy the try.

"I put it all down to Madge (Maguire), who has been unbelievable in making this a family club."

South Sydney legend Mario Fenech said $10 fine or not, the entire Rabbitohs squad were united by success and their march towards the grand final.

"I wasn't aware of a certain agreement, but I know from a team's perspective it builds a great bond. It brings a team together to celebrate getting over the white stripe," Fenech said.

"When I look at teams I tend to judge them on what happens after they score a try.

"You can tell who's getting on well or not.

"These are signs of a team that is really tight and believes in the same thing. He's done a great job, Michael Maguire."

But within the Redfern bunker, the hope is that the greatest celebration of all is still to come. October 6 to be exact.

"So long as we're scoring tries, the coach will be happy,'' Luke said.

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Lima will pay for Choc leg twist

Jeff Lima is placed on report for a leg twist. Source: FoxSports

DOG act. Cheap shot and not in the spirit of the game. That was how South Sydney prop Jeff Lima's controversial leg twist on Manly's Anthony Watmough five weeks ago was described.

Clearly the adage that time heals all wounds doesn't exist on the Peninsula. Because ahead of Friday night's grand final qualifier against the Rabbitohs, the Sea Eagles players haven't forgotten.

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"I was in the dressing room after the Souths game and it was the talk of the room," former premiership-winner and current board member Peter Peters said.

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"They don't forget and they know what's coming up. By no means has it been forgotten.

"They won't do anything outside the rules, but I can promise you he'll think he's been hit by the 190 bus to Palm Beach."

Lima was given a week for his leg twist on Watmough which came after Manly coach Geoff Toovey was fined $10,000 for his stunning attack on the standard of refereeing. Some, like former Test prop Mark Carroll, believe Lima should have got six weeks.

"It was a joke, any wonder the boys are fired up about it still," Carroll said. Watmough's knee hasn't been the same since. The injury flared up in his side's 24-18 elimination final win over Cronulla last Friday night and he is likely to train with his teammates just once prior to kick-off at ANZ Stadium in five days' time.

Manly's preparation will be boosted by the anticipated return of fullback Brett Stewart from a hamstring injury. Stewart continued his rehabilitation on Saturday and is expected to rejoin the starting squad next week.

The grand final qualifier is the match Stewart has been targeting as his return date. Captain Jamie Lyon (shin) and Brent Kite (hand) are also certain starters despite finishing the win over the Sharks with injuries.

Manly coach Geoff Toovey was in awe of his team's ability to back-up from two bruising encounters against the Sharks and Sydney Roosters, but claimed his players weren't about to burn out ahead of a possible grand final.

The Rabbitohs have the wood on the Sea Eagles, beating them twice this season. Souths won 20-12 in round six and 22-10 in Round 23 in Gosford.

Michael Maguire's men have been installed $1.50 favourites with the Sea Eagles outsiders at $2.60.

Toovey said he would prepare his side for another titanic struggle.

"It doesn't get any easier," Toovey said.

"Souths will have an extra week recovery. There's a few bumps and bruises today.

"I think Souths will play a similar style, with a big aggressive forward pack and they've got that young bloke (Greg Inglis) at fullback that goes all right, too."

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