Buzz: Roar deal for rivals as Panthers purr

Jamie Soward has starred for Penrith this year. Picture: Mark Evans Source: Mark Evans / News Corp Australia

THE real reason Penrith's five-year plan is so far ahead of schedule is the outrageously unfair draw and the effect of State of Origin on their rivals.

The Panthers have a massive advantage in playing premiership heavyweights the Roosters, Sea Eagles, Rabbitohs, Broncos and Cowboys only once in 26 rounds.

They get the struggling clubs Cronulla, the Knights, Titans and Raiders twice.

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Also in their favour is the fact they don't have to travel to Brisbane or Townsville.

Injuries aside they are at full strength each week because they have no Origin players.

It makes a huge difference to have an uninterrupted two months during Origin while the showpiece series decimates many of their rivals.

The Panthers play the ­Tigers without Robbie Farah and Aaron Woods and the Dragons without Trent ­Merrin and Brett Morris.

This is not a criticism of the Panthers. They can only play what's in front of them and deserve to be equal premiership leaders.

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Not even their general manager, Phillip Ronald Gould AM, has enough sway at NRL headquarters to have an influence on the draw.

The truth is coach that Ivan Cleary has done a wonderful rebuild in the past two years.

Penrith have emerged as premiership contenders long before even their most ardent fans could have expected or predicted.

It's just a shame they have done it on an unlevel playing field.

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Ivan Cleary has done a great job with Penrith. Source: News Limited

Penrith's draw:

Knights (twice)

Raiders (twice)

Titans (twice)

Sharks (twice)

Dragons (twice)

Eels (twice)

Warriors (twice)

Storm (twice)

Bulldogs (twice)

Rabbitohs (once)

Roosters (once)

Sea Eagles (once)

Broncos (once)

Cowboys (once)

Tigers (once)

COACH WITH THE MOST

Who will be Dally M coach of the year?

It's probably the most open on record and won't be decided until round 26.

There are a number of top contenders, headed by Cleary.

Even Brad Arthur at the Eels and Mick Potter at the Wests Tigers are hopes if their teams make the finals.

And don't write off Mary McGregor if the Dragons keep on winning.

STAR'S SEX VIDEO

A REALLY, really damaging video of a State of Origin star in a sexual act is doing the rounds of NRL clubs and could become an even bigger story than Todd Carney.

Gareth Widdop has been in great form. Source: Getty Images

WIDDOP IS SEASON'S BEST BUY

MUCH to the disgust of ­Phillip Ronald Gould AM, we revealed our worst signings for 2014 last week, headed by Ben Barba at the Broncos.

This week we reveal our best, just to keep the great man happy.

No club has done better than the Panthers with Jamie Soward, Tyrone Peachey, Peter Wallace and Brent Kite.

Parramatta have done well with Corey Norman, Will ­Hopoate and Nathan Peats. Old Pat Richards on the Wests ­Tigers' wing has been an absolute revelation.

But no one has made a ­bigger impact than St George Illawarra five-eighth Gareth Widdop, who is my choice as buy of the year.

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FORWARD THINKING

IT amazes me the NRL still refuses to allow video referees to make rulings on obvious forward passes. The Bulldogs scored the final try against Manly on Friday from a Tim Brown pass that went at least a metre forward to Michael Ennis before he touched down.

The video refs checked the offside and the grounding but were powerless to act on the most obvious forward pass of the season. It didn't really ­matter because it didn't change the result of the game.

But what if exactly the same thing happens in a grand final with the scores level and five minutes remaining?

Surely a bit of common sense should come into the equation.

The video refs can't just sit there and watch when something as blatant as Friday night's forward pass was missed by the on-field referees.

Don't let a forward pass ­decide a grand final before we do something about it.

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HIGHLIGHT

THE Sharks' comeback victory over the Roosters has once and for all silenced the critics who have been death-riding the club since the ASADA investigation. Anyone who thinks this club will just roll over and die, or relocate to Perth or Rockhampton, has underestimated the fighting spirit of the game's comeback kings.

LOWLIGHT I

Not taking the 500/1 that bookmaker Sportsbet was offering at half-time when the Sharks trailed the Chooks 24-6.

LOWLIGHT II

THE hopelessly lopsided women's final at Wimbledon. This event used to be must-watch, stay-awake television in the great days of Hingis, Graf, Navratilova, Evert and Venus Williams.

TV DEALS

THE next NRL broadcasting deal should have one strict stipulation — no Thursday night football unless it's the Easter weekend. If Channel 9 won't agree to that, I'm sure Channel 10 will. And get rid of the Sunday night grand final and give us back the afternoon kick-off time everyone wants on the October long weekend.

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Hodkinson: Day I hit rock bottom

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IT was the dark moment when our State of Origin hero broke down in tears on the side of a Sydney road.

An emotional Blues halfback Trent Hodkinson has opened up about the day he thought he was finished as a rugby league player.

Hodkinson had just left Brookvale Oval after a NSW Cup game playing for Canterbury in 2012 when he felt overcome.

He told his fiancee Chantelle to pull over on the way home to Cronulla and he burst into tears.

Hodkinson had hit rock bottom.

Trent Hodkinson playing NSW Cup for the Bulldogs. Source: News Limited

Long-term injuries and unwanted stints in modest NSW and Queensland Cups had taken a psychological toll.

Hodkinson didn't think he could make it back to first grade, let alone be the driving force behind a resurgent Blues side that delivered a success-starved state a first Origin series win in nine years.

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"I was driving home and speaking to the missus and I burst into tears," Hodkinson told The Daily Telegraph.

"She was driving, I was in the passenger seat. It wasn't fun.

"I just didn't think I had it anymore, really. Everything started rolling through my mind and whether I would have to go back to work.

"The injuries and then coming back through NSW Cup. My body was struggling and it hit me — would I ever be back to where I was?

"Will I ever be able to go out there again in first grade and compete?

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"It has been tough. I burst into tears at times and thought I would pretty much give the game away."

Hodkinson has fully recovered from serious shoulder and knee injuries which sidelined him for a total of 16 weeks.

Now he is a NSW hero after scoring the matchwinning try in Origin II. He has his own history which no-one can take away.

"It still doesn't feel real at the moment," Hodkinson said. "I wouldn't have thought this would have happened at the start of the year.

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"I was just looking to have a solid year for the Bulldogs and whatever came from that was a bonus.

"Luckily this came and I haven't looked back.

"I am enjoying my footy now. Life is good. Being injury-free helps and I have a good life away from footy.

"Everything is going all right, fingers crossed.

"We have won the series but we still have a very important game to go. We'd love to go out with a whitewash."

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Lewis wins incident-filled British GP

Mercedes' British driver, Lewis Hamilton, leads the British GP at the Silverstone circuit. Source: ANDREW YATES / AFP

LEWIS Hamilton delighted a 120,000 crowd of enthusiastic home fans when he revived his world championship bid on Sunday with an emphatic victory in a dramatic incident-filled British Grand Prix.

The 29-year-old Briton took full advantage of Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg's first non-finish of the season, due to gearbox problems, to reduce the German's lead in the title race to just four points.

Lewis Hamilton celebrates on the podium after winning the British GP. Source: AFP

Driving with great elan and speed, the 2008 champion Hamilton came home 30 seconds clear of second-placed Finn Valtteri Bottas of Williams, who started from 14th on the grid.

It was Hamilton's second home win at the British Grand Prix, his fifth of the season and the 27th of his career drawing him level with fellow-Briton three-time champion Jackie Stewart in the record books.

Mercedes' German driver, Nico Rosberg, climbs out of his car after it broke down. Source: AFP

Australian Daniel Ricciardo, of Red Bull, finished third ahead of 2009 champion Briton Jenson Button, of McLaren, defending four-time champion Sebastian Vettel of Germany in the second Red Bull and two-time champion Spaniard Fernando Alonso of Ferrari.

Alonso's team-mate Kimi Raikkonen was involved in a spectacular high-speed opening lap accident that halted the race for an hour, for repairs to the barriers. The Finn lost control, spun, hit the barriers and collided with Brazilian Felipe Massa's Williams.

Prince Harry speaks with Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner on the grid before the British GP. Source: Getty Images

Both escaped serious injury, but Raikkonen, whose car was massively damaged, limped away and required later x-rays on his right ankle. Massa was forced out with a damaged car.

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I don’t care if I’m called a grub

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QUEENSLAND have labelled Josh Reynolds a grub. He doesn't care. Not one iota.

The only people Reynolds seeks approval from in rugby league are his teammates.

"I don't walk around saying I am a grub, or whatever," Reynolds said.

"I will do anything for the guy on my team. That is what I am doing most of the time. They can see that.

Josh Reynolds trains with the Blues in Coffs Harbour. Picture: Gregg Porteous Source: News Corp Australia

"It doesn't worry me what the opposition thinks. As long as my teammates are happy with me, I'm happy.

"A camp like this has done me the world of good. I have come into camp with guys that I didn't necessarily get on with on the field or they might have thought I was a grub.

"Now they can look at me and know I am competitive. If those blokes are liking me now or can consider me a mate, that's all that worries me."

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There is no doubt Reynolds wriggled under the skin of Queensland in Origin II at ANZ Stadium.

His cheekiness pushed John­athan Thurston over the edge late in the game when the Maroons star threw a forearm into Reynolds' face.

"It didn't worry me one bit," Reynolds said. "It happens.

"He wanted to win, I wanted to win. I couldn't care less. I would see him tomorrow and be sweet. It was Origin, too. It was a crucial game.

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"Straight after the game I told him I had the utmost respect for him. I look up to him as a player.

"He said I had a good series and I am doing well for my club. To hear that from a player like him was special."

Reynolds, who has become hot property in a short time, was inspired to another level after Canterbury chased Manly five-eighth Kieran Foran.

Foran rejected the offer but the move sent Reynolds a clear message.

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"It didn't hurt me," Reynolds said. "It just gave me a bit more drive. I could have had a bit of a sook but he (Foran) is a pretty classy player.

"Any club would have wanted him and I wasn't really established then. They (Bulldogs) might not have thought I was up to it then."

Canterbury coach Des Has­ler has played a key role in Reynolds' elevation to Origin.

"He has given me a heap of confidence," Reynolds said.

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Thurston scare rocks Maroons camp

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JOHNATHAN Thurston has thrown a scare into the Queensland camp, with the star playmaker failing to finish training at Sanctuary Cove.

The Maroons' preparations for Origin III on Wednesday night suffered a jolt when Thurston hurt his knee in an opposed session against the Queensland Residents.

The incident occurred about 20 minutes into the session, which was conducted at high intensity. Thurston stayed down briefly before leaving the field to speak to veteran doctor Roy Saunders and Maroons trainers.

Johnathan Thurston leaves training early after suffering a suspected injury. Picture: Peter Wallis Source: News Corp Australia

The Maroons pivot told skipper Cameron Smith he suffered a cork from a collision and watched the rest of the session with an ice pack wrapped around his right knee.

It is unrelated to Thurston's minor injury in Origin II, when he took a knock to his left leg.

With Thurston sidelined, utility Daly Cherry-Evans slotted into five-eighth outside halfback Cooper Cronk, who trained without a hitch.

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As soon as training ended, Thurston was taken for treatment while his Maroons teammates stayed behind to sign autographs for fans.

Queensland assistant coach Kevin Walters is confident the Maroons' senior playmaker, due to play his 30th consecutive Origin game, will be fit to face NSW.

Johnathan Thurston prior to his injury. Picture: Peter Wallis Source: News Corp Australia

"I didn't see exactly how he did it, I was too busy refereeing," Walters said.

"It was just a bump on his knee, it's a small precaution. He wasn't exactly carted off on a stretcher.

"It was a collision. He's got a cork, two knees bumped, that's what I heard him telling Cameron Smith. He's a pretty tough fella John, so we'd assume he will be OK. I'd be surprised if it was anything more serious than a cork."

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The Maroons have endured turbulent preparations throughout the series, with Justin Hodges barely training before Origin I.

Queensland were then forced to name an inflated 22-man squad for Game Two as they sweated on several players including Cherry-Evans, who trained just once.

If Thurston plays as expected, he and Maroons colleagues will brace for the Blues to ­deploy more niggling tactics to frustrate the most dominant team in Origin history.

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Thurston concedes NSW's tactical blueprint has worked – and sees no reason for the Blues to resile from attempts to unsettle the Maroons.

NSW's series-win in Origin II was marred by a series of spiteful moments, headlined by Blueshooker Robbie Farah's seek-and-destroy mission on Cherry-Evans.

Thurston had a running battle with Josh Reynolds in Game Two and ended up on report after massaging the face of his NSW counterpart.

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Blues have ‘dinted’ our culture: Mal

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MAL Meninga says NSW have left a "dint" in Queensland's culture and he will take a calculated gamble by revamping the Maroons' attack to avert a 3-0 rout in Origin III.

Wary of NSW's confident revival, Meninga has put his squad on notice, saying the Maroons have a chink in their armour after slumping to their first series loss in nine years.

Not since the nightmare 2000 series have Queensland suffered a 3-0 rout and Meninga challenged his troops to uphold their cultural standards on Wednesday night.

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Origin's most successful coach insists he has not lost faith in Queensland's blueprint for success, but has warned NSW's uprising is testing the Maroons' character.

"At some stage we were going to be under the pump," Meninga said.

"I've tried to build a strong culture and that culture is still unbent – but there is a bit of a dint in it.

"I still believe in it, the players still believe in it and I think we have the right processes and systems in place.

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"In the past we were able to handle setbacks, but NSW were playing a lot better than they were five or six years ago.

"They are playing well at the moment, they were better than us in this series and that's why it's 2-0. I'm confident we can keep forging ahead, but we haven't handled that adversity this year when we've been confronted by it."

Meninga is referring primarily to the loss of Cooper Cronk, whose broken arm early in Origin I threw out Queensland's structures in their 12-8 loss in Brisbane.

The loss of Cooper Cronk was a big blow for Queensland. Picture: Peter Wallis Source: News Corp Australia

The Maroons coach has been equally disturbed by his team's poor execution, with Queensland having scored two tries in 160 minutes of Origin action.

Eager to kickstart the Maroons' attack, Meninga wants more enterprise on Wednesday.

Halves Johnathan Thurston and Cronk have been instructed to play deeper to give outside backs such as Greg Inglis more latitude to move.

Meninga also wants more bodies in motion to confuse the NSW defence and hopes the Maroons' pack lifts to give their halves the space to create.

"We've talked about that," Meninga said of Queensland's attacking shape.

"We need more numbers around those guys (the halves), we need to make sure they are protected.

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"There's no doubt NSW have a plan to get up in our faces, we need to play a bit deeper and wider.

"We have been executing that way at training so we'll see if it works for us."

Maroons enforcer Sam Thaiday says Origin III is a chance to prove the team Meninga built is not a spent force.

"It is very new territory for a lot of us," he said.

"We still have visions to win more series.

''The streak is over but this team and what we have built is nowhere near dead."

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Boyd a future NSW champ and captain

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JOHNNY Lewis, one of the most respected figures in the history of Australian sport, believes NSW forward Boyd Cordner is a future champion and NSW captain.

If anyone has the right to an opinion, it's Lewis.

A Hall of Fame boxing trainer, who has worked with six world champions including Jeff Fenech and Kostya Tszyu, Lewis has also trained some of rugby league's greatest names during the peak of their careers. Among them are Laurie Daley, Mal Meninga, Ricky Stuart, Bradley Clyde and Glenn Lazarus.

NSW's Boyd Cordner. Picture: Gregg Porteous Source: News Corp Australia

Invited by Sydney Roosters coach Trent Robinson to conduct regular boxing sessions over the past two seasons, Lewis has taken a shine to the work ethic and attitude of Cordner, who has won an NRL premiership and World Cup at the ­tender age of 22.

"He's what they're looking for in the future,'' Lewis said. "As long as he keeps on improving I think he'll be a real genuine superstar in the making.

"I see another Bradley Clyde in Boyd. They don't talk about Brad in the right vein. He was an unbelievable backrower and I think Boyd has got a lot of qualities that Bradley had.

Veteran boxing trainer Johnny Lewis. Source: Supplied

"They're very similar people. Boyd's work rate is right up there. Like Bradley he likes the ball in his hands and like Bradley he loves to do four tackles in a set of six.''

Cordner returns to the Blues squad for Wednesday night's Origin III after being unavailable because of ankle surgery in round 10.

The hard-running edge backrower will be a valuable addition to a Blues side without suspended Anthony Watmough.

And it's Cordner's professionalism and sacrifice while having intensive rehabilitation and physiotherapy that makes Lewis believe the young Blues star is destined for greatness.

"He's a very young kid, but he's very professional,'' Lewis said. "That's why he's part of this team today.

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"He works hard on his injuries, he makes the sacrifices and he prepares his body ­really well. Plus, he's got a lot of skill.

"It's hard to believe he's 22. He's in the right hands to achieve that (NSW captaincy).

"He's at the forefront of what's coming through. He's a big part of it.''

Cordner appreciates the confidence in his ability of Lewis and other good judges.

"It's a bit humbling to be mentioned like that, but I'm not looking too far into the future and worrying about doing my job now, which is probably the most important thing,'' he said.

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Cordner and NSW teammates Daniel Tupou, Aaron Woods, Trent Hodkinson and Josh Reynolds represent the Blues' generation next.

And Cordner said the platform laid by Origin veterans Paul Gallen, Greg Bird, Luke Lewis, Anthony Watmough and Jarryd Hayne has provided the Blues with an opportunity to achieve the long-term success Queensland have had.

"They've set a good foundation, winning the first two games, and there wouldn't be anything better than watching Gal raise the shield after another win,'' Cordner said.

"They've been great role models. They are players that everyone looks up to."

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Brazil want Silva ban overturned

Brazil's Thiago Silva receives a yellow card during the quarter-final with Colombia. Picture: Fabrice Coffrini Source: FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP

THE Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) has called on FIFA to rescind a yellow card ban set to keep skipper Thiago Silva out of Tuesday's World Cup semi-final against Germany.

The organisation said it was urging FIFA's disciplinary commission "to annul the yellow card unjustly shown" to Silva in their quarter-final win over Colombia.

The CBF also demanded football's governing body investigate the "violent challenge" of Colombia's Juan Camilo Zuniga, whose knee-in-the-back tackle on Neymar saw Brazil's starlet stretched off with a fractured vertebrae.

The aerial challenge ended Neymar's participation in the tournament, dealing a blow to the hosts' chances of seeing off the Germans, while Silva's booking left him suspended and Brazil shorn of a second key player.

Saying he never intended to hurt his rival, Zuniga apologised to Neymar for his challenge, which Brazilian media on Sunday complained was too rough even for an MMA wrestling encounter.

FIFA has confirmed it is studying the Zuniga tackle.

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