Trade Wrap D10: Stevens, Tippett, Young

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Trade ... Get all your AFL trade week news here. Source:FOX SPORTS

We keep you up to date with the latest offers, moves and rumours doing the rounds in the AFL trade period.

The AFL free agency period runs from 9am October 1 to 5pm, October 19.

The AFL trade period runs from 9am October 8 to 2pm, October 26.

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DAY NINE: Jurrah, Brown, Warnock

DAY EIGHT: Ray, Giles, Gillies

DAY FIVE: Rodan, Murphy, Dawes

DAY FOUR: Dawes, Gumbleton, Young

DAY THREE: Moloney, Caddy, Giles

DAY TWO: Fevola, Caddy, Gilham

DAY ONE: Monfries, Lake, Tippett

ESSENDON EXPECT GUMBY TO SIGN
Essendon expect Scott Gumbleton to sign a new deal this week and remain with the Bombers despite interest from a number of clubs. Western Bulldogs, Fremantle and Melbourne have enquired about Gumbleton. While a contract hasn't been signed yet, Essendon are confident a commitment from Gumbleton isn't far away. The Bombers also expire David Hille will sign a deal that is currently before him.

BOMBERS HAVE INTEREST IN EAGLE
Essendon are interested in luring Victorian-raised midfielder Koby Stevens from West Coast but not at the current asking price. The Bombers have discussed Stevens with the Eagles but, to this point, haven't been able to broker a deal. The Eagles must construct a trade for the 21-year-old in the trade window or risk losing the talented on-baller for nothing in the draft. The Bombers, St Kilda and Western Bulldogs are said to be looking at Stevens. The Bombers, meanwhile, have ruled out bringing in Hawthorn wingman Clinton Young due to a lack of room in the salary cap.

PLENTY STILL ON MELBOURNE RADAR
Melbourne have not closed the door on attracting Essendon forward Scott Gumbleton. The Demons have added Chris Dawes in their active off-season. The Dawes deal means Melbourne have only pick No.4 in the first 50 selections in the national draft. But more kids aren't the aim for Mark Neeld. "We think we've got enough kids," Neeld said. Neeld said that the Dees remained interested in North Melbourne's Cameron Pedersen and Gumbleton, although it was unlikely they'll have space for both players.

DEMONS NOT DONE WITH YET
Melbourne have been one of the most active players so far in the trade window and still have work to do, says list manager Tim Harrington. The Demons have brought in Shannon Byrnes, Chris Dawes and traded for boom 17-year-old Jesse Hogan. The Demons are waiting on a decision from veteran Jared Rivers, who is being courted by Geelong, but haven't given up on keeping the NAB Rising Star winner. North Melbourne utility Cameron Pedersen and St Kilda midfielder Farren Ray remain on the Melbourne radar. Ray, however, is said to be leaning towards sticking with the Saints.

MAGPIES UNLIKELY TO LAND YOUNG
Collingwood have all but ruled out luring Hawthorn running machine Clinton Young. Young, 26, was linked with the Magpies as well as Brisbane Lions, Essendon and Port Adelaide. But Magpies football director Geoff Walsh said Collingwood were probably done for the trade period. Collingwood and Melbourne reached an agreement which sees struggling forward Chris Dawes become a Demon. In return, the Magpies, who had picks No.17 and No.18, also snared pick No.20 and No.45 for the November 22 draft. Collingwood parted with Pick.58. "I think we're pretty much done and dusted," Walsh told SEN. "We'll be happy to go to the draft with three selections in the top group, so we're pretty satisfied."

LEVI WON'T BE LEAVING: KANGAS
Forgotten North Melbourne midfielder Levi Greenwood is still wanted by the Kangaroos. North Melbourne football manager Donald McDonald told the club's website that the stocky 23-year-old wanted to make amends for a disappointing 2012 campaign. And the Kangaroos are keen for him to do that at Arden Street. The South Australian had been linked with a return to his home state but that's not on the cards. "Very much," McDonald said when asked if Greenwood was still wanted by coach Brad Scott. "He's the first to admit he had a disappointing season and will do everything to improve."

POWER, KANGAS READY TO TALK
North Melbourne goalsneak Matt Campbell could be a part of Port Adelaide's compensation for promising defender Ben Jacobs. With North hopeful of luring Jacobs to Arden Street, Campbell looms as a likely candidate to return to South Australia after he was put on the trade table by the Kangaroos. After delisting David Rodan and Simon Phillips last week, Port are left with just one - injury-prone Cameron Hitchcock - genuine small forward on their senior list. Campbell, who has played 82 AFL matches since being rookie-listed in 2006, would not only add valuable goalscoring ability for the Power but also great leg speed.

TIPPETT NOT KEEN ON GWS TALKS
Kurt Tippett remains in control of his plan to be a Sydney Swan by declaring he will not join Greater Western Sydney, reports Michelangelo Rucci. The Adelaide Advertiser scribe says as much as Adelaide can get a better deal from the Giants than Sydney, Tippett has the right to veto any trade the Crows conjure before next Friday's deadline. The Giants have declared that they are willing to offer Tippett his much-wanted lifestyle change to Sydney by offering to hand Adelaide anything but their No.1 draft pick for the 25-year-old Queenslander. Greater Western Sydney's early draft picks are far more tempting to the Crows than Sydney's offers of a second-round draft pick or out-of-favour ruckman-forward Jesse White. But they are a wasted offer while Tippett remains steadfast on becoming a Swan. Tippett's Brisbane-based manager Peter Blucher questioned GWS's interest in Tippett. "We've had no contact from the Giants ... and it doesn't matter because Kurt has chosen to be with the Sydney Swans," he said. "I remain supremely confident a deal will be done. The Adelaide and Sydney football clubs are two good groups - they will work it out."

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Clubs to get their TV cash

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Cash ... NRL clubs will soon receive the promised $500,000 TV rights bonus. Source: Gregg Porteous / News Limited

NRL clubs will receive their sustainability grants from the ARL Commission on Thursday after a $30 million funding payment was negotiated with the Nine Network.

Clubs were each promised $500,000 before October 31, but were told this week to expect delays by the ARLC who were still waiting to be paid by Nine.

But after the network avoided administration on Wednesday when Nine Entertainment chief David Gyngell thrashed out a deal with lenders, the funds were transferred to the ARLC and will be in clubs' bank accounts by Thursday.

"From the moment we signed the heads of agreement with our broadcast partners we've been working towards providing this payment to the clubs,'' ARLC interim chief executive Shane Mattiske said.

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"This afternoon we reached a point where Nine was sufficiently comfortable to make the payment.

"This is just the start of the benefits the new broadcast rights deal will provide to the game's stakeholders over the term of the agreement but it's a significant step for the clubs.''

Given Nine's parlous financial state, the commission demanded an up-front $80m payment before signing off on the joint billion dollar broadcast deal with Fox Sports in August.

The news comes at a perfect time for Mattiske, who will host the monthly meeting with club CEOs on Thursday morning in Sydney.

However, he's certain to be grilled by club chiefs about the Enterprise Bargaining Agreement talks with the Rugby League Players Association (RLPA).

Clubs are desperate to discover how much they'll have to work with under the new salary cap, which cannot be locked in until the two parties reach a compromise.

The new billion dollar broadcast deal will facilitate an increase to the current $4.4m cap, but the two parties are believed to be some way away from signing off on a deal.

The RLPA want a dramatic increase for representative payments to players and to raise the minimum wage from $55,000 as part of the agreement.

"I was hoping to know more after the meeting, as it will make things a lot easier to budget for,'' Canberra CEO Don Furner said.

"The RLPA are working on a new EBA, but I know Steve Noyce was involved - he's now left the Roosters - and Richo (South Sydney CEO Shane Richardson) is overseas. So I am not too sure what the situation is.''

North Queensland CEO Peter Jourdain is also keen to find out so he can begin his task of keeping his big-name stars who are off-contract at the end of 2013.

Johnathan Thurston, Matt Bowen, Matt Scott, James Tamou, Dallas Johnson and Brent Tate are among the 20 Cowboys players who are chasing new deals.

"We've been given a fair indication of what the cap will be,'' Jourdain said.

"We have another year to go with most of this group and we're hopeful we can keep them.''

RLPA chairman David Garnsey said he's hopeful of rubber-stamping an agreement by October 31, but said the association would not be rushed.

"It's not like a football game, there's no halftime and fulltime,'' Garnsey said.

"We're working nominally to a October 31 deadline, makes sense as that's when the current agreement ends.

"We'll be resuming our talks in the near future.''

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I love Mancini: Balotelli

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Striker ... Mario Balotelli expresses his love for Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini. Source: Antonio Calanni / AP

Mario Balotelli has declared his love for his Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini but appears less impressed with others at the Barclays Premier League club.

The Italy forward, who was on target for the Azzurri against Denmark, revealed his relationship with his club manager remains strong despite reports he may leave England.

Balotelli told Rai Sport: "With Mancini all goes well, we have a good relationship even though someone always tries to put discord among us. We love each other."

"I am fine at Manchester City even though there are people who like to talk in the newspapers, instead of saying certain things to my face. I do not give a damn."
Mario Balotelli Quotes of the week

But the 22-year-old suggested he did not welcome the remarks of football administrator Brian Marwood who accused him of being a poor role-model.

Balotelli added: "I'm fine at Manchester City even though there are people who like to talk in the newspapers, instead of saying certain things to my face. I don't give a damn."

The former Inter man was in fine form for Cesare Prandelli's Italy side against the Danes on his return to San Siro, scoring one and setting up Riccardo Montolivo for another in a 3-1 win.

"I felt shivers returning to San Siro," he said. "This is the most beautiful stadium. If it was full it would have been even better.

"With the national team and with City I'm getting better in terms of work-rate and commitment. I always try to be humble."

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11679/8172292/Manchester-City-forward-Mario-Balotelli-hails-relationship-with-Roberto-Mancini

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Brits want sanctions for Serbia

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Not on ... Danny Rose (R) was left incensed after he was racially taunted by the Serbian crowd. Source:AP

The British government wrote to UEFA President Michel Platini on Wednesday demanding "tough sanctions" against Serbia following the racial abuse of England players by fans during an ill-tempered under-21 match.

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Abuse was hurled at the England players throughout Tuesday's game in the Serbian city of Krusevac, with monkey chants heard in the stadium.

After England's 1-0 victory, which secured qualification for the 2013 European Under-21 Championship, scuffles broke out between fans, players and coaching staff.

Serbia had previously been warned by Platini that ongoing crowd trouble at matches is risking its teams being banned from European competitions.

The English FA reported a "number of incidents of racism" to UEFA immediately after the match, and that was followed by sports minister Hugh Robertson writing to Platini on Wednesday "urging them to investigate immediately."

Downing Street said that British Prime Minister David Cameron was "appalled by the scenes" and wants UEFA to impose "tough sanctions" against Serbia's football body.

"We are determined to stamp out racism overseas and at home and we are giving full backing to the FA's complaint," said Cameron's spokesman, Steve Field.

"If we are going to stamp out racism from football then it is no good handing out derisory fines as has happened in the past."

In a reference to a much-criticised suggestion by FIFA President Sepp Blatter last year, Field said: "It is no good telling players to shake hands and forget about it."

England defender Danny Rose complained on Wednesday that trouble had been brewing throughout the evening.

He was sent off after the final whistle following apparent provocation, gesturing to the crowd that he was racially abused.

"The monkey chanting started long before I got sent off," Rose told British broadcaster Sky Sports.

"After 60 minutes my head wasn't really on the game. They have to be banned. I don't understand how else they can learn from it. They have to be banned."

Rose said he complained to assistant coach Steve Wigley about problems when the team went out to warm-up before the game.

"They started the monkey chanting straight away. I asked the lads if they could hear it and they said they could hear it," Rose said.

"Halfway through the warm-up I went to 'Wigs,' the assistant manager, and told him what was happening. He said I had to try my best to get through it and they would deal with it straight away after the game.

"In the first half I went down to get the ball for a throw-in and the fans started again with the monkey chants, but the first half was nowhere near as bad as the second half.

"In the second half I had two stones hit me on the head when I went to get the ball for a throw-in. Every time I touched the ball there was monkey chanting again."

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Ioane may join long injury list

In doubt ... Ioane is battling a knee injury and may miss Bledisloe III. Source: News Limited

The Wallabies most potent attacking weapon, Digby Ioane, is in doubt for Saturday's Bledisloe Cup clash which is being viewed as anything but a dead-rubber by the trans-Tasman arch-rivals.

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Destructive winger Ioane is struggling with a lingering knee problem following the 25-19 win over Argentina in Rosario, is a serious concern for an Australia outfit desperate to end the high-flying All Blacks' 14-month winning streak.

New Zealand head into the Brisbane encounter aiming to equal their record of 17 consecutive Test victories by continuing a roll which started after the last trans-Tasman clash in Brisbane.

That night the Wallabies triumphed 25-20 to claim the Tri Nations but fortunes have wickedly reversed since and injury-ravaged Australia will start rank underdogs against an outfit near the peak of their powers.

Despite being without more than half of his best side, coach Robbie Deans refuses to accept it's Mission Impossible and says his players are buoyed by a "great" opportunity to upset the world champions.

"We will give it everything," he said.

"We respect them as a team but we also respect what we're doing and it's something that really excites the group and we're looking forward to it.

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"It's important to us.

"(New Zealand) will obviously be very proud of (their streak) but it's not a motivation for us - we've got reason enough."

The potential loss of Ioane would be a major blow as he's the line-breaking threat the All Blacks would fear most.

The 31-Test flyer - who crossed for the match-winning try against the Pumas - saw out the match in Rosario but pulled up sore after carrying severe bruising into the game from a heavy knock in the 31-8 loss to South Africa the week before.

Ioane will be fully assessed on Monday and the report could determine where stalwart utility Adam Ashley-Cooper returns to the backline after overcoming his sickening head knock against the Springboks.

Ashley-Cooper's availability makes for a welcome selection dilemma as rookie trio Ben Tapuai, Nick Cummins and Mike Harris all performed strongly against the Pumas.

Forever a Mr Fix-It, Ashley-Cooper would prefer to stay at outside centre - which would come at the expense of Tapuai - but did play both wing and fullback in the opening two Bledisloe losses - 27-19 in Sydney and 22-0 in Auckland.

"We're waiting to hear on Digby and then we'll go from there once it comes clear," Deans said.

Dom Shipperley and the returning Drew Mitchell (ankle) would also be in the frame to start if Ioane fails to recover.

Like the unexpected prospect of rushing back Mitchell, Deans did not rule out selecting No.8 Wycliff Palu who last played in the three-Test whitewash of Wales in June.

Watch Bledisloe III Live and in stunning HD on Fox Sports!

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Save of the Week - R2

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Great save ... Kennedy's reflex effort was good enough to get Bozza's nod. Source:News Limited

All the post-match talk may have been about Emile Heskey and Alessandro Del Piero but the Sydney FC-Newcastle Jets clash also produced the Hungry Jack's Save of the Week for round two.

While Del Piero and Heskey both put their names on the scoresheet with fine goals, it was Jets gloveman Ben Kennedy who featured in one of the crucial moments of the closing stages.

With Sydney on the hunt for a late equaliser striker Krunoslav Lovrek sent a thunderous shot towards Kennedy, who palmed the ball away with a wonderful reflex block.

"As usual there were some fantastic saves over the weekend," Fox Sports football commentator Mark Bosnich said.

"But the save from Lovrek, when he turned and volleyed at a very important time in the game – this would have made it three-all – it was great reflex save and up very quickly.

"So this week's Hungry Jack's Save of the Week – Mr Ben Kennedy."

Do you agree with Bozza? Watch the video at the top of the page and have your say by leaving a comment below!

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'Ange needs to re-think tactics'

Style ... Mark Bosnich says Ange Postecoglou may have to re-think the Victory's tactics. Source: Jono Searle / News Limited

Fox Sports' Mark Bosnich says new coach Ange Postecoglou might have to reconsider Melbourne Victory's playing style following their 5-0 hammering at the hands of Brisbane Roar. Read Bozza and Jason Culina's full review of round two of the A-League.

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Adelaide United 1 defeated Western Sydney Wanderers 0 at Hindmarsh Stadium

There was one of the best goals of the A-League round in this match, with the reverse pass to play to Jerónimo Neumann in for Adelaide United a thing of beauty. The Argentine made some smart runs and caused Wanderers a lot of problems all night. The performance of former Sydney FC player Iain Ramsey was another highlight for the Reds. He showed great composure in setting up the winner for the Argentine. To come inside and make that pass, when many other players would rush the play, was great to see. He used his pace well out wide and was very hard to contain. It was also another clean sheet for the Reds, Kossie will be stoked with that. Not the worst result for Wanderers. They'll be a better side with the experience under their belt.

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Sydney FC 2 defeated by Newcastle Jets 3 at Allianz Stadium

Jason Culina says: Based on the first half I would say Newcastle deserved to win in a really entertaining game in front of a huge crowd. Sydney gave away a couple of scrappy goals which they won't be happy about. In the end they left their comeback just a bit too late. Alessandro Del Piero's brilliant free kick gave the Sky Blues some momentum, but that was taken away when Emile Heskey put the Jets ahead again. There were certainly positives for the home side though. The last 30 minutes was great, the team was pushing forward well. It wasn't the best result but there is plenty to be happy about heading into the derby next weekend.

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Brisbane Roar 5 defeated Melbourne Victory 0 at Suncorp Stadium

New coach Ange Postecoglou has made his name playing a certain philosophy at the Roar, which he is now trying to ingrain in the Victory players. It will take time to bed in, it didn't happen overnight at Brisbane Roar. The coach will need to sit down and decide if he wants to persist playing out from the back at all costs or maybe mix up his tactics with the players he has at his disposal. When it got to about 3-0 I noticed a few Victory players shy away. That was disappointing. Not just a few, probably most of the team really. This loss will sting the Victory, and so it should. When you're talking about 5-0, that's pride at stake.

Jason Culina says: The Victory were missing a few players, but they have plenty of other good quality players and people expect better than a 5-0 loss. Brisbane are a very good side though. The Roar's motivation is to keep winning. They're enjoying themselves and banging goals in. They're a brilliant team to watch.

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Melbourne Heart 1 drew with Wellington Phoenix 1 at AAMI Park

This was a case of one incident totally changing the game. Melbourne Heart were outstanding in the first half, but they were made to pay for not taking their chances. One of the things that makes football so attractive is that it can turn in one second. That's what happened with Simon Colosimo's handball, which was the right decision. Heart will be disappointed, there were three points there for the taking. I'm a big fan of Aziz Behich. He's got pace and skill. It was brilliant work to set up Matt Thompson's goal. It's about time the left back gets his chance for the Socceroos.

Jason Culina says: Simon Colosimo certainly handled the ball and he gave the referee no choice. It left the Heart a bit short, but all-in-all it was probably a fair result with the points shared.

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Central Coast Mariners 1 defeated Perth Glory 0 at Bluetongue Stadium

The first half was poor with both sides cancelling each other out. The second half really picked up and Graham Arnold made the change that turned him into a super-coach, brining on Daniel McBreen, who went on to net the winner. The Mariners have two clean sheets in two games now - they are a very difficult side to break down.

Jason Culina says: It's a difficult time to play at Bluetongue as the sun is coming down. The sun and heat can be an issue for players. I tipped the Glory to be up there at the end of the season. They're a tough team to face - they are very experienced. Any team with the likes of Jacob Burns and Liam Miller is going to be hard to beat. They'll bounce back.

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Tigers down Redbacks in Ryobi Cup

Day to remember ... Krejza starred with both bat and ball to lead the Tigers to victory. Source: News Limited

Tasmanian Jason Krejza followed a batting cameo with a star showing with the ball as the Tigers downed South Australia by three runs in Sunday's Ryobi Cup match in Adelaide.

ODD - Adelaide Oval

14 October 2012 - Day 1, Session 2

South Australia 1st Innings

D. Christian	81	98	6	1	82.65
J. Haberfield	0	0	0	0	0
B. Laughlin	9.5	0	46	2	4.68

Chasing 222 to win, the Redbacks were bowled out for 218 with one ball remaining.

Krejza claimed four wickets after earlier smacking three sixes in a vital 33 in the Tigers' 9-221 from 50 overs.

Krejza's return with the bat was the second-highest contribution in Tasmania's innings behind Ricky Ponting's top score of 47.

But Krejza's feats with the ball, taking 4-35 from 10 overs, proved match defining despite a sterling knock from SA all-rounder Dan Christian.

Christian made an unbeaten 81 but couldn't conjure victory when needing 11 runs from Ben Laughlin's final over.

SA were in relative comfort at 1-71 in the 16th over only to lose five wickets in the next 20 overs.

But from 6-143 in the 37th over, Christian paced the chase despite frequently losing partners, only to ultimately fall short.

Earlier, Ponting was in fine touch before falling to a freakish catch when just short of a half-century.

The ex-Australia captain drove a Jake Haberfield delivery straight, hard and head high, and the paceman instinctively stuck out his right hand on his follow through.

The ball whacked into Haberfield's hand, popping out of his initial grasp before lobbing up and falling softly into his hands.

Ponting stood bewildered for about 30 seconds - either in disbelief at the catch, or at bunch of bees surrounding Haberfield as he delivered the wicket ball.

Ponting, who struck three boundaries and two sixes in his 63-ball knock, was the sole batsman in Tasmania's top six to pass 20.

The Tigers instead relied on handy late order contributions from Krejza and James Faulkner (32).

Redbacks skipper Johan Botha claimed 3-43 and paceman Daniel Worrall took two wickets on debut for SA.

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Aussies fire at Gold Coast sevens

Pama Fou ... was a constant threat for Australia on day one. Source: AAP

Amidst the colour and carnival atmosphere of the Gold Coast international rugby sevens tournament, Australia are making a serious bid to win the event.

Australia haven't won a sevens tournament on home soil in a decade but they go into Sunday's finals day in a strong position to end that drought after winning all three of their pool matches on Saturday.

Top spot in Pool B and a quarter-final against Kenya was the prize for a thrilling 15-14 win over defending champions Fiji in the last match of the day.

Jordan Tuapou was the hero for Australia, diving over in the corner late in the second half to seal the stirring three tries to two victory.

Fiji scored in either half through Joji Baleviani Raqamate but a double to Allan Fa'alava'au and Tuapou's brave effort secured Australia's first sevens win over Fiji since May 2011.

"To finally finish it off was a great plus," Tuapou said.

"It was a team effort but obviously in the end I ended up getting the ball just to put it down.

"It's a great confidence boost for us ... it doesn't matter about the first day, it's what you put on the paddock the second day that counts."

Only Luke Morahan's knee injury less than a minute into the tournament dampened the party atmosphere among the 12,558 fans at Robina Stadium dressed in all sorts of fancy-dress outfits.

Morahan limped off the field with medial ligament damage to his knee in Australia's opening match against Tonga, a game the hosts won impressively 31-14 to get their sevens world series campaign off to a good start.

"It's not looking too good, I don't think he'll be back out tomorrow unfortunately," captain Ed Jenkins told reporters.

In fact, the injury is all but certain to end Morahan's hopes of going on the Wallabies end of season tour of Europe, after the Queensland Reds back rushed back from international duty in Argentina to be part of the sevens team.

His teammates didn't seem to miss the flier however, sealing a quarter-final berth with an emphatic 22-0 thrashing of Scotland in their second game in Morahan's absence before their epic win over the Fijians.

Jenkins has labelled South Africa as the competition favourites after they completed a trio of wins in Pool A by upsetting the fancied New Zealand 31-21 in the penultimate match.

South Africa now face France in the quarter-finals with the winner of that match to meet Pool C winners Samoa or Fiji in the semis.

Australia will face either Argentina or their great rivals New Zealand if they overcome Kenya.

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Watch all the day two action of the Gold Coast sevens LIVE from 11.25pm (EDT) Sunday on Fox Sports 2 and Fox Sports 2HD.

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Kangaroos grind out tough win

Physical ... neither side gave an inch in the closely-fought Test. Source: Renee McKay / AAP

Australia downed New Zealand 18-10 in a high quality rugby league Test in Townsville on Saturday night.

3 Tries 2
Ca'eron S'ith 23'	Issac Luke 7'
Ja'es Ta'ou 34'	Gerard Beale 38'
Darius Boyd 71'
2 Conversions 1
Johnathan Thurston 36'	Krisnan Inu 8'
Johnathan Thurston 73'
1 Penalties 0
Johnathan Thurston 62'

In an arm-wrestle of a game, Tim Sheens' side outlasted the Kiwis in front of a capacity crowd of more than 26,000.

New Zealand have not beaten Australia in a one-off Test since 2003 and skipper Cameron Smith becomes only the third man to captain a side to three trophies in a year after helping Melbourne to the NRL premiership and Queensland to a seventh straight State of Origin series.

Darius Boyd's try seven minutes from time sealed the win after a brilliant flick pass from Paul Gallen put the winger clear to run under the posts.

Johnathan Thurston's conversion saw him eclipse Mick Cronin's long-standing Australian record tally of 102 points against the Kiwis, after the hosts were forced to withstand an early barrage of pressure from Stephen Kearney's side after the interval.

Some strong defence prevented the tourists taking the lead, after the sides were locked at 10-10 at the interval.

However, Thurston scored from a penalty to give the hosts a slender lead on 65 minutes, after Krisnan Inu was harshly penalised for a strip on Greg Inglis.

Gerard Beale earlier finished off a wonderful move with a try on the stroke of halftime to level the scores.

Sam Perrett was the architect, leaping high above Billy Slater to haul in a Benji Marshall bomb and offload to Issac Luke.

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Luke's cut-out pass found Dean Whare who put Beale over in the left corner.

North Queensland prop James Tamou looked to have given Australia the advantage at the break with a fine try, before the Kiwis hit back.

New Zealand started strongly, Perrett going close to opening the scoring after Tony Williams had knocked on before Luke dived out of dummy-half to break the deadlock after seven minutes.

Tim Sheens' men looked sluggish and struggled to find their rhythm in the opening exchanges as the tourists controlled the game.

However, a forward pass from Luke handed the ball over and allowed the Kangaroos to finally exert some pressure.

David Shillington and Matt Scott, who was named man of the match, both made big hit-ups to move the ball downfield and Cooper Cronk almost put Brett Morris over with a kick to the corner.

Scott, playing in front of his home crowd, then made a fantastic break and skipper Cameron Smith ghosted past two defenders and over the line to get his side on the board.

Thurston missed the conversion but was on hand to apply the extras to Tamou's try, after the giant frontrower sidestepped two tackles to find the line.

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