Maloney shines for Roosters

James Maloney ... celebrates a try in Sydney Roosters v Brisbane Broncos at Allianz Stadium. Source: Mark Evans / News Limited

A Herculean defensive display from the Sydney Roosters laid the foundation for an 8-0 win over Brisbane in Saturday's NRL clash at Allianz Stadium.

1 Tries 0
James Maloney 31'
1 Conversions 0
James Maloney 33'
1 Penalties 0
James Maloney 55'

James Maloney scored all of the points, running in for the only try of the game on the half-hour mark and then kicking a penalty goal midway through the second period.

It was a night of frustration for the visitors which will be a huge concern for coach Anthony Griffin, who watched his side dominate possession in the second half but fail to trouble the scorers.

Trent Robinson's side were truly heroic in front of their own goalline, keeping their line intact brilliantly.

At one stage, they held firm for seven successive sets of six as the Broncos took residency inside their 20-metre line - only to come up short on every occasion.

With Justin Hodges sidelined through injury, the Broncos looked bereft of genuine scoring options as halves Scott Prince and Peter Wallace failed to spark their side.

For the Roosters, Sonny Bill Williams had his best game since returning to the NRL, clocking up 36 tackles and more than 100 metres.

But he was not alone. Martin Kennedy, Jake Friend and Sam Moa were also magnificent in front of a crowd of 13,047.

Attacks were few and far between for the hosts, with Daniel Tupou squandering a glorious opportunity after failing to capitalise on a superb break from the fleet-footed Michael Jennings.

But it mattered not as the tricolours held firm to seal a successive victory and record a first shut-out since 2008 when they beat St George Illawarra 10-0.

Sydney Roosters coach Robinson was full of praise for his side's character under pressure.

"The effort was outstanding," Robinson said.

"We knew what was coming at us. We moved forward fast - put some pressure on them when we could.

"We also slid well and worked hard from the inside when they tried to go around us so it was a nice performance in 'D'."

Robinson singled out Williams and Kennedy for special praise with the pair combining for 73 tackles between them.

"I left Marty on for a bit longer than normal because he never looked tired,'' he said.pe``It was a really, really strong 80 minutes from Sonny. 

It's really impressive, I think, to see the balance between some nice attacking play and then just - he'll do anything to work hard for the bloke next to him.

"It's obviously something that he's prided himself on over the years."

Broncos coach Griffin refused to be too critical of his players, despite their lack of attacking prowess.

"It wasn't a step backwards in effort. I thought it was just a real good tight game of footy," Griffin said.

"We had our chances and the Roosters were good enough to turn up and I thought we turned up all night on them as well.

"It's just one of those games and it was always going to be one of those games, a real slugfest, and they got that one try which was the difference."

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Reds down Bulls in thrilling finish

Key man ... Quade Cooper scored a try and set one up on Saturday night. Source: Dave Hunt / AAP

Ten months of frustration might not be over just yet for Queensland Reds captain James Horwill judging by his side's 23-18 Super Rugby win over the Bulls at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night.

2 Tries 0
Jono Lance 36'
Quade Cooper 54'
2 Conversions 0
Quade Cooper 38'
Quade Cooper 55'
3 Penalties 6
Quade Cooper 8'	Louis Fouche 12'
Quade Cooper 35'	Louis Fouche 15'
Quade Cooper 60'	Louis Fouche 43'
	Louis Fouche 45'
	Louis Fouche 49'
	Morne Steyn 71'

The Wallabies skipper ended a 308-day wait on the sidelines with hamstring and ankle problems when he finally led out his beloved Reds against the South African conference leaders in front of the 28,399-strong Brisbane faithful.

However, Horwill might still have some anxious days ahead of him based on the Reds' erratic display.

He watched hopelessly from the bench after his 40-minute comeback cameo as the Bulls not only reeled in a 13-6 halftime deficit by the 49th minute but threatened to snatch a last-gasp victory.

The Bulls looked to have sealed it when Bjorn Basson crashed over after the siren - only for video replays to show Chris Feauai-Sautia's tackle had forced the winger to put a stray foot into touch.

In the end, an error-riddled Queensland (4-2 record) somehow emerged victorious against the relentless South Africans (3-2).

Queensland's frustrating form was best summed up by the opening minutes of the second half.

They were their own worst enemies as silly mistakes gifted three penalties in six minutes, allowing the Bulls to reclaim the lead 15-13 just nine minutes into the second half.

However, in what appeared a square-up after Reds No.15 Jono Lance's dubious first-half yellow card, Bulls winger Grenton Mapoe was sin-binned in the 52nd minute for a lifting tackle on Reds prop James Slipper.
And the Reds pounced.

No.10 Quade Cooper combined beautifully with halves partner Will Genia to exploit their sudden one-man advantage on the left edge and cross a minute later to establish a 20-15 lead.

Both sides exchanged penalties, setting the scene for the heart-stopping finale.

Genia set up the halftime buffer when he inspired phase after phase before a jinking Cooper set up Lance with just minutes left on the clock in the first half.

Reds director of coaching Ewen McKenzie equalled Robbie Deans' record of 120 Super Rugby games as coach on Saturday night.

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Relive the drama with our Super Rugby Match Centre, featuring video highlights.

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Wanderers streak ends in derby

Drama ... Brett Emerton is sent off after a clumsy challenge. Source: Adam Taylor / News Limited

Sydney FC ended Western Sydney Wanderers' 10-game A-League winning streak with a controversial 1-1 draw at Parramatta Stadium on Saturday in a pulsating derby in which both sides were reduced to 10 men.

In a contest worthy of the pre-game hype, a brave Sydney held on against a fast-finishing Wanderers after an Alessandro Del Piero strike for the visitors in the 34th minute was matched by Shannon Cole's free-kick in the 69th minute.

The Wanderers' equaliser came after Sydney were reduced to 10 men in the 56th minute when captain Brett Emerton was handed a straight red card by referee Kris Griffiths-Jones for a clumsy challenge on Cole.

		P	W	D	L	GD	Pts
1	Western Sydney	26	17	3	6	17	54
2	Central Coast	25	14	6	5	23	48
3	Victory	26	12	5	9	2	41
4	Adelaide	25	12	4	9	3	40
5	Sydney	26	9	5	12	-8	32
6	Perth	26	9	4	13	-2	31
7	Newcastle	26	8	7	11	-12	31
8	Brisbane	25	8	5	12	0	29
9	Heart	25	8	3	14	-6	27
10	Wellington	26	7	6	13	-17	27

The Wanderers constantly pressed forward in the final 20 minutes searching for a record 11th win but the Sydney defence was up to the challenge before 19,585 fans.

In time added on, Iacopo La Rocca was also given a straight red for striking Terry Antonis in the face, in an incident which could have major implications for the Wanderers.

With one round to play, the point could be enough to lift fifth-placed Sydney into the finals.

Anything other than a Central Coast victory over Adelaide on Sunday will deliver the minor premiership to the Wanderers in their debut season.

A shocking defensive mistake from stand-in captain Nikolai Topor-Stanley handed Sydney the opening goal.
Topor-Stanley passed lazily across goal and Del Piero pounced.

The Italian World Cup winner worked the ball into the box despite the attention of Topor-Stanley and La Rocca. Del Piero then showed his class to thread the ball past Ante Covic at the far post.

But Cole saved his side with a sublime free-kick that has all but secured the Wanderers top spot on the A-League ladder.

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Inspired second half sees Freo home

Bounding ... Stephen Hill is too quick for his West Coast opponents and was instrumental in the win. Source: TONY MCDONOUGH / AAP

Fremantle booted 11 second half goals to score derby bragging rights while the Eagles' loss was soured further by a broken arm to Mark LeCras.

In scenes reminiscent of Friday night's clash in Adelaide, the Eagles shot out of the blocks with the first three goals before being pegged back late in the term.

Ashton Hams and Jamie Cripps were in fine form for the Eagles early before the Dockers started their surge, eventually running out winners 16.12.108 to 11.14.80.

Michael Barlow was in scintillating form for the Dockers with 27 possessions, while Matthew Priddis of the Eagles had a game-high 28, including 17 contested.

Michael Walters and Nick Suban booted three goals each while Danyle Pearce showed why Ross Lyon was keen on acquiring the veteran with two key goals that sparked the Dockers in the second half.

Matthew Pavlich had a quiet night in front of goal and will have to explain himself to the AFL after being cited for charging Will Schofield in the first half.

West Coast's night was made even more forgettable by a serious arm injury to Mark LeCras. The forward was playing his first home and away game since rupturing his ACL last season and early signs suggest a broken right arm.

Eric Mackenzie also limped off with a hamstring injury while for the Dockers, Pavlich suffered split webbing and Ballantyne is nursing a lower leg complaint.

Full report to come shortly.

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Greats name Lions, Wallabies sides

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Mike Phillips ... 'Fiesty, niggly and aggressive'. Source: Andrew Brownbill / AP

Which players can we expect to see run out in the famous red and white of the British and Irish Lions against the Wallabies in June?

Sky Sports UK commentators Scott Quinnell and Will Greenwood have named their Lions starting XV following Wales' back-to-back Six Nations triumph.

The pair agreed that Welsh scrum-half Mike Phillips would "bully" the Aussies with his "fiesty and aggressive" playing style.

They were equally buoyant about the prospects of the man they tipped to partner Phillips in the halves.

"You think you boys have got the monopoly on playing football ... Johnny Sexton will come and show you some wide zip passes with left and right hands," Greenwood said.

Former Wallabies Brendan Cannon and Tim Horan agreed their were plenty of spots still up for grabs in Robbie Deans' side ahead of the first Test on June 22.

Speaking on Fox Sports' Rugby HQ, the pair named Brumbies stars Ben Mowen, Christian Lealiifano and Jesse Mogg as potential candidates for a Wallabies jumper.

Watch the video as both groups of experts on either side of the globe discuss their Lions and Wallabies squads.

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Tigers hold off late Eels comeback

Wests Tigers ... claw over Parramatta Eels in Friday's round three clash. Source: Gregg Porteous / News Limited

Wests Tigers hold off a late fight back from Parramatta to secure 31-18 victory in Friday night's clash at Leichhardt Oval.

5 Tries 3
Chris Lawrence 4'	Ryan Morgan 43'
Chris Lawrence 20'	Vai Toutai 68'
Blake Ayshford 31'	Jacob Loko 70'
Benji Marshall 48'
Tim Moltzen 51'
4 Conversions 3
Benji Marshall 6'	Chris Sandow 44'
Benji Marshall 22'	Chris Sandow 69'
Benji Marshall 49'	Chris Sandow 71'
Benji Marshall 52'
1 Penalties 0
Benji Marshall 18'
1 Field Goals 0
Jacob Miller 74'

Two tries in the opening 20 minutes from Chris Lawrence laid the foundations for the Tigers' comfortable lead after the Eels twice coughed up the ball deep in their own half.

Mitchell Allgood and Jarryd Hayne were both guilty of losing possession and the hosts took full advantage, twice spreading the ball to the left and Lawrence muscled his way past Chris Sandow to score.

The Eels struggled to get out of their own half as the Tigers laid siege but should have scored from their first genuine attack after a booming 40-20 from Sandow found touch.

However, Allgood dropped the ball as he crossed the line and the chance went begging.

With the newly re-signed Robbie Farah and Benji Marshall dominating, the Eels could not get a foothold on the game and they didn't help their cause by giving away needless penalties.

The visitors were made to pay on the half-hour mark when Blake Ayshford darted over in the right corner to stretch his side's advantage.

The Eels almost reduced the deficit on the stroke of halftime when Hayne made a great break down the left wing.

He released Vai Toutau, who in turn found Jacob Loko, but the young centre, under pressure from Farah, butchered the chance to score just in front of the line.

18-0 at the break, the Eels started the second half with a big through a Ryan Morgan try.

However with a penalty to the Tigers, Marshall took advantage of a napping defence and ran 70 meters to extend their lead.

A defensive error from Vai Toutai in his own in goal gifted Tim Moltzen a four-pointer although the winger did score one of his own to atone for the earlier mistake. 

Loko then crossed two minutes later and Sandow's conversion made it a 12 point ball game. 

Miller nailed a field goal in the 73rd minute. 

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Ashwin dominates Aussies yet again

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Chief destroyer ... Ashwin dominated the Aussie batsmen on day one. Source: Noah Seelam / AAP

India spinner Ravi Ashwin triggered a middle-order collapse before tailender Peter Siddle hit a career-best 47 not out to guide Australia to 8-231 on day one of the fourth Test.

4th Test - Feroz Shah Kotla

22 March 2013 - Day 1, Session 3

Australia 1st Innings

P. Siddle	47	125	4	0	37.6
J. Pattinson	11	57	1	0	19.3
R. Jadeja	22	6	34	2	1.55

No.9 batsman Siddle held the innings together with partnerships of 53 with Steve Smith and 42 with James Pattinson (11 not out in 71 minutes).

No.3 Phil Hughes (45) and opener Ed Cowan (38) made starts but tailender Siddle was one of only two batsmen to soak up 100 balls, alongside No.6 Smith who hit 46 off 145 deliveries.

Ashwin claimed 4-40 off 30 overs, giving him 26 scalps for the four-match series which India lead three-nil.

In sunny conditions on Friday on a dusty, cracked pitch - already starting to show signs of variable bounce at Delhi's Feroz Shah Kotla ground - the visitors once again had no answer to India's spinners.

India employed a three-pronged spin attack which included Ravindra Jadeja (2-34) and Pragyan Ojha (0-67).

Stand-in skipper Shane Watson's men were well placed at lunch at 2-94 after losing the wickets of David Warner for a duck and Hughes, who hit 10 boundaries in his 45.

Cowan was bowled around his legs attempting to sweep Ashwin at 3-106, as five wickets tumbled for 30 runs.

The key dismissal of Watson came nine runs later, stumped for 17. Matthew Wade (two) appeared unlucky to be given out caught bat-pad at silly point.

Indian Premier League million-dollar man Glenn Maxwell (10) was caught at wide mid-on.

Mitchell Johnson was bowled for three at 7-136, offering no shot to Ashwin.

Smith hit three fours and two sixes in an important two-and-a-half-hour knock. The 23-year-old was Ashwin's fourth victim, caught at short leg after adding 53 vital runs for the eighth wicket with Siddle.

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Follow all the day two action LIVE with our Match Centre, and watch it LIVE, EXCLUSIVE and in HIGH DEFINITION from 2.50pm (EDT) on Fox Sports 2.

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Caviar canters to 24th win

Smile for the photo ... Black Caviar brings up win 24 in the William Reid Stakes. Source: Joe Castro / AAP

Mighty mare Black Caviar has done it again, winning for the 24th consecutive occasion in front of 25,000-plus adoring fans at Moonee Valley.

The Peter Moody-trained champion toyed with her inferior opposition as she raced away to win the Group 1 $400,000 William Reid Stakes at the prohibitive odds of $1.04 by a margin of four lengths. Karuta Queen finished second.

The win sees her join the legendary Kingston Town on an Australian record of 14 Group 1 victories.

The farewell whistle-stop tour up the eastern states now heads to Sydney for the T.J. Smith - and maybe the All Aged Stakes - and then possibly Brisbane for another QTC Cup.

Or as some suggest, another trip to Royal Ascot in June could be on the cards as a more fitting farewell.

Such was her pulling power last night that some excited racegoers arrived at Moonee Valley at 4pm hoping to snare a prominent rails position after the gates opened.

Moonee Valley Racing Club spokesman Leigh Newton said it was a big night of entertainment with quality fields – and the club's last night meeting.

"But the real reason why everyone is here is Black Caviar. She has a lot of drawing power," he said.

Carissa Willis, from Woodend, was seeing the superstar mare run for the first time.

"It's really exciting to be here and be able to see her race, especially considering it's the last time we'll probably get to see her here in Melbourne," she said.

Dressed as a horse and with a cape adorned in Black Caviar's signature salmon with black spots silks, Andrew Sellers soaked up the atmosphere.

The avid punter, 34, from Hawthorn, has watched live 21 out of 24 of the mighty mare's races.

"I've followed her all the way through. I wasn't going to miss this one," he said.

"She is an amazing horse. I still remember her fourth start ... she scrambled out the barriers on her belly and she still got up and won."

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'Time for Benji to be responsible'

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Benji ... 'needs to be more responsible' on the field, according to Matt Johns. Source: Gregg Porteous / News Limited

An old criticism of Benji Marshall might be heard by him again if Mick Potter shares the opinion of top rugby league analyst Peter Sterling.

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Wests Tigers have had a mixed start to the year, holding on for a 10-point win over Penrith in round two after getting thumped 42-10 by Newcastle in round one.

And while they've shown glimpses of brilliance Sterling believes Marshall could be responsible for throwing wins away if he keeps choosing low percentage plays in the closing stages.

"I was concerned about some of the things he did towards the end of that win over Penrith," Sterling pointed out, speaking on his new show Sterlo on Thursday night.

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"When you get to that last 10 minutes in the game holding a lead, I'd like to see the Tigers play to the fourth or fifth tackle and then have a shot at four, have a shot at field goal or roll it into the in-goal. That's how you play out a game."

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For the full Sterlo chat on Benji Marshall and the Tigers' start to the season under Mick Potter, click on the video at the top of the page!

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A guest on the Sterlo panel was Marshall's Tigers teammate Braith Anasta.

The former State of Origin ball-player agreed that the genius five-eighth was still yet to find the right balance within the Tigers' new structure under Potter.

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"It's about finding a balance, I think," Anasta said.

"He's still got to play the way he does with his instinctive play and play off the cuff.

"He can read the game so well but at times he may need to pull it back, play with the structure a bit more and just be a bit more patient I suppose."

Fox Sports rugby league expert Matthew Johns went a step further, saying it was time for Marshall to finally grow into the responsibility that comes with being a senior player.

"I think you're right to be critical," Johns told Sterling.

Mick Potter's come along and he's said 'look, I'm going to put someone else in the No.7 jersey who can be the organiser so Benji can just be Benji'," Johns said.

"But, with age comes real responsibility, particularly for a man of Benji's class - he's been there for a long, long time. And you're right Pete: I wonder sometimes what goes through Benji's head.

"I'll hazard a guess and say Benji puts too much pressure on himself to look for the big play."

"I've watched him a couple of times when the ball comes loose and he picks the ball up and he just has that urgency.

"I think he's living with other people's expectations. I think it's got to be time for Benji to just take a step back." 

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'Broncos still have that aura'

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Scott Prince ... is loving his time back at the Broncos. Source: Darren England / News Limited

Star Brisbane recruit Scott Prince believes the Broncos still have the same aura they had when he first arrived at the club as a teenager.

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Speaking as a special guest on Sterlo, Prince compared his arrivals at the Broncos - first as a nervous kid, then as one of the most senior players in the NRL.

"I had a moment at training about two or three weeks ago where I sat down and I really just soaked it in, where I was," Prince said.

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Click on the video at the top of the page to watch Scott Prince talk about his move to the Broncos and answer questions about his "divorce" from the Titans on Sterlo.

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"I thought back when I was 21 and when I was there the first time and I was sort of overwhelmed and in awe of these players - you know, Gorden Tallis, Wendell Sailor in the corner. Darren Lockyer, you know, was in the locker beside me.

"But this time I sat down and I still had that same feeling. Just that proud history that the club has.

"You're in that position where I'm wearing No.6 and I'm really honoured and proud to wear that number at the Broncos. It's what the club's done in the past and you still feel you have to live up to those expectations."

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