14 | Sport
8 -14 October 2013
Fanning on the verge of 2013 surfing title
TITLE #3? Mick Fanning (AAP Image/Dave Hunt) ...continued from p16 If the Australian is victorious at the Rip Curl Pro Portugal, he will need Slater to finish fourth or worse to grab his first title since 2009. But a fifth-place or worse to Fanning will mean the championship won’t be decided until December at
the tour’s final stop in Hawaii. Fanning is one of three Australians still in contention for this year’s crown, with Taj Burrow and Joel Parkinson to battle it out with South African Jordy Smith inside the top five. Organisers are predicting a 1.5-2 metre swell for the opening day of competition, scheduled to start on Wednesday. - AAP
Harvey Thorneycroft Ltd
TIME FOR REVENGE! GET BEHIND YOUR TEAM
ENGLAND LEGENDS V AUSTRALIA LEGENDS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH HEATHROW EXPRESS
THURSDAY 31ST OCTOBER 2013 AT THE TWICKENHAM STOOP, KO 7.45PM
To book tickets to the match, visit the Harlequins website www.quins.co.uk or call the ticket hotline 0871 527 1315
To book tickets to the Official Anniversary Gala Dinner, visit www.rfu.com/tenyearanniversary
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REMEMBER.RELIVE.REUNITE RUGBY FOOTBALL UNION. THE ENGLAND ROSE IS AN OFFICIAL REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF THE RUGBY FOOTBALL UNION.
Mat Ryan credits Mariners coach for Socceroos selections ...continued from p16 Friday and the Canadians in London four days later. And with current Mariners striker Mitchell Duke also a recent national team inclusion, Ryan says it speaks volumes for coach Arnold’s Central Coast set up and his ability to develop talent for the international stage. “Arnie has a lot of experience, obviously being under Guus (Hiddink) at the (2006) World Cup back in Germany and he’s coached the Socceroos himself,” said 21-year-old Ryan who has continued to flourish since joining Brugge this season. “The Central Coast, they’ve been a club that’s been known to give young guys a go and the biggest thing about developing your game is being given an opportunity to play.
“Arnie has no hesitation to throw a young boy in there, which gives them great confidence and he’s very good at man-managing people within the team as well to get the best out of them. “After I made a mistake, he was always the first one to come to me and pick me up and to coach me and let me know what is the most important thing, which is to bounce back strongly.” Ryan is expected to share game time with Borussia Dortmund’s Mitch Langerak as they get the chance to show their wares in goal for the Socceroos after veteran Mark Schwarzer was omitted for the two friendly matches in Europe. Despite headlining a list of departures from Bluetongue Stadium that also includes Bozanic, Bernie Ibini and Patrick Zwaanswijk,
Ryan believes Arnold will have the Mariners well prepared for their A-League title defence, which kicks off with a grand final rematch with Western Sydney in Gosford on Saturday. “One thing I’ve learned is to never write Arnie off,” said Ryan. “This year he’s probably lost a bit more personnel than in recent years. “But Arnie, with the man management skills that he has and the knowledge he has in football, I know he’s going to create a defensive structure that’s difficult to break down again.” By Ben Coonan in Brugge The Socceroos face France in Paris on 11 October followed by Canada at Craven Cottage in London on 15 October.
Finch ready for heat of India ODIs ...continued from p16
playing against India on their home turf. However, due to the involvement of many players in the Indian Premier League and the recent Twenty20 Champions League, Bailey and Finch’s maiden tour of the cricketmad nation in the green and gold is nowhere near as foreign as it would have been 10 years ago. “This is about my ninth time to India,” Finch said. “It never gets any easier adjusting to the heat, it’s obviously stinking hot at the moment. “But it’s a great place to play cricket, the crowd is so enthusiastic.” With David Warner overlooked for both the T20 and one-day squads, Finch has a great opportunity to cement himself at the top of Australia’s order.
“I feel really comfortable around the boys and I’d love to be here a bit longer,” Finch said. All eyes will be on Finch when the series starts on Thursday with a T20 clash in Rajkot. The 26-year-old opener scored a world-record 156, off 63 balls, in a T20 match against England on August 29. “I thought I played pretty well in England. I didn’t score as many runs as I would have liked in the ODIs,” he said. “But it was a really good series. To win an ODI series against England in their own conditions is always tough. “We played some really good cricket and we have a lot of momentum going into this series. “Hopefully we get some momentum early in the series and really grab it and run with it.” By Roger Vaughan in Mumbai
TOP SHOT: Aaron Finch needs to cement his place in the top order. (AAP Image/Dean Lewins)
SBW keeps sporting world guessing SONNY BILL WILLIAMS is torn, his teammates and coaches are in the dark, and the NRL is in the wilderness wondering if the code has lost its most marketable commodity. Williams’ playing future became the hottest of topics almost the moment fulltime was blown in Sunday’s NRL grand final win to the Sydney Roosters - the dual international completing the ultimate hit and run mission if, in fact, he does head back to rugby union. What would be rugby’s gain would be the NRL’s biggest of losses, a year after the code turned their back on Israel Folau by virtue of its archaic and inflexible salary cap system. It would leave not only a hole in the NRL, but also the eastern suburbs of Sydney - now a hotbed of talent for rugby league’s rivals. The A-League’s Sydney FC have Alesandro del Piero, rugby’s NSW Waratahs have Folau and one of the biggest names in the AFL is set to arrive at Sydney with Lance Franklin’s impending $10 million move. Without Williams, the Roosters who achieved a significant boost in attendances in 2013 - have no one to compete with that level of talent. Mobbed by Roosters fans at Monday’s fan day following their grand final triumph, Williams was giving little away. “I’m not too sure yet,” he told
HOT PROPERTY: SBW after winning the NRL grand final with the Roosters. (AAP Image/Paul Miller) reporters when asked what his future held. “I’ve got some tough decisions coming up. “I’m torn in a few directions - only time will tell. I’m just savouring the moment.” Basking in the glory of their premiership win, Williams’ Roosters teammates claimed to know little about his next move. NRL chief executive David Smith has said the league would do all it could to retain Williams’s services in the code, but even Smith’s hands are tied beyond a certain point. Provide too much financial help and the NRL will have 15 other clubs
crying foul. Such was the guessing game over Williams’ future that the NZRL spent much of Monday attempting to find out whether he would available to play in the rugby league World Cup starting later this month. Williams’ presence would be a boost not only to the Kiwis’ chances of retaining the trophy but also the tournament as a whole. By Steve Jancetic in Sydney
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