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Choppy says dress Taylor in Maroon

Written By Unknown on Senin, 05 Mei 2014 | 23.41

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MAROONS great Chris Close has called for Dave Taylor to be picked for Origin I with statistics showing the Titans hulk is dominating Queensland back-row rival Josh Papalii.

Maroons selection boss Des Morris revealed on Monday Queensland's back-row riches were turning up the heat on forward incumbents, including Papalii, ahead of the series opener on May 28.

Taylor has been in Origin exile for almost two years, but his outstanding numbers this season has left 2013 Maroons debutant Papalii firmly in the firing line.

David Taylor at Titans training. Source: News Corp Australia

The Coal Train amassed 177m from 22 runs against the Tigers last Sunday week, lifting his season average to 14 hit-ups and 133m from eight games.

By contrast, Papalii's workrate is poor, with the axed Test star averaging just 71m per game and having failed to register 100m in a single fixture this season.

The Raiders wrecking ball struggled to make an impact in his Intrust Super Cup outing for Souths Logan on Sunday, prompting Close to push for Taylor's Origin resurrection.

"He would be in my team every time it was picked," said Close, Queensland's former team manager.

"I'm not telling Mal what to do because his record just speaks for itself, but I'd take David Taylor even on 70 per cent of his game.

"This year I think he deserves a chance. He has developed his leg speed again. He is thinking about running the ball and that is when he is at his most dangerous."

Morris praised Papalii's attitude in returning to second-tier football, but admits the Canberra enforcer is not an automatic selection for Origin I.

Dave Taylor playing State of Origin. Source: News Limited

"That (playing for Souths Logan) will do him the world of good," Morris said.

"They are all under pressure. We have been loyal in the past, but Josh is also aware we have a lot of back up, particularly in the back row, and he needs to be performing.

"There's several forwards we are keeping an eye on.

"We have plenty of guys vying for positions and while Josh is the incumbent, he needs to get some games under his belt."

David Taylor of the Titans runs the ball. Source: Getty Images

Taylor has two more games to press his Origin claims starting this Saturday, when he takes on Souths and Maroons duo Ben Te'o and Chris McQueen on the Gold Coast.

Papalii faces the Warriors on the same day in Auckland, the scene of his infamous pre-match booze up with Canberra teammate Anthony Milford last season.

The Maroons rookie said he's determined to recapture peak form after his Test axing last week.

Dave Taylor tackled by Paul Gallen during a State of Origin match. Source: News Limited

"Being dropped (from the Test side) is something that happens in this game, but I just have to work my way back up," he said.

"Losing my Australian jumper not something I am happy about but I have to be honest with myself.

"I have a bit to work on, especially my fitness."


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I’ve stated my case to Laurie: Mullen

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JARROD Mullen says Laurie Daley knows just how badly he wants to play for NSW again.

And he is hoping the self-assured way he got the job done for Country Origin on Sunday in Dubbo has convinced the Blues coach he is ready to be handed a second chance at Origin level.

Nursing a swollen eye and the usual bumps and bruises on Monday, Mullen was happy to avoid the hype that now surrounds the selection of the Blues five-eighth.

Jarrod Mullen of Country runs the ball. Source: Getty Images

While Sydney Roosters incumbent James Maloney remains a slight favourite to again get the nod with his goalkicking considered a crucial factor, the likes of Mullen, Bulldogs No 6 Josh Reynolds and Souths star John Sutton have entered the frame with Maloney out injured.

Mullen and Reynolds squared off on Sunday with most judges believing the Knights five-eighth came out a slight points winner on the day.

"It was an Origin sort of game in some ways with the desperation we showed to defend our line there early in the second half," Mullen said.

"We were down on troops at the end so the game didn't finish the way we wanted it too which was really disappointing but I was happy enough with the way I went."

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That hasn't always been the case after a big game.

Only two seasons ago, the Newcastle general openly admits he botched an opportunity and was down on himself when he played poorly for Country in Mudgee.

But as he tells it: "I am a completely different player now".

Different because while the desire is as strong as ever to add to the one game he played for the Blues as a teenager back in 2007, this time of the year doesn't consume him like it has in the past.

Jarrod Mullen of the Knights skips out of the tackle of Dale Finucane. Source: Getty Images

Knights half Jarrod Mullen catches a ball. Source: News Limited

"It's the most relaxed I've felt going into a rep game," Mullen said.

"I used to let the whole thing get to me and I'd work myself up. That's what happened a couple of years ago.

"But I guess I'm older now and a lot more experienced.

"Laurie knows I want to play but it's up to him who he goes with.

"The focus for me now is helping to get the Knights back on track. We've had a tough start to the season so hopefully, we can turn things around.

"I've just got to really now for the team and if the other stuff happens, that would be great."


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SBW opens up, welcome to SBW inc

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THE NRL is losing much more than just a footy player at the end of the season. They've lost a universal brand.

On Monday Sonny Bill Williams became the first player in rugby league history to be signed by adidas on a global ambassador deal, joining the likes of international superstars David Beckham, Lionel Messi, Andy Murray and NBA star Derrick Rose, who are all on multi-million dollar deals with the sportswear giants.

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What you missed on TV last night

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MELBOURNE coach Paul Roos revealed the Demons would "vigorously" defend Jack Viney at the AFL Tribunal on Tuesday night.

Viney will front the league judiciary for rough conduct against Adelaide forward Tom Lynch.

"All I can say is we believe Jack is bracing himself for contact," Roos said during his regular segment on AFL 360.

"We'll defend it vigorously, no doubt about that."

AFL 360 co-hosts Gerard Whateley and Mark Robinson said Viney should escape penalty for the incident which resulted in Lynch having his jaw broken.

"If Viney goes out for this...it doesn't sit comfortably for me," Robinson said.

Whateley said Viney had no option but to brace for contact and as a result should get off.

"Lets hold faith that this will pan out," he said.

"I think he's turned to mitigate the contact... I think he'll be found not guilty."

Earlier, Whateley and Robinson spoke frankly about Round 7 losers Richmond, Carlton, Adelaide and North Melbourne.

Robinson was very critical of Carlton's loss to Collingwood.

"I think there's a lot of blame game going on at Carlton," he said.

"I think Carlton are in denial. They've got issues.

"Good teams don't have such mediocre mental periods in football games.

"You look at Carlton and you say what do they stand for? Right now they are a pretty meek and mild football team."

Robbo felt Dale Thomas tried too hard against his old side. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: News Corp Australia

While careful not to make excuses for North Melbourne, Whateley linked the Kangaroos' inconcistency to the final stage of their development.

"They're not mature enough to achieve their level week in and week out," he said.

"They can play the special effort game - break hoodoos (Sydney and Fremantle).

"I'd have them next year and the year after but we're impatient."

Robinson said Richmond showed "glimpses" of its best in the narrow loss to Geelong, while Whateley felt Adelaide's loss to Melbourne could come back to haunt the Crows late in the season.

Robinson and Whateley opened the show talking about the injuries to key figures at Hawthorn and Sydney.

Robinson said Hawthorn couldn't afford too many more mishaps after losing Sam Mitchell (hamstring) and Brian Lake (calf) on the weekend for extended periods.

With Lance Franklin (knee) under an injury cloud of his own, Whateley said it would devastating in terms of build up if the $10m dollar man missed Friday night's blockbuster against Hawthorn.

WEEKEND HEROES: ANDO AND DERM'S BEST PLAYERS

Gold Coast received plenty of kudos for its landmark win over North Melbourne at Etihad Stadium.

Whateley said he felt the Suns were ahead of schedule in their development and could win enough games this season - given their draw - to play finals.

Roos was equally as enamoured with Gold Coast and the development of key forwards Sam Day, Tom Lynch and Charlie Dixon.

"They are a much more mature team (now) their bigs look like bigs, they look like men as opposed to boys."

West Coast, Fremantle and Hawthorn's almost "perfect game" was also on the agenda.

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ON THE COUCH - Fox Footy

AFL Hall of Fame journalist Mike Sheahan suggested Carlton free agent Bryce Gibbs has already made up his mind about returning to his native South Australia.

The Herald Sun reported in March that Gibbs will not sign an extension until he is confident in the Blues' list management and future direction.

"I think he's decided to go," Sheahan said.

"His body language says to me he's going back to Adelaide... and I wouldn't be doing much to keep him."

Former Hawthorn champion Jason Dunstall said Carlton's workrate allowed Collingwood to run rings around the Blues.

"They've (Carlton) got passengers, he's (coach Mick Malthouse) got to start dropping the passengers and say if you're going to play like that you're not going to play."

On The Couch host Gerard Healy said Carlton had to start rebuilding and regenerating the list because "there's no premiership upside with this group".

Special guest Damien Hardwick refused to rule Richmond (2-5) out of finals calculations.

"We've been really disappointed with our form through the first seven rounds," he said.

"We feel we're over the worst of it, we feel we're on an upward trend."

Hardwick said playing a more aggressive style was key to Richmond's success.

"One thing we've encouraged our guys is we'd rather you make a positive mistake rather than go into their shells."

Richmond coach Damien Hardwick. Picture:Wayne Ludbey. Source: News Corp Australia

When quizzed about losing speedster Matt White during the off-season, Hardwick said Richmond simply wasn't prepared to match Port Adelaide's lucrative long-term offer.

The program opened with Healy, Dunstall and Sheahan lauding Gold Coast's rise to fifth on the AFL table.

"They've been threatening but the Suns arrived on Sunday night at Etihad Stadium," Healy said.

Sheahan slammed North Melbourne for being "flakey to the point of brittle".

He branded the Kangaroos "pathetic" in front of goal.

The conversation shifted to Jack Viney's case at the AFL Tribunal and the panel was united in the belief the midfielder should escape penalty.

"I'm not sure he's got too many other options (other than bump)," Healy said.

"Unless you're going to say he should have tackled... I think he's got a very strong case (to get off)."

Sliding was again on the agenda with several incidents from Geelong-Richmond and Essendon-Western Bulldogs games under the microscope.

Healy said it was a "disaster" a couple of the players including Brett Deledio and Adam Cooney weren't pinged for sliding into opponent's legs.

TALKING FOOTY - 7MATE

HAWTHORN coach Alastair Clarkson said the Hawks would treat Lance Franklin - if he plays - like any other opposition player on Friday night.

"He's been a significant part of us winning two premierships... we would have loved him to stay at Hawthorn but he received an offer which was just too good to refuse."

"We wish him well but he's an opponent now and we've got to do everything we can to try win this game of footy."

Fremantle coach Ross Lyon joined the program via video link.

He said umpires had tightened rules in marking contests and around stoppages.

"I think we've seen a few more free kicks," he said.

Lyon came under fire last month saying umpires had contributed to unsightly congestion by not paying free kicks.

"I think they acknowledged that themselves and there's been slight adjustments."

Kangaroos coach Brad Scott talks tactics with his team. Picture: Colleen Petch Source: News Corp Australia

FOOTY CLASSIFIED - Nine Network

NORTH Melbourne coach Brad Scott was in the hot seat and made no excuses for the Kangaroos patchy start to the season.

Scott said it was an indictment on the club to go from a really talented side one week to a side that gets beaten due to a lack of effort the next.

He also took full responsibility for the Kangaroos' slow starts to games - outscored seven goals to one against Gold Coast on Sunday.

"Potentially I over-corrected during the off-season," he said.

"We want to be an attacking team... I genuinely think that and that is my responsibility."

Scott said he would persist Majak Daw in the forward line, while Drew Petrie's defensive pressure - for a man his size - was second to none.

Carlton dominated the early segments with Dale Thomas and Bryce Gibbs coming under fire.

Host Garry Lyon said Thomas looks "frail" as a footballer, while Matthew Lloyd urged the Blues to let Gibbs go at the end of the season


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‘Caveman’ Chabal retires from rugby

Hanging up boots ... Sebastien Chabal of France has announced his retirement from professional rugby. Source: AP

ICONIC former French international Sebastien Chabal, popularly known as the "Caveman", has announced he will retire from the sport next weekend.

The 36-year-old Chabal won 62 caps for France as a powerhouse lock and back row forward, and his last act will come on Sunday when he turns out a final time for Lyon, his current club which he has helped seal promotion from the ProD2 to the Top 14.

"On Sunday I will call a halt to my career as a rugby player and a high-level sportsman," Chabal said.

"I realise how lucky I've been, and to have the opportunity to call it a day with a title and finish the mission for which I came: helping Lyon win promotion."

Pre Caveman ... France's Sebastien Chabal in Sydney in 2003. Source: News Corp Australia

Chabal, standing 1.91 metres tall and weighing 115kg, became a cult figure in rugby circles with his barnstorming style of play allied with his thick black beard and flowing locks.

It allowed the forward to become one of the best paid rugby players in France thanks to lucrative commercial contracts that played on his on-field reputation and shaggy look.

Chabal played for Bourgoin (1998-2004) and English club Sale (2004-2009) before switching to Racing Metro in 2009 and then moving on to Lyon in 2012.

He played in two Six Nations-winning French sides in 2007 and 2010, and was an English Premiership winner in 2005 at Sale.

Such was Chabal's international draw, he even made a one-game cameo for minor Australian club side Balmain against Petersham in 2012 as a curtain-raiser to a Waratahs v Reds Super Rugby game.

Going out on a high ... France's lock Sebastien Chabal will play his last game of rugby this weekend. Source: AFP


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