Heart win continues Glory woes

Top six ... Melbourne Heart leave Perth Glory at the bottom of the A-League ladder. Source: Joe Castro / AAP

Melbourne Heart piled more pressure on battling Perth Glory coach Ian Ferguson as a brilliant Nick Kalmar free-kick helped deliver a 2-0 A-League win at AAMI Park on Saturday night.

Kalmar's first-half strike was backed up by a second-half goal from returned striker Eli Babalj.

The Glory's loss kept them bottom of the table, with last season's grand finalists having lost four games straight, with no goals in that stretch, to extend their winless streak to eight. The Heart climbed into the top six.

		P	W	D	L	GD	Pts
1	Central Coast	20	12	6	2	22	42
2	Victory	20	11	3	6	3	36
3	Western Sydney	19	11	2	6	10	35
4	Adelaide	20	11	2	7	3	35
5	Heart	20	7	3	10	-1	24
6	Newcastle	19	6	5	8	-8	23
7	Brisbane	19	6	3	10	-1	21
8	Sydney	19	6	3	10	-9	21
9	Wellington	20	5	5	10	-15	20
10	Perth	20	5	4	11	-4	19

Perth had plenty of chances.

Shane Smeltz had a great opportunity in the 19th minute after former Glory defender Jamie Coyne gave up the ball in the penalty area, but Smeltz couldn't get enough power on his left-footer to beat 'keeper Andrew Redmayne.

The Glory protested furiously two minutes later after Chris Harold's foot was clipped by Melbourne's Patrick Gerhardt as he was about to stream into an open penalty area, but no free-kick was awarded.

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Perth's disappointment was soon magnified when Melbourne's Matt Thompson won a free kick, and Kalmar's wonderful shot, from close to 25m, curled over the wall and clipped the underside of the crossbar on the way past a helpless Danny Vukovic.

Vukovic managed to stop two bullet-like long-range shots from the Heart's David Williams later in the half.

In between, Perth's Travis Dodd miscued a close-range effort after nice set-up work from Harold.

Babalj, recently back from a stint in Serbia, scored 12 minutes into the second half, a straightforward finish after a Jonathan Germano shot rebounded off the right post.

Glory substitute Ryo Nagai tried to reply, but couldn't connect well enough with either of his back-to-back shots from inside the penalty area, both cleared away by defenders.

Perth's desperate calls for a handball by Gerhardt inside the penalty area midway through the second half went unanswered.

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Bunnies too good for Kumuls

Promising ... George Burgess gets a feel for it in the Rabbitohs' win over PNG. Source: Rohan Kelly / News Limited

South Sydney have opened their NRL pre-season campaign with a comfortable 38-12 win over Papua New Guinea in Saturday's trial encounter at Redfern Oval.

With owner Russell Crowe watching on from the stands, a largely second-string Souths side dominated possession for most of the game, but were thwarted on several occasions by some fine defending from the competitive tourists.

Coach Michael Maguire handed debuts to winger Bryson Goodwin, an off-season acquisition from Canterbury-Bankstown, and prop Thomas Burgess, the fourth member of his family to turn out for the club.

His twin brother George was also included in the starting line-up with older brother Sam joining the remainder of the Rabbitohs' first-grade squad on the sidelines.

Back-rower Ben Lowe opened the scoring for the hosts, crashing over from close range after nine minutes, but the Kumuls' response was immediate when halfback Israel Eliab got his fingertips to Dion Aiye's grubber-kick for a try.

Souths continued to press, but the tough-tackling PNG side kept them at bay before taking a shock lead on the stroke of quarter-time.

Eliab, who has been watched by a number of NRL clubs, picked off an erratic Souths' offload and raced 80 metres to put the ball under the posts, then added the extras.

The second period followed a similar pattern with the Rabbitohs seeing a lot of the ball and the Kumuls working hard to defend their goalline.

But that resistance was broken when Dave Tyrell darted over for his side's second score, with Goodwin kicking the conversion and, just before halftime, skipper Jason Clark restored Souths' lead from close range.

As the combative Kumuls tired, tries from Chris McQueen and Aaron Gray iced the game for Maguire's side, before Bennett Leslie and Clark added some extra gloss to the scoreline.

Goodwin finished with four goals for the game and Apisai Koroisau was also successful with a kick in front of the posts.

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Johnson aiming to go reverse

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Swing ... Mitchell Johnson is hopeful of starting in India. Source: Mark Evans / News Limited

While acting head coach Steve Rixon is preaching the virtue of banging the ball in hard on pitches offering variable bounce, paceman Mitchell Johnson says reverse swing will also be crucial for Australia's success in India.

Johnson is set to join the squad in Chennai in the next few days and will skip the opening two-day tour match starting on Tuesday.

But the left-arm quick, who has taken 21 wickets in six Tests in India, says he's been going to school on how the Indian bowlers prepare the ball for reverse swing in their home conditions.

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"It does go early and, with a hard reverse-swinging ball, it makes it even harder to face,'' Johnson told reporters in Sydney.

''(I've) been watching Zaheer Khan bowl - he's an unbelievable left-arm bowler - just watching the way he bowled over there in their conditions and when the ball is reverse swinging, when it's hard and when it's bouncing through a bit more.

"It's very difficult and he's had a lot of success over there so hopefully a few other (Australian) guys like Peter Siddle have learnt from that and are going to take that into the tour.''

Johnson, who has taken 205 wickets in 50 Tests, has been bowling with the Indian ball during training sessions in Australia.

"In their conditions over there, what I've learnt is the ball really doesn't swing,'' Johnson said.

"I know the last couple of times I've been there, watching the Indians bowl, they bowl a lot of cross seam early on for 10-12 overs.

"Then they seem to really get into the rough side by getting a bit of sweat into it and then shining the good side and then getting reverse swing.

"The reverse swing is a very hard thing to face so that'll be something we'll be trying our best to do.

"I'm sure the other guys are already practising it over there.

"I actually went back to club training while we were in Perth and bowled with an SG Ball there and it started to do a few things early on.''

Johnson, who fractured teammate David Warner's thumb during a net session at the WACA late last month, predicts competition for spots will be intense ahead of the first Test on February 22.

"There will be some fiery net sessions, I'm sure,'' he said.

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Live blog: SBW v Botha

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Fight of his life ... Botha is Sonny Bill's toughest fight to date. Source:FOX SPORTS

Sonny Bill Williams says his boxing career will end if South African veteran Francois Botha beats him in Friday night's heavyweight title fight.

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Botha has fought some of the greatest heavyweights in recent history, including Mike Tyson, Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield and the "White Buffalo" has promised to pound Williams into the canvas.

Williams said he was concerned about Botha's power and experience in the ring. Will the Sydney Roosters signing be tested? All will be revealed from on Friday.

Williams and Botha headline a card that also features Wallabies and Reds playmaker Quade Cooper's boxing debut.

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Make sure you bookmark this page and return on Friday evening as we bring you all the build-up and social media updates from 7pm (EDT) before delivering a blow-by-blow account of the SBW and Quade fights.

Watch it on Main Event from 7pm (EDT) on Friday night.

For those of you on mobile devices here is the Storify link.

[View the story "Sonny Bill Williams v Francois Botha" on Storify]

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NSW snare first innings points

Nic Maddinson ... leads NSW to first-innings point against Tasmania. Source: Gregg Porteous / News Limited

Career-best scores from rising star Nic Maddinson and tailender Trent Copeland have steered NSW to first-innings points on day three of the Sheffield Shield match against Tasmania at Bellerive.

Maddinson cracked a classy 154, his first century of the summer, to pass his previous best of 137 as well as 1000 runs in his burgeoning career along the way.

SHEF - Blundstone Arena

6 February 2013 - Day 3, Session 3

Tasmania 2nd Innings

M. Cosgrove	10	12	2	0	83.33
A. Doolan	20	11	5	0	181.82

Former Test medium-pacer Copeland notched his maiden first-class ton as the pair put on 188 to help the Blues to 500 in reply to Tasmania's 6(dec)-425.

At stumps, the Tigers were 1-30 in their second dig, trailing by 45.

Mark Cosgrove was unbeaten on 10 and Alex Doolan 20, off just 11 balls, after opener Ben Dunk made a first-ball duck.

But on a placid Bellerive pitch that has made the greentops of earlier in the season look like a distant memory, the match looks headed for a stalemate.

Maddinson notched his third first-class ton in what has otherwise been a lean season yielding just one 50 for the highly rated 21-year-old.

In 2010, he beat Arthur Morris's record in becoming the youngest NSW player to score a first-class century on debut as an 18-year-old, a mark broken a year later by Kurtis Patterson.

Maddinson hit 19 fours in a chanceless knock, anchoring NSW's response after double strikes from the Tigers early in the day and soon after lunch.

Resuming at 1-145, the Blues were 3-170 when Luke Butterworth (5-83) removed Tim Cruickshank (39) and David Dawson (75), both lbw.

Maddinson and skipper Ben Rohrer (47) put on 119 for the fourth wicket before Rohrer was trapped in front by returning Test paceman Ben Hilfenhaus (1-60) at 4-289.

Butterworth removed Peter Nevill for a duck a run later, bringing Copeland to the crease.

The 26-year-old had previously made just two 50s in his 34 first-class matches with a highest score of 55.

He notched his century when he turned Adam Maher (2-82) to fine leg and finished with 106 with 13 fours from just 139 balls.

It continued a good match for the tailenders after Jason Krejza had made his maiden first-class ton for Tasmania during the Tigers' first innings to support Ricky Ponting's unbeaten 200.

When Maddinson was bowled by Maher at 6-478, it sparked a lower-order collapse with NSW losing 5-22 to be all out for 500.

Butterworth's five-wicket haul was the seventh of his first-class career.

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Del Piero: It's a world problem

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Global problem ... Alessandro Del Piero says Australia is not alone its sporting problems. Source: Gregg Porteous / News Limited

Italian soccer superstar Alessandro Del Piero, playing his first season with the A-League's Sydney FC, says issues of doping and match-fixing are a global problem.

The Australian Crime Commission (ACC) report into drugs in sport has illustrated that despite the tyranny of distance the country is not immune to the shadowy networks seeking to influence and profit from modern sport at all levels.

As disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong faces the prospect of jail time, Europol raised allegations of match-fixing in hundreds of games worldwide and Spain's anti-doping agency is investigating allegations doping practices have spread from cycling into football.

It is a situation that has evolved over the past 24 hours in a shocking parallel to events in Australia.

During Del Piero's time at Juventus the esteemed Italian football club was involved in a match-fixing scandal in 2006, when their punishments included being relegated and stripped of two Serie A titles.

Asked for his reaction to revelations from the ACC regarding widespread doping and possible match-fixing Del Piero said on Friday: ''It is a serious problem''.

''It's not only an Australian problem it's all the world a problem, it's not a good thing.''

Asked if Australia could learn anything from Italy's experiences with corruption Del Piero said: ''I don't know if there is corruption here.

''I don't know what is the level of doping, it's just the start of the situation now.''

In Paris, tennis great Rafael Nadal has echoed the sentiments of the likes of senior rugby league figure Phil Gould here in Australia that all sportspeople are being tarred with the same brush of doping.

Nadal wants the names of those implicated in the ''Operation Puerto'' trial into blood doping to be provided to clear others of wrongdoing.

''I don't understand why we never get to the bottom of these things,'' Nadal said.

''We need to clean everything up. I believe this doctor has worked with foreign athletes but because he is Spanish it is Spanish sport that is being prejudiced.

''As an athlete that hurts me. Because of people like (US cyclist Lance) Armstrong, we all have a dubious image.''

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Ponting cracks Shield double ton

Still got it ... Ponting hit his third Sheffield Shield double century. Source: Dave Hunt / AAP

NSW are fighting back after Ricky Ponting's double century had put Tasmania on top in the Sheffield Shield match at Bellerive on Thursday.

At stumps on day two, the Blues were 1-145 in reply to the home side's 6(dec)-425 after former Tasmanian David Dawson had led the way with an unbeaten 70.

SHEF - Blundstone Arena

6 February 2013 - Day 2, Session 3

New South Wales 1st Innings

D. Dawson	70	179	5	0	39.11
T. Cruickshan...	37	90	3	0	41.11

With him at the crease was Tim Cruickshank on 37 after the visitors had lost opener Scott Henry for 27.

Henry's wicket, caught behind off the bowling of Luke Butterworth (1-25), was the first to fall in 115.3 overs, with Ponting and Jason Krejza (118no) putting on a record 293 before the Tigers declared.

Ponting notched his third Shield double century when he pushed Blues quick Trent Copeland to the off-side for a single, celebrating by raising his bat and helmet to the sky and embracing Krejza.

The former Australian skipper had resumed on 138 and his chanceless knock of more than seven hours included 27 fours and a six.

The 38-year-old has now amassed 555 runs in his five Shield matches this season at an average of 185.

He and No.8 Krejza rescued the Tigers from a precarious 6-132, producing a Tasmanian record for the seventh wicket by bettering the 215 set by Michael Bevan and Damien Wright in 2004.

"At the end of every single over he just looked at me said, 'Come on, partnership'," Krejza said.

"It's a small word but that was basically what the whole thing was about."

Krejza notched his first Shield and second first-class ton with 13 fours and a six to help Ponting grind the Blues attack down.

The 30-year-old made 101no for Australia A against Pakistan A in Townsville in 2009.

"One of the Tassie things is that sting in the tail and trying to get as many runs as you can from number seven downwards,'' Krejza said.

"I've always taken (my batting) really seriously and I think it's just paid off today finally after 10 years of playing cricket.''

Psychology student Dawson, who played six seasons in Tasmania, reached his 50 with a sweet cover drive for four off returning Test paceman Ben Hilfenhaus (0-24).

He said there was enough in the flat track to produce a result in the crucial match.

"I think there's still enough going on there to create some opportunities and some chances so I would think hopefully there's a result," he said.

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Coulter-Nile bowls WA to victory

Coulter-Nile ... proves the destroyer for Western Australia. Source: Nikki Davis-jones / News Limited

Mike Hussey has hailed Nathan Coulter-Nile as a Test-quality paceman after bowling Western Australia to a remarkable comeback victory over Sheffield Shield leaders Queensland at the Gabba.

Coulter-Nile on Thursday inspired the last-placed Warriors to a 99-run outright win over the Bulls which has resuscitated their Shield season.

SHEF - Gabba

4 February 2013 - Day 4, Session 3

Queensland 2nd Innings

A. McDermott

14

44

1

0

31.82

The 25-year-old pace spearhead took a career-best 6-84 in a man-of-the-match performance to help dismiss the home side for 340 with 15 overs remaining on the final day.

Among the tall right-armer's wickets were five of the top six - including Bulls opener Greg Moller who produced an exceptional 120 in his return Shield match.

Rising WA left-arm spinner Ashton Agar also chipped in with 3-91 as Hussey stepped in for Adam Voges to captain the Warriors to their seventh outright win in an unbeaten past 10 seasons at the Gabba.

Shane Warne last week named Coulter-Nile among the country's best players in all three forms of the game and Hussey could not argue following nine-wicket match haul.

"He's our most influential player at the moment,'' the 79-Test batsman said. "I couldn't be more impressed with the way he's gone about it.

"He's definitely good enough to play for Australia.

"He's definitely got the skills and he's got the belief in himself and he's got the confidence to do well so I think if he was selected he wouldn't let anyone down.''

Moller threatened to outlast the Warriors during rearguard partnerships with Chris Hartley (38) and skipper James Hopes (61) but the Bulls were left to lament a poor start to day four when they slumped to 4-109.

"Greg Moller was exceptional today but no one went with him in the tough times and that was disappointing,'' Hopes said.

It was a remarkable turnaround from the Warriors after they were routed for 111 on the opening day and Queensland cruised to 0-83 before suffering a 5-17 top-order collapse.

"It was an amazing comeback from where we were - we were in a low place there,'' Hussey admitted.

There's now a mere eight-point gap between leaders Queensland (22) and WA (14) with three rounds to play before the March 22-26 final.

"We're still taking the approach that if we win two of our last three games we should be fine,'' Hopes said.

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New generation doping drugs hard to test

THE illegal "new generation drugs" used by athletes and administered by coaches are designed to stimulate growth hormones and are nearly impossible to detect by testing.

Peptides can have many benefits for sportspeople, including the reduction of body fat and assistance in the swift recovery from injuries.

Legal peptides help the body recover from physical activity and can be taken as supplements.

However, the illegal peptides uncovered by the Australian Crime Commission (ACC) and being investigated by the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) are used to stimulate muscle growth and have less obvious side effects than steroids.

Many peptides aren't approved for human use.

These new-age drugs are very difficult to pick up through testing.

The use of coercive powers by investigators, such as calling on witnesses is usually the only way to prove illegal use.

The ACC report released on Thursday found athletes and officials were part of a "widespread" use of the growth hormone-releasing peptides.

The substances it found in use in Australia were GHRP-2, GHRP-6, CJC-1295, AOD-9604 and hexarelin, all of which promote the release of an increased level of growth hormone into the bloodstream.

All except one type are prohibited under WADA guidelines.

GHRP-2 and GHRP-6, administered through injections, are used to stimulate the release of growth hormone by the pituitary gland.

They stimulate hunger, aid metabolism and result in lean muscle mass and improved strength.

They help athletes rapidly recover from injuries such as bone fractures.

CJC-1295 is available as a cream, but is not approved for human use and is considered to be banned under WADA rules.

It results in reducing body fat, improving memory and endurance.

It also reduces pain and swelling and repairs injured tissue.

Hexarelin is available as a tablet and is prohibited by WADA.

It increases strength, growth of new muscle fibres and assists in healing and reducing body fat.

AOD-9604, while not approved for human use, is not currently banned by WADA.

The ACC did not disclose the full extent of the use of these substances, but said it found cases of elite-level players using peptides to rehabilitate soft tissue injuries.

Some officials and members of the high performance unit from one club had injected players with a "a variety of substances, possibly including peptides.

"The substances were administered at levels which were possibly in breach of WADA anti-doping rules," the report said.

Players and officials had easy access to new-generation performance and image-enhancing drugs (PIEDs) including peptides, the report said.

New types of PIEDS, which were once considered to be used only by elite athletes and sophisticated sports doping programs, were now "widely available".

Athletes have been able to directly acquire PIEDS like testosterone, steroids and peptides from anti-ageing clinics, sometimes without a prescription.

Some of those clinics were linked to organised criminal identities.

The ACC also said PIEDS were being distributed by doctors, sometimes without prescriptions, which is illegal, or through a pharmacy owned by these doctors.

RMIT lecturer and expert in analytical chemistry, Dr Oliver Jones, said because peptides occur naturally in the body, distinguishing between synthetic peptides and human produced peptides in testing can be difficult.

"The problem is, the ones they make in the lab often look very similar to the ones you might find in the body," he told AAP.

"So it's tough to distinguish the two.

"Although, there are ways to do this now and more and more tests are coming online all the time."

These advanced tests were used by the World Anti-Doping Agency during the recent London Olympics, he said.

But they can be expensive, requiring hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of equipment and specially trained experts.

"Something like the Olympics obviously has a huge amount of funding put in place for drug testing, because they know people are going to try and cheat," he said.

"I think there's a certain assumption that Australian sports play by the rules and they weren't aware this was such a big wide spread problem.

"So there wasn't the money and the lab facilities in place for it."

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Horwill sidelined in training mishap

Luckless ... James Horwill's return is delayed by a training mishap. Source: David Kapernick / News Limited

Friendly fire at training has delayed Wallaby skipper James Horwill's long-awaited return and placed him in some doubt for the Queensland Reds' Super Rugby kick-off.

An extremely disappointed Horwill has been scratched from the Reds' final pre-season trial against the Chiefs on Friday night after badly twisting his ankle in a tackling drill at Ballymore.

Reds' director of coaching Ewen McKenzie still expects the 200cm lock to make his comeback in the February 16 season opener against the Brumbies in Canberra after being cleared of ligament damage by scans on Wednesday.

But there are no guarantees and it means Horwill will be underdone for his return to Canberra Stadium - the venue where he suffered his horrific torn hamstring which sidelined him nine months ago.

The ankle injury is not related and came from a training mishap when wrestled to the ground by six tacklers in a high-contact drill.

"Someone fell on his ankle - he can't take a trick at the moment," McKenzie said.

"There's no dramas but he's obviously very disappointed about it, as we are, because he's put a lot of work into getting back on the field and this delays it by a week.

"That's what it is but we want to make sure his comeback is 100 per cent successful."

Prop James Slipper will skipper Queensland against the Chiefs at Caloundra and has emerged as a co-favourite with centre Anthony Faingaa to be captain for the opening round if Horwill is unavailable.

"The injury puts some doubt on (him playing round one) but I won't rule anything in or out," McKenzie said.

Ed O'Donaghue will start in the second-row against the Chiefs with Rob Simmons who makes his return from suspension.

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