Tigers brush Bombers aside

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EVERY year Richmond enters a Round 1 blockbuster overhyped and overburdened with expectation.

But at Punt Road in dismantling a second arch rival in Essendon the Tigers showed they have enough tools to justify even the most optimistic fans.

Both the Bombers and Tigers will sweat on reports and injuries at a time when even the slightest niggle is a worry.

But while Essendon seemed desperately short of a run in the 45-point defeat, it was the Tigers depth players and role-players who would have thrilled coach Damien Hardwick.

Jack Riewoldt did more than enough in his first hit-out, Brett Deledio dominated his home track and Dustin Martin ran off a pesky tag to dominate the second half.

Tiger Jack Riewoldt jostles with Bomber Tayte Pears. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: News Corp Australia

The real plus was Shaun Hampson's hit-outs to advantage, key back David Asbury standing up on Joe Daniher, and the emerging mids in Nick Vlastuin and Brandon Ellis taking charge.

With small defender/forward Matt McDonough so good his second AFL game is a formality next week and ex-Port tagger Matt Thomas rough and tough in close, there was plenty to like.

Rookie Thomas will likely be elevated to the senior list on Tuesday after his 25 touches and 10 tackles, and be handed a Round 1 encounter against Gary Ablett.

Richmond opened up Essendon so effortlessly with end-to-end goals and precise passing that the subbing of Tyrone Vickery and Trent Cotchin with minor injuries only slightly took the gloss off the full dress rehearsal.

Tiger Dustin Martin runs away from an opponent. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: News Corp Australia

In successive weeks they have dominated a pair of contenders in Collingwood and now Essendon, enough to consider the Demons loss a pre-season aberration.

Bombers coach Mark Thompson used words like "patchy"and "sloppy" to describe his side yesterday, and would have been even more honest more behind closed doors.

He said the players had been belted in training for 12 straight weeks, but is aware his forward line is still a work in progress as Joe Daniher and Jake Carlisle attempt to gel.

Thompson said he had his "gonads on the line" so would not alter the Hurley-back, Carlisle-forward experiment, but in truth the ball flow and lack of a star small forward is hurting too.

They haven't won in the pre-season and conceded an astounding 26 scores from 38 forward line entries yesterday.

Jobe Watson was prolific (32 touches) but wayward by foot and David Zaharakis racked up 22 clinical touches before suffering a corked calf.

None of it was able to compensate against a Richmond side which was tougher, more composed and more prepared to charge hard forward with ball in possession.

Slightly built Martin Gleeson impressed again and should play Round 1, but too few put their hand up to press for selection.

Tiger Steven Morris dishes off a handball. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: News Corp Australia

Certainly not Leroy Jetta (five touches), Brent Stanton was his typical busy self, with the Bombers were thrashed around the stoppages.

Daniher took a screamer and got a cheapie over the back among his two goals but was only moderate, with the Tigers constantly dominating the air and mopping up on the ground despite conceding 52 inside 50s.

None of it really matters yet for Essendon, but it is hard to see how they will just flick the switch in two weeks time against North Melbourne.

History shows pre-season form counts for nothing.

But while Damien Hardwick's only real issues are selection dilemmas ahead of Round 1, Mark Thompson knows he has plenty of work to do before the real stuff comes around.

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Brumbies end tough week with win

Jesse Mogg (C) had a strong game for the Brumbies at fullback. Source: Hagen Hopkins / Getty Images

SIX days ago, he was in a Perth hospital fearing his career was over after breaking his neck. For a third time.

On Friday night, however, Pat McCabe not only took the field for the Brumbies but inspired them to a stunning victory over the Hurricanes in Wellington.

McCabe turned in arguably his best ever game for the Brumbies in their eight-point win, running for a staggering 258 metres as his team picked up a tough, four-try win on the road.

It was a remarkable effort from the headgear-wearing centre, who was only a late inclusion in the starting side following a late fitness test.

The rugby world held their breath last week after McCabe was taken to hospital for scans mid-game against the Force, after reporting stiffness in his neck.

Happily, it was only a muscle strain and McCabe was able to take his place in the side who'd already been gutted by the news of David Pocock's second season-ending knee injury.

The Brumbies pledged they'd get a win for Pocock and McCabe was outstanding in leading the way.

Numerous incisive breaks, and a standard bullocking role in attack and defence, from the 25-year-old helped the Brumbies rally from 13-3 down after 30 minutes and shoot home for a bonus point win.

In an head-shaking set of FoxSports stats, McCabe tallied up 22 runs, 14 tackle busts, 4 offloads and 258 metres carried – almost half his entire team's total.

"He was outstanding, and to do that off the back of last week when he thought he'd injured his neck again, to play like that tonight that says a lot about his character," Brumbies captain Ben Mowen said.

Pocock sent good luck texts from his Brisbane hospital bed to the team but they didn't need luck as a committed ball-in-hand approach, and a wasteful Canes side, secured victory.

It was their fourth in five games in New Zealand, and second in a row in the traditionally tricky Cake Tin in Wellington; and proved to early naysayers that the 2013 runners-up shouldn't be written off this year.

Hesitant to use the ball early, the Brumbies allowed the Hurricanes to begin the stronger, scoring two early penalties.

A sizzling McCabe linebreak in the 24th minute allowed the Australians to camp on the Kiwis' line, but twice bombed tries with a held-up drive and Scott Fardy dropping the pill over the line.

Nic White snagged a penalty but the Canes responded with an opportunistic try to TJ Perenara, that saw Cory Jane inches away from being out before several loose passes were thrown back inside.

Another star performer, Jesse Mogg, kick-started the Brumbies' revival. A slicing run through the Canes' defence off a 5-metre scrum saw him score, and minutes later another sharp break – with a chip-and-chase thrown in – saw numbers open up on the far left and Robbie Coleman scored right on halftime.

More McCabe magic after oranges saw the Brumbies return to the Canes' line, and a double cut-out by White skipped the decoy Henry Speight and sent Tevita Kuridrani in for a third try.

The home side kicked away far too much ball, and when they didn't kick they lost it; coughing up 32 handling errors and turnovers.

Locky McCaffrey put the game away with a try in the 72nd minute, set up by – guess who? – a long run by McCabe in the lead-up, and an assist pass for the try.

Mowen said the performance wasn't perfect, but it was good enough.

"You can't be unhappy about an effort like that," he said.

It was McCabe's night but the spectre of Pocock wasn't far away.

"He is an important character in our club, and whenever a guy is hurt like that, you want to put in a performance like that one for then," Mowen said.

Relive the action at Match Centre!

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Higgins shows his worth

Shaun Higgins kicks the Doggies into attack. Source: Michael Klein / News Corp Australia

SHAUN Higgins showed what a difference he can make to the Western Bulldogs if his injury-prone body can last the distance of a full season.

After another nightmare year out mending a broken navicular bone, the smooth-moving utility yesterday continued his commanding return to senior football with 33 touches in the 17-point win over Carlton at Visy Park.

The Dogs continue to firm as a team on the rise this season and the performances of Higgins, Lachlan Hunter, Jack Macrae, Matt Boyd and Tom Liberatore against an experienced Carlton outfit showed they will be a young team that is hard to shake this season.

The Blues were given a fierce spray from coach Michael Malthouse, down by 32 points at quarter time, continuing on from a patchy second-round NAB Challenge loss to Adelaide.

But Kade Simpson led the midfield recovery and Jarrad Waite (three goals) and Troy Menzel (two) fired up forward to help generate some much-needed momentum on the second half heading into the season-opener against Port Adelaide.

Hard-nut midfielder Brock McLean sat out the second half after copping a knock to the leg and Bryce Gibbs had a rest to help protect a sore hand.

Carlton vs Western Bulldogs at Visy Park. Tom Liberatore clears. Pic Michael Klein. Friday March 7, 2014. Source: News Corp Australia

The club remains confident both will play Round 1.

But there will remain some questions about the fitness, speed and readiness of Carlton's midfield heading into the season-opener, after Mitch Wallis kept Marc Murphy to 21 touches and Dale Thomas gathered 17 touches amid frequent spells on the bench.

Robert Warnock won the ruck battle against Will Minson with 42 hit-outs and Matthew Kreuzer showed his mobility can yet be a key weapon in attack. He led up to a ball and wheeled around quickly to burn off his man and setup Mitch Robinson to close the gap in the last term.

Blue Lachlan Henderson made an impressive return from a back problem in the VFL and will push for selection in Round 1.

The Dogs bolted out to a six-goal to one lead in the first term, without Liberatore, who mustered 20 possessions and seven clearances coming on as the substitute in the second half.

Likewise Hunter sparkled in the half forward line in the absence of Luke Dahlhaus, showing natural football instinct, and Macrae continue to elevate his game in his second season, with 25 disposals.

Higgins flourished on a back flank, using his clean disposal and composure to help direct traffic without injured teammate Robert Murphy.

Higgins yesterday said it was shattering to play only two games last season but said the time out had made him even more determined to help the Dogs succeed on field.

"It's not great on the sidelines but it's probably made me a little bit hungrier over the pre-season," Higgins said.

"I'm really enjoying playing with those guys and tonight we showed just how good some of them are.

"It's going to be an exciting couple of years I think."

Key forward Liam Jones played in the VFL and is expected to push for a Round 1 berth in the Dogs' final intra-club match on Thursday.

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Buddy, Swans secret meeting twist

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LANCE Franklin told Sydney coach John Longmire why he wanted to play for the Swans at a secret meeting in January, 2013.

The meeting was held at the home of Swans chief executive Andrew Ireland and was attended by Ireland, Longmire, Franklin and Franklin's manager Liam Pickering.

Seven Sydney officials kept football's $10m secret before the stunning coup leaked out two days after Hawthorn's premiership victory over Fremantle — some nine months after the January meeting.

Franklin, who maintained he did not make a decision until after the premiership win, told Hawks' coach Alastair Clarkson on the Tuesday after the Grand Final that he was accepting a nine-year free agency offer from the Swans.

Pickering first contacted the Swans in October 2012, just weeks after Hawthorn lost to Sydney by 10 points in the Grand Final.

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At the formal meeting in January, Sydney did not need to convince the superstar Hawk to come to Sydney. Rather, Franklin had to tell Sydney why he wanted to come.

"We deliberately didn't try to sell the club," Ireland said in an interview for Footy14 magazine, available on Saturday.

FOR BUDDY'S FULL EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW, GET THE FOOTY14 MAGAZINE

"Sometimes you try to convince someone to come but in this case we really wanted to hear from Lance why he wanted to come."

Franklin said he did not break AFL rules in talking to Sydney when he did.

"I was a free agent and I wanted to have a look around and there's nothing wrong with that,'' Franklin said.

"It's what the players voted for and we got, so I thought `why not'.

"I was impressed having a chat with Horse (Longmire) and Andrew Ireland, and from there I sat on it for a little bit."

Lance Franklin and Alastair Clarkson embrace. Picture: Wayne Ludbey, Source: News Limited

Longmire said the key question for Franklin was why he wanted to come.

"From our view, clearly we want to stay at the top by being competitive against the best teams in the competition," Longmire said.

"I'm of the view we were at our very, very best two years ago and we snuck over the line in the last 35 seconds of the (Grand Final).

"I went away thinking, what a great effort but we have to get better. We have to be relentless. We see Buddy helping us being competitive."

Franklin signed the most lucrative contract in football, committing for nine years on a total salary of about $10 million.

About mid-2013, Ireland told a small group at Sydney — head of football Dean Moore, chairman Richard Colless, chairman-in-waiting Andrew Pridham, football official Jason Ball and co-captain Jarrad McVeigh — of the impending explosive signing, and detailed how the contract would work.

The massive deal was put to Pickering by Ireland around Round 19, just four weeks before the start of the finals.

Asked what Pickering's response was, Ireland said: "I think Pickers thought it was a solid offer."

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Rd22 preview: games of the season

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SYDNEY prepares for derby drama as FC hosts the Wanderers, while Roar v Reds could deliver the quality in a big A-League weekend.

Friday, 7 March 2014

Melbourne Victory v Central Coast Mariners

Live coverage on FOX Sports 3HD from 6.30pm (AEDT)

Two teams whose season expectations don't match their achievements face off at AAMI Park. It was just four weeks ago that Victory punished the Mariners in their own backyard and results since then give no clearer indication about how this one might go.

Brenton Speed is back in the chair to lead the Fox Football Podcast through another busy round of A-League action, Premier League and the Capital One Cup final alongside Fox Sports commentator Simon Hill and The Daily Telegraph Football Editor Tom Smithies.

Boosted by that 3-1 win in Gosford, Kevin Muscat's team then beat a fizzing Adelaide 4-3 — before getting humiliated in the Melbourne derby. That was the third time this season Victory has conceded four or more goals in a game, and 36 goals conceded in 21 games is a club low.

And it gets worse: Victory has now gone 11 consecutive games without keeping a clean sheet, conceding 26 goals in that period. It was also the seventh time this season Victory has failed to score.

But, on the hand, the Mariners have one just one of the last six away games, without a clean sheet in five. Only Perth (8) has scored fewer on the road than Central Coast (9). Doesn't exactly whet the appetite for a Friday night blockbuster does it?

Mark Rudan says: "It won't be easy for the Victory, missing a number of players and decimated in defence in particular. Victory tend to concede goals by the bucketful — so can they get that defensive structure right? The Mariners will have taken a lot of confidence from that win against Sydney FC and I think they might be just too good for Victory."

Saturday, 8 March 2014

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Newcastle Jets v Melbourne Heart

Live coverage on FOX Sports 3HD from 5.30pm (AEDT)

The Jets might consider going on tour at the moment, so bad has their home form been. Without a win in six at Hunter Stadium — and just two wins in the last 13 home fixtures — the Jets have the fewest home goals in the competition and have failed to score in four home games this season.

Contrast that to the fizzing Heart: last week's Melbourne derby triumph was its fifth win a row, and is undefeated in seven — both club records.

John van 't Schip's team have also kept three consecutive clean sheets and in five games out outscored their opponents 14-2. It's pretty obvious who the momentum is with and it would take a brave individual to chuck out the form book for this one.

Mark Rudan says: "The Jets will have to play a lot more on the counter than they're used to, which they can use to good effect, and they normally play that way away from home, as we saw against the Wanderers and Brisbane. But it's a different proposition at home — we know they wanted to play that game against Sydney FC but weren't allowed to by the opposition who just dropped off. "

Saturday, 8 March 2014

Sydney FC v Western Sydney Wanderers

Live coverage on FOX Sports 3HD from 5.00pm (AEDT)

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Apparently there was no intent in scheduling the Sydney derby for the opening weekend of the NRL — but 40,000-odd at Allianz Stadium on Saturday night would send out a strong message out the pulling power this fixture now boasts.

On the pitch, form makes it very difficult to read: Sydney is now winless in eight games, but have been still creating chances — 14 shots on target in last week's loss to the Mariner, with Liam Reddy making seven saves.

Western Sydney, on the other hand, only managed one shot on target in its insipid loss to Newcastle, the first time that has happened in the club's short history. You can't see Tony Popovic letting that happen again this weekend.

In his favour, the Sky Blues haven't kept a clean sheet since round 8, and have conceded 16 goals at home this season.

But it's not good reading for the Wanderers, either. Popovic's team have won only three in their past 10 — and lost four in that run — and keeping just two clean sheets in that run.

Mark Rudan says: "Form can go out of the window in these games. But I think teams have worked out the Wanderers patterns and movements. I'm expecting a big one from Mark Bridge against Sydney; he loves the big occasions.

"Sydney need to continue to make chances, as they did against the Mariners last week. The problem is they're not getting in behind opposition defences enough; perhaps they don't have enough pace.

"But you don't normally see the Wanderers lose three in a row, and Sydney don't draw too many games, so I'm going with the Wanderers."

Sunday, 9 March 2014

Wellington Phoenix v Perth Glory

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Westpac Stadium, Wellington, New Zealand

Live coverage on FOX Sports 3HD from 3:00pm (AEDT)

Bottom of the ladder with just 20 goals in 21 games, Perth Glory has serious problems right now. Not the time for the longest trip in world football.

With four straight losses and no win in seven, it's fair to say Kenny Lowe's tenure has been a failure. Rumours of internal disruptions only serve to paint the picture of a club in crisis, and the loss of Danny Vukovic will only make things worse.

Glory might take some solace in the fact, however, that Wellington has the second-worst defence in the competition, including that horrible 5-0 thumping by Melbourne Heart a couple of weeks ago.

On top of that, Ernie Merrick's team have only scored 12 goals in 10 home games, five of which came in the thrashing of Victory.

This distance derby really could go either way.

Mark Rudan says: "It goes from bad to worse for Perth and Danny Vukovic has been one of the outstanding keepers in the league this season. How they turn it around I don't know, it'll be a tough ask for Kenny Lowe. And at home, I think the Phoenix might have the edge."

Sunday, 9 March 2014

Brisbane Roar v Adelaide United

Live coverage on FOX Sports 3HD from 5.00pm (AEDT)

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Game of the season? It certainly has the potential to deliver entertainment and quality, something the A-League has been short of this term.

Who wouldn't want to watch the two highest-scoring teams with the best possession stats and completed pass percentages face off?

After ended a three games winless streak against Perth last week, Brisbane will want to get its momentum back to push on for the Premiers' Plate. But the numbers show this could be an even battle.

The Roar has the Best defence in the league conceding a league low 19 goals and concede the second fewest shots per game (11.6) — second only to Adelaide — and its 19 home goals are second to only Adelaide's 24 goals at Coopers Stadium.

But the Reds have scored more overall (38-36), scoring at least one in their past 10 matches. Though while Josep Gombau's side are the best first-half team (22 first-half goals, in the lead at the break 12 times) Brisbane has conceded only eight first-half goals, and scored 23 of its 36 goals in the second half.

Mark Rudan says: "When you've got that many players scoring from different parts of the park, it makes it really difficult for any team to stop it. When your confidence is high, anything is possible — and Adelaide are starting to hit form at the right time of the season.

"Brisbane came off a two-game losing streak last week; it's more about how they can continue their momentum, and how they can play against packed defences. You don't become the top team if you worry too much about the opposition. But I'm going with Adelaide — Brisbane haven't been all that good at home."

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Ange: ‘I’ve great belief in players’

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AS Socceroo Tim Cahill spoke of his pride at becoming Australia's highest-ever goal scorer in Thursday's 4-3 loss to Ecuador, his coach Ange Postecoglou sat beside him staring blankly at his hands.

It wasn't shock brought on by seeing his side squander a 3-0 half-time lead that sent Postecoglou into a trance-like state, and it certainly wasn't the realisation that his plan to take a young, fast and fearless side to Brazil had just come unstuck.

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Far from it. Postecoglou was thinking. Plotting and planning. Already running through what had gone wrong and how to fix it. Fast.

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As he said on the eve of the friendly against the South Americans, the 100 days until the start of the World Cup computes to just 20 days on which he will have access to his players. The clock is ticking, and he doesn't have a moment to waste.

For a while it was all going so well for the Socceroos. Here Jason Davidson, Tom Rogic and Tim Cahill celebrate the third goal. Source: AP

Asked if the stunning riches to rags performance had changed his thoughts on his masterplan, Postecoglou was adamant.

"No, in fact it's reaffirmed it," he said. "I have great belief in the direction we're heading and the players we have. There are going to be some bumps along the way but that's part of the nature of what we're doing."

The second half bumps that the Socceroos encountered at The Den in South London were more than offset by what Postecoglou and the crowd of just over 7000 witnessed in the first half: an almost faultless display of speed, skill and security.

Australian goalkeeper Mitch Langerak lays an appalling tackle and receives a red card, a key moment in the Socceroos defeat. Source: FoxSports

It was the type of football the Brisbane Roar produced for him during their unbeaten 36-match run in 2010-11; the type that Socceroos' fans were crying out for after the stodgy don't-lose-at-all-costs tactics of previous national coaches Holger Osieck and Pim Verbeek.

But the differences between Postecoglou and the international guns-for-hire that preceded him go far deeper than on-field strategies. Unlike them, Postecoglou is an Australian patriot of the football variety.

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He sees his role not as a highly paid consultant whose job it is to get his employers to a World Cup before moving on to the next assignment where the only difference is the colour of the shirt and the size of the cheque. Of course he wants to do well in Brazil, that's what professional coaches do, but he also wants to plant some seeds for the future and leave a legacy.

Thursday morning's ultimate "game of two halves" would have been seen as a debacle under Osieck or Verbeek. For Postecoglou it may prove more valuable in the long term that a 6-0 win.

"We learnt some good lessons about what we can do and what we can't do," he said. "We're exposing 20 and 21 year old kids to seasoned internationals, but that's what we've got to do. If we don't give these guys opportunities we won't develop the footballers we want — and we can't go to a World Cup without them having a taste of that sort of experience.

"When you do throw them into the deep end sometimes, like today in the second half, you pay a price because youngsters can make decisions that are a little naive but I think they'll learn from that.

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"We're still fine tuning the way we want to play. We have games against South Africa and Croatia before the World Cup so we can strengthen the foundation that we've started.

"The disappointment of this loss is countered by the fact that for 45 minutes we played some really good football, with good intent but more importantly with stuff that we've been talking about.

"I was really happy with shape in that first half and the team was able to play the type of football we wanted to. We were really bright and positive. Every time we got the ball we tried to find little angles for ourselves and when we broke through Tommy Oar and Matty Leckie and Tommy Rogic it was really exciting to see.

Tom Rogic pleased Postecoglou. Source: Getty Images

"There's plenty there to say that moving forward there's the core of a team that we can build on and that will be the message to the players: that if they believe in what we're building, and they keep pushing it, we'll be a good side."

It's just a matter of time.

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Doping scandal delayed Demetriou exit

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ANDREW Demetriou said he might have walked away from the AFL last year if not for the Essendon doping scandal.

Demetriou said he took no responsibility for the supplements saga and it had no major personal impact on him because "I never injected anyone".

Demetriou, who has been widely criticised for the AFL's handling of the Essendon case, said he hoped people looked beyond a "snapshot" of the scandal when considering his legacy after more than a decade in charge of the league..

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Demetriou said the scandal had not forced him out, rather if anything it had extended his time as AFL chief.

"There was no doubt we had discussions about even leaving in 2013, but once the situation started it increased my resolve to stay," he said.

"In some ways it galvanised me to stay."

Asked earlier if there was anything he would do differently, Demetriou said he wished the AFL had been able curb the influence of sports science sooner.

But he said that did not mean the league owned some responsibility for the Bombers saga.

"I don't accept any responsibility for people who seek to infiltrate the game; to inject young men with God knows what substances; to introduce practices that are abhorrent to the game and families," Demetriou said.

"Our job is to put as many preventive measures in place as we could, and even as good as our integrity department was; we didn't pick that up.

"That is not a fault — you don't catch every person who breaks the law."

ASADA last week said it had finished the investigative phase of its Essendon probe and would now consider evidence before deciding whether to initiate the complicated infraction notice process.

Demetriou said what happened next was out of the AFL's hands, but he was proud of the league's work last year.

"And all I know (about) what we did was as a game (we) always put the players first to protect the integrity of the game.

"The AFL has done all it can do in this situation. I'm proud of how we acted last year.

"We've enhanced the anti-doping code. We've got a team in the integrity unit that will make sure the code is protected into the future. What happens thereafter is in ASADA's hands.

"But the AFL has got no role in that part, other than to say we are equipped to deal with whatever happens going forward."

Demetriou said he had endeavoured to keep the Essendon scandal from getting personal and was adamant that relations between league and club were improving.

"I know that there are people who have sought to somehow try and create or personalise this issue and create vendetta and ill-feeling," he said.

"It has never come out of my mouth — go back to any statement I've ever made, I have never sought to personalise this.

"If other people have, I can't control that.

"I was at Essendon last Monday — we were welcomed by (chairman) Paul Little and (chief operating officer) Xavier Campbell and had a tour (of the new facility) we are committed to moving forward with the club. We want them to succeed."

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Nikorima set for NRL big stage

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BRISBANE co-captain Corey Parker is confident teenage playmaker Kodi Nikorima can handle the intense pressure if he is thrown into a round-one NRL debut against Canterbury.

Ben Hunt's halves partner should be known on Tuesday afternoon when Broncos coach Anthony Griffin names his squad for Friday night's Bulldogs clash at ANZ Stadium.

There has been speculation Griffin will alternate the five-eighth role between prize recruit Ben Barba and New Zealand international Josh Hoffman or throw rookie Nikorima into the cauldron.

Parker said on Monday he had faith in the 19-year-old Nikorima to handle the heat in the role formerly occupied by Darren Lockyer, Kevin Walters and Wally Lewis.

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Kodi Nikorima scores off this kick and chase in the Auckland Nines. pic Mark Evans Source: News Limited

``The best thing about young guys is that they play footy for what it is and they don't seem to worry about external pressures,'' Parker said.

``If he was to be put in the first-grade team for round one, I'm sure he'd do a good job, like he's done the last two times in the trials.''

New Zealand-born Nikorima made a strong case for inclusion in the Broncos' starting side with a dominant display in the Auckland Nines, although the NRL will be a different beast altogether.

``We all got to see Kodi play in the Nines and that style of footy suited him,'' Parker said.

``He's certainly impressed. He's only a young guy and his (younger) brother (Jayden) is on board training in the first-grade squad too.

``What he might lack in size (Nikorima is 174cm), he certainly makes up for in ability and speed.''

Kodi Nikorima of the Broncos and Glenn Fisiiahi of the Warriors compete for the ball. Source: Getty Images

Nikorima, on a contract worth just $35,000, leapt into the five-eighth frame following a serious knee injury to Jordan Kahu.

Youngster Zach Strasser also failed to grab his chance in pre-season trials against North Queensland and the Warriors, both of which the Broncos lost heavily.

Broncos linchpin Barba is another option for the halves, but that would nullify his threat as a dangerous broken-play runner from fullback.

The former Canterbury star will also have to cope with a barrage of sledging from passionate Bulldogs fans on Friday, but Parker said Barba was excited about the challenge.

``He's looking forward to it as much as I am,'' said Parker, who might be named as prop on Tuesday instead of his regular lock position.

Brisbane playmaker Kodi Nikorima. Pic Peter Wallis Source: News Limited

``It's round one, it's 2014 and a fresh start for everyone.

``I'm expecting a vocal crowd when we get down there and a hostile reception, but that's what you want when you play footy.''

The Broncos have also copped plenty from some fans and the media following their worst season last year (12th), and the trial losses haven't enhanced their tattered reputation.

Not that Parker is worried.

``Because Brisbane is such a successful club, there is always going to be criticism.

``It's just about how you deal with that and how you respond. Internally, we know what's going on and we've addressed a few things. Externally, we can't control.''

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Live: Aussie bowlers on top early

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AUSTRALIA captain Michael Clarke has decided to declare before the start of day three of the third Test against South Africa.

With the tourists sitting pretty on 7-494 when rain brought a premature end to day two, Clarke has decided to send the Proteas in to bat for the start of day three, with a bit of cloud cover still around at Newlands.

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Clarke himself was not out on 161 and could have been on track for another double century, but has decided it's in the team's best interests to stop batting now in order to try bowl South Africa out as early in the match as possible.

Play gets underway half an hour earlier today, at 7pm AEDT, after about half of day two was lost to rain.

Earlier on Sunday, Clarke brought up his 27th Test hundred after spending an agonising 24 balls stuck on 99 thanks to an accurate spell by Proteas paceman Kyle Abbott.

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