LIVE: Dees shock, North smash Lions

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NORTH Melbourne has handed a young Brisbane Lions team a football lesson at Etihad Stadium.

Inspired by veteran Brent Harvey, the Kangaroos cruised to a 87-point win, 17.23 (125) to 6.2 (38).

The Lions were decimated by the late withdrawals of Tom Rockliff and Joel Patfull, while Dayne Zorko played by was well below his best.

SHEEDY: WHY I LOVE TOMMY HAFEY

WHATELEY: DEMONS GROW IN ESTEEM AND ASPIRATION

Lindsay Thomas kicked four goals for the Kangaroos while eight other teammates got on the scoresheet.

Captain Andrew Swallow made his return from an Achillies injury and had 18 touches and five clearances before being subbed out.

Earlier, an inspired Melbourne at upset a wayward Richmond at the MCG.

FOR FULL LIVE HQ COVERAGE WITH SUPERCOACH SCORES, CLICK ON THE SCORE CENTRE ABOVE OR HERE IF YOU ARE ON A MOBILE DEVICE

Paul Roos' men punished the Tigers pathetic kicking for goal to clinch their third win for the season, 14.7 (91) to 9.20 (74).

Demons captain Nathan Jones led the way with 33 possessions while Jack Watts kicked three goals, including the sealer in the fourth quarter.

Dustin Martin was the Tigers best with 31 touches but Shaun Grigg (0.3), Shane Edwards (2.2), Jack Riewoldt (1.3) and Ben Griffiths (0.3) butchered the ball in front of the big sticks.

Earlier, both clubs paid tribute to the late Tom Hafey via a 10-minute tribute video and a minute's applause.

MATTHEW PAVLICH IS 'SUPERDOCKER'

In the final game of the day, Matthew Pavlich will become the first Fremantle player to reach 300 games when he leads the Dockers out on to Subiaco Oval to take on Geelong.

Saturday's AFL matches ...

Richmond def by Melbourne at MCG

North Melbourne def Brisbane Lions at Etihad Stadium

Fremantle v Geelong at Subiaco Oval (7.40pm EST)

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Video: Shark sent off for stomping

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FLANKER Jean Deysel was sent sent off for stomping but the 14-man Sharks held on for an historic 30-25 victory over the Crusaders in Christchurch.

Deysel was given his marching orders after appearing to stomp on the face of Jordan Taufua in retaliation to the Crusaders flanker holding on to him off the ball 15 minutes into the clash at AMI Stadium.

After watching several replays of the incident referee Rohan Hoffman issued Deysel with a red card, leaving the Sharks to play out the match with 14 men.

Jean Deysel was red carded for making contact with the head of Jordan Taufua (bottom left). Source: FoxSports

Deysel received some surprise support in star Brumbies pair Matt Toomua and Nic White who questioned whether he should have been sent off.

''I don't condone dirty play but if he wasn't being held off the ball there wouldn't have been a stomp. Def a penalty but not a red,'' Toomua tweeted.

White added: "Never take a boot to a players head but why did he have a hold of his leg 5m away from a maul? Taking out a defender on purpose?"

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Rampaging Eels spoil Benji’s return

Benji Marshall endured a miserable NRL return as a red-hot Parramatta blew away St George Illawarra 36-0.

THE St George Illawarra gamble on Benji Marshall has backfired spectacularly, with Parramatta smashing the Dragons on Saturday.

Instead of a flick pass, a flash of magic or some other Benji brilliance, it was a blue and gold onslaught that completely ambushed them.

Benji Marshall needs more game time before he is back to his best. Source: News Corp Australia

The low point for Marshall was when he threw a pass over the side line close to fulltime.

Rookie Eels forward Pauli Pauli scored a try and was a force in the middle of the field, while a blockbusting Junior Paulo run paved the way for Jarryd Hayne to get one of his two tries.

The Eels fullback produced another display that had shades of his Dally M medal year of 2009 stamped all over it.

Parramatta scored six tries in total, with halfback Chris Sandow kicking six goals from six attempts in another comprehensive display from the reborn No.7.

But the question today will be where do the Dragons go now after signing Marshall as their saviour.

Ken Sio touches down for one of his two four-pointers. Source: News Corp Australia

Their coach Steve Price cut a dejected figure, suggesting there was no quick fix to the Red V issues aside from hard work.

The loss was the Dragons' sixth in seven games and will mean Price's position comes under increased pressure.

It was the Dragons biggest loss against the Eels and the first time the Eels had kept a team scoreless since 2009.

"It's a tough one to take. We're training outstanding, I just can't up my finger on it," Price said. "We had a pretty simple game plan which we didn't get out there and implement. We need to have a really good hard look at ourselves at the moment. The only way out of it is by digging in and working hard. There's no quick fix."

Semi Radradra breaks through the Dragons' defence. Source: News Corp Australia

Eels coach Brad Arthur even had the chance to put Hayne in cotton wool with nine minutes remaining, much to the delight of NSW coach Laurie Daley.

Clearly beaming about the six-tries-to-nil effort, Arthur said the Eels still needed to learn to be more ruthless when they have the chance.

"I'm happy more about our effort on the back of a five-day preparation," Arthur said

"It took a while for us to find our groove in attack, but if we can continue to defend like that and keep turning up for each other then we might have a little bit more time to find our groove.

"We haven't talked about goals or where we want to get to. Our priority is about getting better on a weekly basis and working hard.

"There were some things there, I think out of our last eight sets we only completed four. We need to learn to be a little bit more ruthless and put them away.

Eels fans celebrate another Jarryd Hayne try. Source: News Corp Australia

A Ken Sio try and an 80m from Corey Norman after a Marshall fumble gave the hosts a 12-0 lead at the break.

However, the Dragons were on the wrong end of two questionable calls to deny Mike Cooper and Joel Thompson four-pointers.

Cooper raced over the line from a Marshall pass that was adjudged to be marginally forward and Thompson was pulled back after referee Jared Maxwell failed to play the advantage following a knock-on by Eels centre Willie Tonga.

Eel's Pauli Pauli celebrates scoring a try during the game between the Parramatta Eel's and the St George Illawarra Dragons at Pirtek Stadium,Parramatta .Picture Gregg Porteous Source: News Corp Australia

But there was no excuses in the second half for the visitors who were simply unable to cope with the pace and power of the Eels, who scored four unanswered tries.

Hayne extended the lead four minutes after the restart.

Sio added his second after Thompson spilt the ball on the first tackle. Back-rower Manu Ma'u and the outstanding Will Hopoate combined to send over the winger.

PARRAMATTA 36 (J Hayne 2 K Sio 2 C Norman P Pauli tries C Sandow 6 goals) bt ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA 0 at Pirtek Stadium. Referee: Jared Maxwell, Chris James. Crowd: 18,631.

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Live NRL: Friday Night Football

The Rabbitohs host the Storm, while the Broncos face the Titans in our live NRL blog. Source: News Corp Australia

IT'S a massive night of football as the Rabbitohs host the Storm and the Broncos face the Titans.

With both games kicking off at 7.30pm, we'll bring you all the action from ANZ Stadium and Suncorp Stadium.

Our Rabbitohs-Storm and Broncos-Titans match centres have all the important stats and big plays, while you can have your say and join in the social media discussion in our live blog below.

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Blatter: ‘Of course Qatar a mistake’

FIFA President Sepp Blatter holding up the name of Qatar during the official announcement of the 2022 World Cup host country at the FIFA headquarters in Zurich. Source: PHILIPPE DESMAZES / AFP

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has admitted it was a mistake to choose Qatar to host the 2022 World Cup — it beat Australia's among others — because of the country's sweltering summertime climate.

When asked if it was a mistake choosing the Middle East country because of its high temperatures during the summer months, Blatter said in an interview on Thursday with Swiss RTS station: "Yes, of course ... You know, everyone makes mistakes in life."

The average temperature tops 40°C in June and July (, when World Cup finals usually take place.

"The Qatar technical report ruled that it was too hot in the summer, but the (FIFA's) executive committee, with a large majority, decided to play in Qatar," said Blatter.

In these circumstances, "it is more than likely" that the 2022 World Cup will be played in winter, said Blatter, who has repeatedly expressed his desire to move the tournament to a more appropriate date. A decision on that has been delayed until after this year's tournament in Brazil.

Temperatures in the winter in Qatar are around 25°C (77 degrees Fahrenheit). "The best time to play is at the end of the year. You must remain realistic ... we must play in winter at the end of the year," added Blatter.

Hey FIFA, you could still Come Play here. Source: News Limited

FIFA took the controversial decision to award Qatar the World Cup in December 2010.

There have also been numerous corruption allegations about the bidding process for the tournament and reports of alleged abuses of the rights of migrant workers employed on World Cup projects.

Australia bid for the right to host 2022 — spending more than $40m in the process but gained just one vote as Qatar won by a landslide, ahead of the United States, South Korea and (separately) Japan.

UK football writer Henry Winter recently wrote: "It was laughable that such a serious bid as Australia should finish last. It summed up Fifa's tainted voting system that the most legitimate bid went out in the first round. It is no surprise that half of the 22 ExCo members involved have since stepped down, some of them totally discredited."

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Demons grow in esteem and aspiration

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NOTHING spoke of the changing paradigm for Melbourne quite so eloquently as the reaction to defeat a week ago.

It wasn't the lament of losing, for too long a constant, soul-destroying companion. It was instead the regret of not winning.

The Demons had the Western Bulldogs on toast for a period in the last quarter before being edged in the stretch for the tape.

What Melbourne wouldn't have given for narrow, meritorious defeat in recent years. Now it has the esteem to aspire for more.

Melbourne completes its first lap under Paul Roos today at the MCG. The coach has proposed an audit in the bye to measure the gains and identify the urgent causes for attention.

Lynden Dunn is beginning to deliver on the promise that lead him to be a first-round draft selection. Picture: Wayne Ludbey. Source: News Corp Australia

One thing is tangible; from supporters to players all have come to trust in something better. Given the starting point it's a significant advancement.

Any such reassurance seemed wishful thinking seven weeks ago when the Demons capitulated to West Coast by 93 points.

It led you to wonder if the players themselves weren't permanently damaged. When the rut set in the participants too readily submitted to their fate. The failure seemed institutionalised.

Roos appeared appalled by it. He spoke of the minimum standards a professional footballer must meet.

Having spent the early part of his tenure as professor he turned psychologist. He spoke of changing the environment for the players so it didn't contain the same sense of dread and loathing.

A fortnight later those Demons players grew into the idea of winning on an afternoon of gaping opportunity against Carlton.

Jeremy Howe and skipper Nathan Jones have a laugh following their victory over Carlton in Round 4 Pic: Michael Klein. Source: News Corp Australia

The best measure of change came from Jack Grimes who hadn't tasted victory for a full year.

After rehab, where the faces were happy and the bodies ached a little less, the co-captain pondered: "How good would footy be if you could experience this every week."

Roos' task has been to rescue young men from the realms of the downtrodden.

To assess Melbourne's first eight games is to see a team that has been competitive in all bar one. Two wins as many as anyone could have hoped.

The Demons made a virtue of establishing a credible percentage. It stands at 73.65. Remove the Eagles thrashing, now entitled to be viewed as an aberration, and that measure sits at a respectable 85.

That's the scoreboard so to speak. The constant presence Roos was desperate to remove from Melbourne's thinking.

The perceptible gains are in the method and the improvement of individuals. On the scale of development there's barely a Melbourne player you couldn't find a virtue for.

Melbourne co-captain Jack Grimes. Photo by Scott Barbour Source: Getty Images

Lynden Dunn is becoming the disciplined, versatile footballer his first round selection a decade ago forecast.

Jack Watts is finding an intensity long missing. Nathan Jones is more than the heart and soul. He's accountable and defensively determined.

Grimes looks more settled and sure with the ball. Neville Jetta is reinvented as a dependable defender. And Cam Pedersen looks to have found his place.

Even in a small sample some of those outcomes are wondrous.

There's nothing pretty about the Demons. They don't have that luxury. There is a hard, competitive edge and a desire to adhere to a predictable, replicable style.

Melbourne training is said to have an extreme emphasis on education, intense learning of the bedrocks — structures and stoppages — rather than ball movement.

As Adelaide learnt the hard way, you can't just rock up against Melbourne anymore. They're an awkward opponent with the capacity to frustrate and a willingness to persist that bridges the talent differential.

That's a challenge for Richmond. An emotional team on a highly emotional day.

Like Melbourne, the Tigers have only two wins and when last faced with this sort of assignment failed it badly against the Bulldogs.

Any audit by Damien Hardwick in the week off would have identified broad regression.

The coach has maintained the policy this is a good team. But promises aren't worth much these days. It's actions that are judged.

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Local knowledge gives Oar Dutch courage

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AFTER impressing in the Dutch Eredivisie this season, both Tommy Oar and Jason Davidson are confident of bringing their club form with them into the Socceroos World Cup squad.

Davidson plays for Heracles Almelo, while Oar is at FC Utrecht alongside his former Brisbane Roar teammate Adam Sarota, who was also named in Ange Postecoglou's initial 30-man squad.

Four years ago Oar came so close to getting on the plane to South Africa, only to miss out on then coach Pim Verbeek's final 23-man squad for the World Cup.

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But this year, with so much more experience under his belt, the 22-year-old believes he is a step closer to reaching his dream.

"Every kid dreams of going to the World Cup and of course I'm no different, so for it to be so close to becoming a reality is a fantastic feeling.

"When you arrive in camp it becomes a reality. It's always good to see all the boys again and everyone is really happy to have made the 30-man squad."

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Oar made 31 appearances for his club this season and is very familiar with many of the faces that will line up against Australia when they face the Netherlands in their second group game.

"I looked at their team and I know their entire squad," Oar said.

"I get to see a lot of them play every week and they have some fantastic players. If I was given the chance to play against them I think I would know what to expect from their play, so for me that might be a little bit of an advantage."

Four more years ... Tommy Oar poses ahead of the 2010 tournament. Source: News Limited

Davidson, who is the only left-back in the Socceroos squad, also believes his knowledge of Dutch football will stand him in good stead.

The 22-year-old was a mainstay for his club this season and is pleased with his form heading into the Socceroos' two training camps before the squad leaves for Brazil.

"I was happy I got picked, but in the same breath I thought I deserved it because I've played a lot of games this season," Davidson said.

"Tommy and myself and Adam Sarota all play in Holland and I think it's an advantage. If any of the boys or coaching staff decide to ask us for any advice I'm sure we can help out because we play against these players every week."

As Postecoglou begins the task of rebuilding the Socceroos, there is an emphasis on youth in his squad. The majority of players have fewer than 10 caps and most have never been to a World Cup.

Jason Davidson got suited up at Socceroos camp in Terrigal. Picture: Gregg Porteous. Source: News Limited

But Oar insists that just adds to their motivation.

"We're not scared of the challenge and we're confident we can surprise a lot of people," he said.

"Everybody has had good seasons and now, with the team being a lot younger than before, I think the enthusiasm at training might be a bit higher. Everybody will be doing everything they can to impress and I think that can only benefit the team."

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Star Hawk goes under the knife

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HAWTHORN'S premiership defence has been rocked by a full-blown injury crisis, with defending best-and-fairest winner Josh Gibson out for up to three months.

As revealed on superfooty.com.au yesterday, Gibson has had surgery to repair a left pectoral muscle tear suffered in a marking collision with Kurt Tippett.

THE HAWKING WOUNDED

Amazingly, Gibson flew to Los Angeles to catch up with his girlfriend this week but returned on Wednesday and told club medicos the injury was not healing.

A scan revealed the damage, with Gibson in surgery last night for an injury Hawthorn footy manager Chris Fagan said would put him out for ten weeks.

Fagan told the Herald Sun last night the leadership group and coach Alastair Clarkson had approved his trip to LA well before the Sydney game.

Lance Franklin contests a mark with former teammate Hawthorn's Josh Gibson Picture: Phil Hillyard Source: News Corp Australia

But it understood questions have been asked at club level about why he was allowed to go after sustaining the injury.

"The doctor said to him that he will get some bruising come out in his bicep and might experience a bit of tingling for a few days,'' Fagan said.

"He went to LA, he went to see his girlfriend there, which he had full approval from the leadership group, and from Clarko and myself, there were no dramas there, the doctors said there was no need to worry about any treatment, and said, "You can look after it yourself".

It means the Hawks' best six players will be missing against Port Adelaide next weekend if captain Luke Hodge fails to recover from hamstring soreness.

Already the club is missing its best-and-fairest winner in Gibson, the reigning Norm Smith Medallist in Brian Lake, its best game-breaker in Cyril Rioli and its best midfielder in Sam Mitchell.

Jarryd Roughead is suspended this week, Rioli could miss more than a month, Mitchell is out for seven more weeks with a hamstring tendon injury and Lake continues to battle with repeated calf issues.

The Hawks are shocked at the spate of serious injuries, many of which could drag out longer than the official return date.

Fagan said the ten-week prognosis was a best-case scenario, but said Gibson was keen to play on for another three years.

"He will be 10 weeks providing everything goes well and they obviously expect it to. They have to reattach the tendon and he will have to go through full rehab,'' he said.

"We have to look after him, you could take a punt and say let's play him and go with it, but he would have ended up with a pretty ordinary pectoral shoulder connection and we are hopeful that Josh Gibson is going to play for another three or four years, so we have to look after him."

Grand Final emergency Jed Anderson was struck down by pre-season pneumonia and now has a shoulder injury which might end his season.

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Bombers focused on the footy

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ESSENDON ruckman Paddy Ryder has dismissed claims the playing group is distracted by the supplements saga, but conceded he was frustrated the issue remained unresolved after 15 months.

The Bombers have struggled, losing three games in a row before racking up scrappy eight-point wins over the Bulldogs and Lions over the past two rounds.

Their poor form has prompted some commentators to suggest the players are distracted, but Ryder disagreed.

"No, (the ASADA investigation) is out of our hands now,'' he said. "We've just got to focus on our footy. There are no excuses.

"You might think about it and stuff like that, but at the end of the day you can't do much about it. But you can do stuff about your footy, so that's where all of our energies are put, and that's our release from it all.''

Ryder said Essendon's acting chief executive officer, Xavier Campbell, had met with the players this week to discuss concerns about a report suggesting ASADA show cause notices were imminent.

"Upstairs is always talking to us and a lot of the stuff that comes out in the papers and that is a lot different to what we know and what we've been told by the people that we trust," Ryder said.

"We've just got to trust the word that we're getting from the footy club and that's the only thing that we can go on.''

"Personally I think it's just dragged on. Another article pops up and it's just the same stuff over and over again. People just keep talking about it and talking about it."

Ryder, who expects to shoulder the bulk of the ruck duties against the Swans tonight, attributed the club's poor form to not doing the football basics.

"The last couple of weeks we've had a couple of wins, but they've been ugly wins really,'' he said. "We've gone away from some of the things we pride ourselves on, really. Contested ball is the one that every team prides itself on and we've been lacking in that area.

"The main thing is we're looking to play a consistent four quarters rather than playing in patches or having a good quarter here and there."

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Buckley, Menzel commit to Blues

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A WIN, a break and a couple of re-signings — suddenly things are starting to look up for Carlton.

The Herald Sun can reveal young guns Troy Menzel and Dylan Buckley have resolved to recommit to the Blues.

Menzel, 19, is understood to be on the verge of signing a three-year contract extension while Buckley, 21, has formally inked a new two-year deal.

Both have started the season impressively under Mick Malthouse and both played key roles in Carlton's 32-point win over St Kilda at Etihad Stadium on Monday night.

Menzel, the younger brother of Geelong's Daniel, was said to be a risky selection when chosen with by the Blues with pick No.11 of the 2012 national draft given his history of knee injuries, but has more than justified the club's faith in his 14 games thus far.

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The forward kicked three goals in the second quarter on Monday night to blow the game wide open.

Buckley, son of three-time club premiership player Jim, was the Round 2 Rising Star nominee and his run and dare from the half-back line has been a shining light for the Blues this season.

He put pen to paper last week on a deal that will tie him to the club until the end of the 2016 season.

"He is very excited to get his contract locked away," Buckley's manager Nick Gieschen of ESP, said.

"He's been given a lot of opportunities under Mick, they have a great relationship and it's given him a lot of confidence.

"He's really happy to be playing at Carlton. He's barracked for the club for his whole life, obviously his dad played there. We are really happy to get it done."

Mick Malthouse talks with Dylan Buckley in the win over St Kilda in Round 8. Source: News Corp Australia

Another youngster starting to make his mark at Visy Park is Sam Docherty, who kicked his first goals for the club and also celebrated his first win as a Carlton player on Monday night.

After receiving the customary Powerade soaking from his teammates the 20-year-old, born in Phillip Island, said the move back to Victoria had been a positive one so far despite having to overcome a nagging quad complaint.

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"I'm loving it down here," Docherty said.

"The club's great. Living down here I'm a bit closer to family, I see my mum nearly every week now which is great. I couldn't be happier to be honest.

"It's a great feeling to get that first win. There's a good bunch of boys here — I think they've been looking forward to soaking me (in Powerade) for a few weeks.

"It was a bit of a stitch-up, the boys had about 50 bottles unhinged just ready to go."

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