SPORTNEWS
follow us on
@tntmagazine
World-leading All Black McCaw
RICHIE TOP OF THE WORLD … AGAIN? RUGBY All Blacks captain Richie McCaw could today be named IRB Player of the Year for the fourth time. He is on a four-man shortlist from which an independent panel of past players will pick a winner. His teammate Dan Carter – the winner of the award in 2005 – also made the list ahead of surprise inclusion, England’s understudy fly-half Owen Farrell, and France’s Frederic Michalak. McCaw’s the only player to have won the award more than once – in 2006, 2009 and 2010 – in its 11-year history. The IRB Coach of the Year will also be named and it’ll be a massive upset if the All Blacks aren’t named IRB Team of the Year.
WE NEED PLAYERS LIKE QUADE: GATLAND BOXING/RUGBY
The Wallabies loss will be the British Lions’ gain if Quade Cooper ends up out of rugby union for good, says coach Warren Gatland ahead of his composite side’s 2013 tour Down Under. “People love to hate him in a certain way, but I think as a rugby player he’s absolute quality,” Gatland said. The QLD Reds and the ARU are still keen to have Cooper on board, but contractual issues have left them at an impasse. Cooper’s only plans for 2013 at this stage are to fight an as yet unnamed opponent on the undercard of best mate Sonny Bill Williams’ boxing bout against South African Francois Botha in February. Gatland, while happy his Lions may not face the prodigious number 10, says to lose such a talent from rugby would be a shame. “He is the kind of brilliant player that the game needs,” the Wales coach said. “It 50
AFL rookie Joe Daniher is living the dream, following in his dad Anthony’s footsteps after being signed with the Essendon Bombers under the father-son recruitment rule. High-flying antics such as this at the club’s pre-season training camp on the Gold Coast is what his club can expect of the 18-year-old, who is 201cm and tipped to be a star.
needs someone who does things a little bit different, almost like Campese.”
HATTON IS ‘HAPPY’ AND MOVING ON BOXING Ricky Hatton was battered following his defeat to Vyacheslav Senchenko, and retired after the fight, but has proclaimed himself a “happy man”. Having been to rock bottom and back ahead of the fight, Hatton says he’ll now focus on the careers of other fighters as a trainer and promoter. “I’ve no complaints,” he said. “It’s been three and a half years and you all know the story. I needed to put a few demons to rest and I said before the fight I felt I’d already won and that hasn’t changed.”
BIG WEEK FOR ... Former Socceroos coach Frank Farina has a tough job going from coaching Papua New Guinea to dragging Sydney FC from the bottom of the A-League. Despite being sacked by the Brisbane Roar in 2009 for being caught drink driving on his way to training, his CV isn’t in dispute. He takes over a side with Alessandro Del Piero, an asset on and off the field, and room in the playing roster to bring in new blood. He need not be punished for his past – could his be the comeback of year?
TNTMAGAZINE.COM
1527 FINAL SPORTS News.indd 50
30/11/12 15:15:23