Red Bull boys top V8 podiums

Clean sweep ... Jamie Whincup wins back-to-back races in Perth. Source: Mark Horsburgh / AAP

The two-headed Holden monster has warmed up and is poised to yet again eat up the V8 Supercars field.

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In an ominous sign following a sluggish start to the season, Red Bull Racing pair Jamie Whincup and Craig Lowndes sealed a three-race cleansweep of the round in Perth on Sunday.

A day after Lowndes took his 91st chequered flag to break Mark Skaife's record of most career wins, Whincup was victorious in both 100km battles at Barbagallo Raceway.

Triple Eight Racing have won four of the past five team championships while Whincup has similarly dominated the drivers' championship to lift the title in those same years - with 2010 their only blemish.

Rd.	Event	Track	Date
NC	Official Test Day	Sydney Motorsport Park	Feb 16
1	Clipsal 500 Adelaide	Adelaide	Feb 28-Mar 3
NC	Australian Grand Prix	Albert Park	Mar 14-17
2	Tasmania Challenge	Symmons Plains	Apr 5-7
3	Auckland 400	Pukekohe	Apr 12-14
4	Perth	Barbagallo	May 3-5
5	Texas 400	Austin	May 17-19
6	Skycity Triple Crown	Hidden Valley	Jun 14-16
7	Sucrogen Townsville 400	Reid Park	Jul 5-7
8	Coates Hire Ipswich	Queensland Raceway	Jul 27-28
9	Winton	Winton	Aug 23-25
10	Sandown 500	Sandown	Sep 13-15
11	Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000	Mount Panorama	Oct 10-13
12	Armor All Gold Coast 600	Surfers Paradise	Oct 25-27
13	Phillip Island 400	Phillip Island	Nov 23-24
14	Sydney 500	Sydney Olympic Park	Dec 6-8

The new Car of the Future design regulations introduced for 2013 had the desired result for V8 Supercars officials of evening out the competition when seven different drivers won the first nine races across the opening three rounds in Adelaide, Tasmania and New Zealand.

But the level playing field is starting to skew slightly.

Although Whincup was playing down his team's stark improvement when asked whether they're back in control as the category pacesetters.

"No I wouldn't say that,'' he said.

"We're certainly improving which is what it's all about.

"It was good this weekend to prove the hard work behind the scenes is paying off. Let's hope we can now maintain this for the rest of the year.''

The 30-year-old Commodore VF pilot added that the new rules mean any advantages are difficult to engineer.

"The big teams can't do any more than any other team,'' said Whincup.

"It's not like Formula One where we can spend a few days in the wind tunnel and come up with a new wing or diffuser or something.

"It simply doesn't happen.

"It's just a matter of working on the car set-up and making the most of what you've got.''

Whincup grabbed the lead from Lowndes in the third and final race of the weekend with an opportunistic move on lap 32 of the 41-lap showdown.

As soon as the race re-started following the second safety car deployment, Whincup swooped to hit the lead and hold off his 39-year-old teammate by a comfortable margin of 1.57sec.

In the process, Whincup won the overall round with a second-placing to Lowndes on Saturday and extended his championship lead over Ford's Will Davison to 65 points.

While disappointed to be outwitted by Whincup, seemingly in contrast to the bickering between Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel that has divided Red Bull Racing's Formula One team, Lowndes was happy for his pit-lane partner.

"You always give your teammate a little bit more room than anyone else,'' said Lowndes.

"I just didn't get the drive off the corner and Jamie got a run quite early on the pit straight.

"It would have ended up disastrous if I had crammed him down.''

Jason Bright was third in another solid performance followed by Davison, David Reynolds and New Zealand pair Shane van Gisbergen and Fabian Coulthard.

Earlier, Whincup claimed a comfortable victory in the second race ahead of fellow Holden driver Bright and luckless Ford Performance Racing's Mark Winterbottom.

Perhaps in one positive for those chasing Whincup and Lowndes, the next round heads to a new venue on the schedule in Texas.

All of the 28-driver field will have to learn the intricacies of the massive 5.5km, 20-turn highly-technical track in Austin in preparation for the May 17-19 event.

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Rumford goes back-to-back

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China Open ... Brett Rumford scores back-to-back European Tour titles. Source: Mark Ralston / AAP

Australian golfer Brett Rumford has claimed his second European Tour title in just seven days, winning the China Open on Sunday.

The 35-year-old from Perth shot a brilliant closing four-under-par 68 to finish at 16-under and win by four strokes from Finland's Mikko Ilonen (71) at Binhai Lake GC in Tianjin.

The comfortable win was in stark contrast to his victory in last week's Ballantine's Championship in South Korea when he eagled the first play-off hole.

It was Rumford's fifth career win in his 15th season on the European tour.

Before last week he had played 121 tournaments over five years and 231 days since his previous win at the European Masters.

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Darling's five inspire Eagles

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Party time ... Dean Cox celebrates with team mates in the Eagles' big win. Source: THERON KIRKMAN / AAP

West Coast forward Jack Darling booted five first-half goals and Nic Naitanui made a successful return from injury as the Eagles posted a 70-point victory over the Western Bulldogs in Sunday's AFL clash at Patersons Stadium.

Darling's first-half heroics set up the 21.11 (137) to 10.7 (67) win, while Naitanui was dominant in the ruck after coming on midway through the third quarter.

6.3 (39)	Q1	3.0 (18)
10.4 (64)	Q2	5.2 (32)
16.7 (103)	Q3	8.3 (51)
21.11 (137)	Q4	10.7 (67)

Jack Darling 5	Clay Smith 2
Dean Cox 4	Dylan Addison 1
Josh J. Kennedy 4	Adam Cooney 1
Mark LeCras 3	Liam Jones 1
Luke Shuey 2	Nick Lower 1
Josh Hill 1	Jackson Macrae 1
Chris Masten 1	Jake Stringer 1
Matt Priddis 1	Jason Tutt 1
	Mitchell Wallis 1

Former Magpie Sharrod Wellingham (26 possessions) was also impressive in his Eagles debut, while Josh Kennedy and Dean Cox finished with four goals each after Darling failed to add to his own tally in the second half.

Midfielder Luke Shuey also starred, but injured his ankle in the final quarter.

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The hype before the match surrounded the highly-anticipated return of Naitanui from his lingering groin injury.

		P	W	D	L	%	Pts
1	Essendon	6	6	0	0	171.36	24
2	Geelong	6	6	0	0	119.72	24
3	Port Adelaide	6	5	0	1	136.95	20
4	Sydney	6	5	0	1	134.16	20
5	Hawthorn	6	5	0	1	129.00	20
6	Fremantle	6	4	0	2	111.62	16
7	Collingwood	6	4	0	2	98.69	16
8	Carlton	6	3	0	3	114.36	12
9	Richmond	6	3	0	3	101.74	12
10	West Coast	6	2	0	4	109.84	8
11	North Melbourne	6	2	0	4	101.86	8
12	Adelaide	6	2	0	4	97.06	8
13	Gold Coast	6	2	0	4	88.34	8
14	Brisbane	6	2	0	4	72.27	8
15	St Kilda	6	1	0	5	93.47	4
16	Bulldogs	6	1	0	5	72.76	4
17	Melbourne	6	1	0	5	56.07	4
18	Greater Western Sydney	6	0	0	6	64.39	0

But fans had to wait until 14 minutes into the third quarter before Naitanui took off the sub's vest and made his way onto the field.

The 23-year-old only tallied five possessions for the match, but he was influential in the ruck with 17 hit-outs as West Coast powered to their second win of the season.

The victory lifted West Coast up to equal 10th on the table, while the Bulldogs' fifth loss on the trot left them mired near the foot of the table.

Adam Cooney, Clay Smith, ruckman Will Minson and Matthew Boyd battled valiantly for the Bulldogs, while Mark Austin managed to keep Darling goalless after half-time.

West Coast entered the match having kicked 17.42 in losses to Carlton and Port Adelaide over the previous fortnight.

But they showed no signs of nerves in front of goals during the first quarter, with Cox converting a beautiful set shot from the boundary, Shuey nailing a tricky set shot and Chris Masten kicking truly from outside 50m.

West Coast coach John Worsfold hopes vice-captain Beau Waters, who was a late withdrawal against the Bulldogs due to a tight adductor, will return next week, while midfielder Luke Shuey will be further assessed after experiencing cramping in his calf.

Worsfold was pleased with Naitanui's return, and said the 201cm ruckman was a chance to play a full game against Brisbane next week if he was used solely as a forward.

And after booting a combined 17.42 in losses to Carlton and Port Adelaide over the previous fortnight, the Eagles finally rediscovered their mojo in front of goal.

"I can't tell you what we did. I can't release my secrets,'' Worsfold said of the new-found accuracy.

"Confidence is a big thing. Mindset and technique is a big thing in goal kicking as well.''

The struggling Bulldogs looked out of their depth from the outset, despite gutsy efforts from ruckman Will Minson, emerging midfielder Clay Smith, and veterans Matthew Boyd and Adam Cooney.

Bulldogs coach Brendan McCartney was understandably disappointed with the performance.

"The best West Coast team is probably a top 4-6 team,'' McCartney said.

"They've probably been a bit stop and start for a few weeks. Today they sensed a kill and went after it.''

The Bulldogs were racking up big numbers in the midfield, but West Coast were dominating play at either end of the ground.

Darren Glass, Eric Mackenzie, Shannon Hurn and Mitch Brown were relentless in defence, while Darling exploded in attack, with opponents Tom Young and Dale Morris unable to halt his influence.

The Bulldogs did have one memorable highlight for the half, with Jake Stringer dribbling home a beautiful goal from the boundary line.

Darling's dominance was halted by Austin after half-time, but the Eagles' charge continued, with Cox, Kennedy and Mark LeCras prolific.

Click here to see all of the stats and scores in the FOX FOOTY Match Centre.

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Likes and dislikes for round six

Skipper ... Julian de Stoop says Nick Riewoldt is close to career-best form.   Source: AAP

Fox Sports' AFL expert Julian de Stoop reviews round five in the AFL and discusses his likes and dislikes.

LIKES

All times are listed in EST

Hawthorn

		P	W	D	L	%	Pts
1	Essendon	6	6	0	0	171.36	24
2	Geelong	6	6	0	0	119.72	24
3	Port Adelaide	6	5	0	1	136.95	20
4	Sydney	6	5	0	1	134.16	20
5	Hawthorn	6	5	0	1	129.00	20
6	Fremantle	6	4	0	2	111.62	16
7	Collingwood	6	4	0	2	98.69	16
8	Carlton	6	3	0	3	114.36	12
9	Richmond	6	3	0	3	101.74	12
10	West Coast	6	2	0	4	109.84	8
11	North Melbourne	6	2	0	4	101.86	8
12	Adelaide	6	2	0	4	97.06	8
13	Gold Coast	6	2	0	4	88.34	8
14	Brisbane	6	2	0	4	72.27	8
15	St Kilda	6	1	0	5	93.47	4
16	Bulldogs	6	1	0	5	72.76	4
17	Melbourne	6	1	0	5	56.07	4
18	Greater Western Sydney	6	0	0	6	64.39	0

Essendon and Geelong may have made perfect starts to the season but Hawthorn have also set themselves up for another big year with their opening six rounds.

No team has had a tougher start to the season than Hawthorn who play the remaining seven finalists from last year in the opening seven rounds. That streak comes to end when they face the Swans at the MCG on Saturday night in the grand final rematch.

There were some early question marks - mostly surrounding their leg speed - after they surrended a big lead to Geelong in round one. But since then the Hawks have won five straight despite long-term injuries to Matt Suckling, Ryan Schoenmakers and Cyril Rioli. Brad Sewell also missed three matches while Buddy Franklin hasn't hit his straps yet and for the first time in eight years, he's been held goalless in consecutive weeks.

As well as five straight wins, the biggest bonus for the Hawks has been the return to form of skipper Luke Hodge. A win over the Swans this week and the Hawks are right on track for another top two finish.

Nick Riewoldt

Scott Watters said last week "On The Couch" that Nick Riewoldt 'Hasn't got the credit he has deserved' for his performances in the past 12 months and it's hard to argue.

The Saints are going through a tough patch as Watters looks to rebuild his list but he can't ask anymore of his skipper.

Riewoldt was again superb on Friday night against the Pies, finishing with four goals, 11 mark and 19 disposals.

At the end of 2011, Riewoldt was battling a knee problem and wasn't enjoying his football, but his response in the past 12 months just demonstrates what a champion he is.

Michael Hibberd

Jake Carlisle has won high praise this season but teammate and fellow defender Michael Hibberd is another who would be in All Australian contention after six rounds.

While many of his teammates struggled against the Giants, Hibberd was good from start to finish finishing with 29 disposals in a best on ground performance.

The boy from Frankston has a good balance between attack and defence. He reminds many Bomber fans of a young Bomber Thompson.

Jonathan Griffen and Michael Walters

Without Aaron Sandilands, Matthew Pavlich, Nat Fyfe and Stephen Hill the Dockers appeared ripe for the picking at Metricon Stadium on Saturday night but they brushed aside the Suns in impressive fashion.

Leading the way were two players who were in the football wilderness 12 months ago in Jonathan Griffen and Michael Walters.

Griffen was behind Sandilands, Kepler Bradley and Zac Clarke in the pecking order but has since flourished in the absence of Sandilands. Against the Suns he was also a threat up forward kicking three goals.

Walters was banished early by Ross Lyon due to behavioural issues early last year but he returned late in the year to give the football world a glimpse of what he is capable of.

He's taking his game to another level this year, kicked four against the Suns and is currently one of the most dangerous small forwards in the competition.

Corey Enright

Quite simply this man is a superstar and it was great to see him the get the recognition he deserves following another stellar performance in game 250.

You only had to see the reaction of his teammates and his coach when he kicked a goal in the final term to see how popular and how well-respected Enright is at the Cattery.

Chris Scott said post-game that Enright has been the best small defender of his generation and it's hard to argue. Gavin Wanganeen, Andrew McLeod and Chris Johnson were all brilliant too but no one has been more consistent than Enright.

Pick 47 in the 1999 National Draft, Enright is one of recruiting manager Stephen Wells' best selections and two best and fairests in premiership years is testimony to how important he has been to the Cats' success.

DISLIKES

Pushing In Marking Contests

Now this isn't being critical of the umpires, as the decisions against Pie Ben Reid on Anzac Day and Crow Scott Thompson at AAMI Stadium on Saturday for pushing in a marking contests were both correct to the letter of the law. The problem is the rule is wrong.

Within five metres, a push in the side or a slight push on the arm like Thompson did should be allowed. In both of these situations, the marking players showed better judgement in flight and more strength yet both have been penalised.

With hands in the back and chopping of the arms outlawed in recent seasons, there' s not much left for the players to do in a marking contest.

St Kilda's Veterans

Nick Riewoldt may be at the top of the game but not many of his senior teammates are following his lead.

Nick Dal Santo and Stephen Milne were challenged by Scott Watters ahead of the clash against Collingwood but both again struggled.

Dal Santo was held to just 16 disposals by Brent MacAffer while managed just one goal and went at just 40% efficiency from his 10 disposals.

The duo were dumped to the VFL by Ross Lyon back in 2008 and Watters won't be afraid to do the same.

Justin Koschitzke's time is also coming to a close and he is set for a spell on the sidelines for his stray elbow which collected Jamie Elliott. Lenny Hayes also injured his calf in the warm up which will see him miss a few weeks and Sam Fisher isn't playing with the same verve of recent seasons.

Richmond

There is no shame in losing to Geelong but the manner of the Tigers 44-point loss on Saturday night was disappointing.

The Tigers led by 19 points late in the second term but when the Cats went to another level, Richmond had no answer. In the following 48 minutes, the Cats outscored the Tigers by 56 points and it was a similar story against Collingwood a fortnight ago.

Richmond needs to learn how to halt the opposition's momentum and they face a crunch game against Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium this weekend. A fourth consecutive loss will raise genuine question marks about the Tigers' ability to end their 12 year finals drought.

Queensland Footy

It was another disappointing weekend for the two teams from the sunshine state.

Many gave the Suns a huge chance against an undermanned Fremantle but instead Guy McKenna's men put in their most disappointing display of the season.

As for the Lions, the heat is on Michael Voss. His boys were blown away in the first term against Sydney and for the third time this season they were on the wrong end of a heavy defeat.

With a nightmare run to come starting with West Coast at the Gabba this week, their finals hopes appear over already and that means noises about the future of Voss will only get louder.

Jack Grimes

The Melbourne co-captain is cursed when it comes to injury.

Grimes is set to miss up to 10 weeks after breaking his collarbone in a clash with former Demon Brock McLean.

Since making his debut in 2008 Grimes has played just 59 of a possible 106 games and two years ago, the majority of his season was wiped out by a serious foot injury.

Let's hope this latest setback is his last for a while.

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Noddy's Weekend Wash Up: Rd 8

Rampaging ... Kasiano made a welcome return to the Bulldogs line-up. Source: AAP

In his weekly column, Fox Sports expert and Canberra assistant coach Brett Kimmorley offers his thoughts on round eight of the 2013 NRL Premiership season.

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Brisbane Broncos v South Sydney Rabbitohs at Suncorp Stadium

South Sydney provided the perfect example of how you back up a big win. Having beaten Manly last week in a physical match, the Rabbitohs produced yet another intense, gutsy performance. Greg Inglis and Sam Burgess starred while John Sutton continues to bring consistency to the team. They are the real deal this season. A lot of people expected Brisbane to suffer when Justin Hodges was ruled out pre-game but I thought they showed enormous character. Over the last month Matt Gillett and Corey Parker have really stood up for the Broncos and as a whole the team will be disappointed in this result.

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Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs v Wests Tigers at ANZ Stadium

Canterbury are starting to hit form with Sam Kasiano and James Graham making a timely return. Granted, Wests Tigers were extremely poor but the Bulldogs really made an impression on me. As the plays unfolded, the Bulldogs brought finesse to their attack and the points followed. Trent Hodkinson has been injury plagued for the past two years but returning to the form which found him playing for City Origin. He is very footy smart and a genuine ball player. He steers the team around very well. The Tigers tried hard but with so many personnel changes to the team, they were always facing an uphill battle. They just have to hope they can get some players back and find a win.

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Melbourne Storm v Canberra Raiders at AAMI Park

I'm not sure why Canberra seems to perform against Melbourne but they certainly brought their A-game on Saturday. Blake Ferguson was damaging on the right edge while having Terry Campese starting in the side added the ingredient they may have been missing in previous weeks. The Raiders lost Tom Learoyd-Lahrs early while Glen Buttriss played the first half with a dislocated finger. The Storm scored two quick tries off the back of some poor kicks by the Raiders and looked like they were ready to finish strongly. But a poor kick by Gareth Widdop from the scrum with one minute and 30 seconds left on the clock gave the Raiders an unexpected win.

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Parramatta Eels v North Queensland Cowboys at Parramatta Stadium

It was an emotional week for North Queensland who looked flat coming into the match. In the end some class from Johnathan Thurston was the difference and the Cowboys were able to secure an ugly win. Neil Henry will be pleased that while it hasn't been pretty the past two weeks, his team keeps climbing up the ladder. Parramatta improved on their loss to Penrith, led by Jarryd Hayne who had a lot more involvement and guided the team well. The Eels showed they were willing to fight and Ricky Stuart will be proud of the effort. It was certainly a character-building performance.

Warriors v Gold Coast Titans at Mt Smart Stadium

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The Warriors have had some unlucky results lately and I believe their form is much better than what is showing on the ladder. Shaun Johnson steered his side around with class while the physical forward pack ripped into the Titans. Having conceded a number of games at the death last season, you couldn't help but feel a touch of déjà vu until the field goal sealed the victory. John Cartwright will be disappointed as he knows his team can play better than they did. For most of the year they had been very consistent with their forwards making a lot of metres and their halves working off the back of that.

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Newcastle Knights v Cronulla Sharks at Hunter Stadium

When Newcastle play Wayne Bennett's style of football, which is high completion, field position and defence, they are very good. Poor discipline let Cronulla back into the game and they played very smart. They were extremely tough which sounds funny when you take into account that they lost Paul Gallen. They challenged the Knights with a lot of direct running and were well supported by Michael Gordon while Luke Lewis was devastating in everything he did. A golden-point clash which was tainted by so many missed shots but Jeff Robson nailed the kick and a good result for a man who doesn't receive many accolades.

Sydney Roosters v Penrith Panthers at Allianz Stadium

Michael Jennings was brilliant against his old club, producing a performance that many Penrith fans will be wondering where that form was during his time as a Panther. James Maloney did his representative prospects no harm with another solid performance. His goal kicking - something NSW will need come Origin time - and combination with Mitchell Pearce are helping his representative claims. The Roosters continue to show us why they are genuine contenders in the competition with athleticism and strike power across the field. Penrith produced a gutsy performance last week and would have liked their chances 10-6 down at half-time. Having debuted last week, Matt Moylan had another great game. I think Penrith have found their long-term fullback.

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Pedrosa claims Spanish GP

Popular winner ... Pedrosa saluted his home fans at the Jerez circuit. Source: AP

Spanish rider Dani Pedrosa gained his first victory of the season on Sunday winning the Spanish MotoGP.

The 27-year-old Honda rider came home clear of his teammate Marc Marquez while defending world champion Jorge Lorenzo was third on a Yamaha.

Marquez, who went top of the standings on 61 points three ahead of Pedrosa and four of Lorenzo, once again showed his class at just 20-years-old as he passed Lorenzo on the final bend for second spot.

However, it left Lorenzo furious as they came together on the bend and he refused to accept Marquez's apology immediately afterwards.

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