Coleman double leads Brumbies home

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A PENALTY try on full-time sealed a valuable win for the Brumbies over the game Stormers in Canberra, although the damage was done earlier by Robbie Coleman.

The diminutive winger bagged a double including a sensational last-gasp diving effort in the 61st minute as the Brumbies notched their fourth win in succession.

Full scores, stats and video highlights in Match Centre

Leading 18-15 as the clock wound down, the Brumbies were awarded a penalty try for repeated scrum infringements that gave them a fifth-straight win over South African opposition.

"It's really tough to play the Stormers, we went to Cape Town last year and got our arses handed to us so it was a really pleasing result," Brumbies skipper Ben Mowen said after the 25-15 win.

In a key play in the final quarter, Coleman chased down a Mowen grubber and managed to pick up and plant just before he was bundled over the touchline, punishing Stormers winger Kobus van Wyk who was shadowing the ball over the sideline.

"That's what we talk about, chase everything and never give up, I was just lucky enough to get a good bounce," Coleman said.

Matt Toomua runs the ball for the Brumbies. Source: Getty Images

Stormers centre Juan de Jongh fended off rival Andrew Smith and charged over with four minutes remaining to make the score 18-15, but the visitors could not muster a match-winning play.

Missing a third of their automatic starters in Scott Sio, David Pocock, Christian Lealiifano, Tevita Kuridrani and Henry Speight, the Brumbies held firm in the grinding match and take momentum into next Friday's clash against the Rebels in Melbourne.

Coleman crossed for the first try after just nine minutes after Matt Toomua sliced through the defence and fed the speedster.

The Stormers regained the lead 10-7 in the 22nd minute when backrower Duane Vermeulen barged over from close range.

The pre-game loss of breakdown goliath Schalk Burger was a major blow for the Stormers.

BRUMBIES 25 (1 penalty try) (Robbie Coleman 2 tries Nic White 2 cons 2 pens) bt STORMERS 15 (Juan De Jongh, Duane Vermeulen tries Peter Grant con pen) at GIO Stadium. Referee: Glen Jackson.

Relive all the action in our match blog below.

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Saints, Dees show off new styles

Luke Dunstan looked good on debut. Source: Wayne Ludbey / News Corp Australia

IT was a night of new beginnings and fresh starts; a moment of change in the history of two foundation football clubs.

For that reason, you can almost forgive the mistakes and the fumbles.

And let's be brutally honest, there were plenty of both from a game that won't have fans of either side rushing out to purchase a copy of the DVD.

MATCH REPORT: SAINTS PATCH-UP JOB TRUMPS DEES

LIVE HQ: EVERY SUPERCOACH SCORE AND STAT

To be fair to both sides, though, St Kilda and Melbourne each had more than their fair share of players out for various reasons.

The Saints' midfield was all but decimated, yet still had a heartbeat; the Demons' attack was barely worthy of that word for most of the night.

Bernie Vince in the face of Tom Curren. Source: News Corp Australia

But the match was more about who was out there; not those who weren't — except for the two coaches sitting in their respective boxes trying to impact on the game for their new sides.

Paul Roos coached his first official game — and 203rd overall — since the Swans bowed out to the Western Bulldogs in a 2010 semi-final.

We learnt that he is not the Messiah, but the Demons did play with more system, if a little too haphazard on too many occasions. They will be better for the experience.

Alan Richardson was coaching his second game after a lifetime of experience, but effectively the first as his own man.

Nathan Jones has never won a first-round match. Source: News Corp Australia

Richardson's one game in the Port Adelaide chair came when Ken Hinkley was ill last season, yet this one would have felt very, very different. This time he wasn't just warming the seat.

Melbourne had six new players; St Kilda had five; and the style differences from last year were on show.

The Demons possessed the ball at will, sometimes too often. The high handball-to-kick ratio was evident from the outset.

The Saints were more efficient with their use and had a familiar face in attack — Nick Riewoldt — who is still such a massive competitor. He willed his team as much as anyone else out there.

St Kilda would have been delighted with Luke Dunstan on debut, gathering possessions at will; Eli Templeton did more than just win the nomination of bizarre hairstyle of the week with a fine goal in the second term.

Dom Tyson tackled by Clinton Jones and Josh Saunders. Source: News Corp Australia

Jack Billings had to wait three and a bit quarters to get rid of the green vest. He looked set to join the first-kick-first-goal club before hitting the post. Well, perhaps now he is in the first-kick-first-poster club.

Melbourne got plenty of work out of former Crow Bernie Vince, and his big goal early in the final term kept the Demons in the hunt as the Saints held control.

Dom Tyson also got a goal in the final term, getting his hands on the ball when the Demons needed it most.

In all, the fresh faces will take time to find their feet with each club, and so will the coaches. But at least both sides are away — and the Saints have those vital first four premiership points.

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Blink in time for fighting Nathan

Jockey Nathan Berry and his wife Whitney on their wedding day last month. Source: Simon Bullard / Supplied

NATHAN Berry tried to blink for the first time yesterday since being admitted to intensive care in a Singapore hospital.

Everyone involved in Sydney racing would have had Berry on their minds when they rocked up to Rosehill yesterday.

The popular jockey was struck down with viral encephalitis on Tuesday. The virus can cause inflammation of the brain.

He suffered several seizures, and was shifted into intensive care as family, including his twin brother Tommy, rushed to his bedside.

Jockey Glyn Schofield, whose daughter Whitney married Nathan just last month, told At The Track from Singapore: "He hasn't taken a backward step since yesterday, and all his numbers are getting better.''

Nathan tried to blink early yesterday, said his father Kevin, who remained home in Sydney, and added "there's not a minute that passes by I don't think about him''.

There were also plans to lower Nathan's dose of medication.

"I spoke to (wife) Julie who told me Nathan is trying to blink his eyes, which is a sign he's coming right,'' Kevin said. "He hasn't had a seizure for a while, and he's getting colour in his face.

"The doctors don't like people in his room for a long time. They actually had to tell Tommy to go home at 1am this morning.''

Tommy was originally scheduled to head to Singapore tomorrow. He did a marvellous job keeping it together at Newcastle on Wednesday, then again at Warwick Farm on Thursday.

The only time he came close to losing it was while being interviewed after bagging a winner at both meetings.

He told At The Track late on Thursday he planned to help fellow jockey Christian Reith move some pavers on Friday. But late in the day he had a change of heart, and made the rushed trip to the airport. It was so sudden he called the likes of trainer Gai Waterhouse to let him know of his movements while en route to the airport.

Nathan is in Singapore for four months. He wed Whitney last month, and had just started to seriously turn some heads after booting home a series of winners, including Unencumbered in the Magic Millions Classic.

HANS'S REGRETTAL

STILL on Berry, that gibberer "Hans from Hong Kong'' — who runs what he says is "the most read racing website in the world'' — had everybody on edge when he reported via Twitter that Nathan was on life support.

It was quickly denied by Berry's manager. But the tweet, posted on Friday morning, had already circulated and caused his family and friends to panic.

It's that sort of garbage that gives the rest of the press a bad name. He should stick to bagging racing in NSW. Yes, that's right, the powerhouse state that has provided Honkers with an endless supply of jockeys, horses as well as officials.

The Joe Pride-trained Steps In Time holds off Sweet Idea in the Coolmore Classic. Picture: Simon Bullard Source: Supplied

RED AND GREEN PRIDE

TRAINER Joe Pride hates it when South Sydney get pumped in the NRL. Normally, when the Rabbits get rolled, like they were on Friday night by the almighty Wests Tigers, Pride's horses run accordingly.

Not yesterday. Steps In Time won the feature Coolmore as well as Earnest Ernest in the APN Outdoor Handicap (1200m).

Kiaarn Holland (middle) with Laura Crilley and Rebecca Hammersley. Source: News Limited

KIAARN COMES WITH THE BOOM

IF there was one thing more impressive than Spirit Of Boom's breakthrough Group 1 win in the William Reid Stakes on Friday night, it was seeing the horse's strapper afterwards.

Kiaarn Holland (below), a former jockey, turned plenty of heads as Spirit Of Boom returned to scale at Moonee Valley.

Trainer Tony Gollan said Holland started travelling with Spirit Of Boom last spring, and has done a great job with the horse.

As for Spirit Of Boom, Gollan said the TJ Smith Stakes would slot in perfectly for his horse next month.

With a little luck, and a dry track, Spirit Of Boom will farewell racing in the Stradbroke before standing at stud.

NOW AND YEN

SPOTTED: the Japanese film crew in town filming The Championships plonking $200 straight out on Hana's Goal to win the Coolmore. It was gone soon after they jumped when the galloper missed the start by seven lengths.

30/05/2012 Queensland Oaks promo. Kiaarn Holland with racehorse Quintessential. Source: News Limited

VICS OUT OF TIME... AGAIN

IF YOU want further proof Victoria marches to the beat of its own drum, why on earth was Sandown's opener run at 1.45pm and the last at 6.10pm? It was the Melbourne Racing Club's call. Rosehill's bumper program started at 12.20pm and finished at 5.20pm. Let's get it together, people.

LLOYD'S SYDNEY RETURN

JEFF Lloyd is in the process of re-applying for his jockey's licence, and indicated he will return to the saddle in SYDNEY, not Queensland.

TRUCK OF TROUBLE

SEE what happens when you forget to pay the rego?

Our central coast spies sent us some hilarious footage of the giant Sky Channel outside broadcast truck being towed away from the Wyong race meeting on Tuesday.

After a little digging, Sky Channel supremo Brendan Parnell told us a "bureaucratic bungle'' meant the truck wasn't registered, and therefore had to be towed to a few meetings during the week.

"The truck is fine, we just couldn't drive it until the registration was sorted,'' he said.

The OB truck was back on the road to Kembla today.

Sky has a giant fleet of OB trucks in Queensland, which beam high-definition images of the races. Our poor truck in Sydney is getting on in age, and was supposed to be replaced two years ago. Drawn-out negotiations over media rights has forced the new set of wheels to be put on the backburner.

The Sky Racing truck... On the back of another truck. Source: Supplied

NSW BACK IN THE GAME

COMMON sense has prevailed with NSW re-entering the National Apprentices Series.

For the first time, NSW didn't bother to take part in the rookie rider series this year. The first three legs run in Victoria, Tasmania and Queensland didn't feature Team NSW.

Organisers told us on Wednesday the reason given by NSW was lack of sponsorship. We put in a call to Druitt Street on Thursday, and were told "we haven't decided not to send anybody''.

Then on Friday, organisers received word from Racing NSW it would now send a rider to the next heat in Perth on April 16.

PERRY FAMILY WOES

IT was a rough morning for the famous Perry family on Friday.

Paul Perry, Newcastle's third-favourite son after Andrew Johns and Allan "Robbo'' Robinson, rocked up to trackwork at 5am, but couldn't get out of his car. He had done his back, and needed to be lifted out of his vehicle and rushed to hospital. Son Nathan was already due for an operation that day to remove a floating bone in his back. Paul's other son Shannon held the family fort yesterday.

WEB OF QUESTIONS FOR WATT

STEWARDS have asked syndicator Dean Watt to appear at an inquiry on a date to be fixed. While it's understood there are no issues with Watt registering domain names, which is referred to as "cyber-squatting'', the stipes are interested to know why he allegedly operated a website in the name of one of his rivals.

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Magical Morris has Dragons flying

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CRONULLA captain Wade Graham believes St George sensation Brett Morris could be the best winger in the world after his spectacular try against the Sharks at Remondis Stadium on Saturday night.

While disappointed to have copped a 14-12 loss, Graham said he has enormous respect for Morris, who scored his 100th NRL try to propel the Dragons to their third straight victory.

Fox Sports screen shot of Brett Morris' magical try. Source: FoxSports

"He's definitely in the conversation," Graham admitted.

"He's hard to handle, he's fast, he gets them on a real roll on and a couple of times there our kicks were probably a metre too deep and he caught them in goal and the next minute he's up the field.

"He's definitely in the conversation."

Dejected Sharks players Jonathan Wright and Blake Ayshford. Source: Getty Images

A double from Morris has landed him just one try behind his father Steve, who scored 102 tries for the Dragons in the 1970s and 80s - it also extended their mortgage on the top of the NRL ladder, leaving the Sharks without a win this season.

Morris, who's 101st try was a spectacular mid-air number, was humble in the sheds after the win.

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"I don't know how I did it, I just caught it and hoped for the best," he said.

"You practice those things at training but that doesn't really happen too often."

Leading by just two points with four minutes on the clock, the Dragons remained scoreless in the second half but held onto stop a fast-finishing Sharks outfit desperate for their first win of the season.

Sharks were given every opportunity to snatch the win, but mistakes and dropped balled dashed their chances to end their three game drought.

Dragons Brett Morris flys through the air to score a try at the end of the first half. Source: News Corp Australia

Todd Carney had other plans for his celebrations though, directing the Sharks up the field with his token precision kicking game.

His influence kept the Dragons busy while hooker John Morris cleverly dummied and dove over the line to score in the 12th minute to snatch the lead 6-4.

Dragons halfback Sam Williams was a revelation with the boot, backing up a 40-20 midway through the first half with a pin-point bomb from 10 metres out to put winger Jason Nightingale over in the 28th minute.

With the Dragons leading 8-6, the Sharks upped the intensity too much as they gave away a penalty for stripping the ball in an aggressive tackle.

Ball in hands, the Dragons looked set to extend their lead before fullback Adam Quinlan dropped the pass while staring at a clear run to the line.

Sharks Todd Carney with the ball in the first half. Source: News Corp Australia

Morris's stunning try put the Dragons in the lead 14-6 at the break as Widdop nailed his first conversion for the night.

It was 30 minutes before the scoreboard was put to use in the second half, when John Morris scored his double with ten minutes to go and narrowed the deficit to two points.

But as time ticked away, the Dragons appeared too strong to let the Sharks steal the win. Any inspiration Carney could provide melted away in the second half, with Dragons forwards Leeson Ah Mau, Trent Merrin and Joel Thompson coming up with huge defensive plays that had the Sharks rattled within try-scoring territory.

Sharks Todd Carney contests a try with a ref. Source: News Corp Australia

The Dragons weren't without their errors though, with neither team looking to score until the final ten minutes.

Despite the Sharks brief comeback, the Dragons were too strong in defence and held on to win three tries to two.

"I thought we were better tonight but we need to be a lot better again," said Sharks coach Peter Sharpe.

"We need to work hard and improve."

Is Morris' try the 'try of the year'?

ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA 14 (B Morris 2 J Nightingale tries G Widdop goal) bt CRONULLA 12 (J Morris 2 tries M Gordon 2 goals) at Remondis Stadium. Referee: Adam Devcich, Henry Perenara. Crowd: 14,821.

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Reds won’t get loose against Lions

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THE Reds are under strict instructions not to be conned into a helter-skelter junk ball contest by a Lions outfit intent on another upset in Johannesburg.

Reds coach Richard Graham has harped on ball control and discipline as the big themes for picking up a valuable win early Sunday morning (Qld time).

The high scoring yet messy 43-33 win over the Cheetahs recently gifted so many chances to the South Africans they were just a try behind with eight minutes to play.

"That night turned into quite a jumbled contest with a lot of broken play and we definitely don't want to loosen up this game against the Lions," Graham warned.

The Lions scored two tries from charged down kicks against the Bulls in round three and have also turned turnovers into gold.

The rank 250-1 outsiders have upset the Cheetahs, Stormers and Blues with a "point to prove" since returning from relegation, warned Reds halfback Will Genia.

Clinical finishing, so lacking last weekend in Durban when three tries were fumbled away, can put the Lions away by 20 points if the Reds are sensible. Winger Rod Davies has made four clean breaks in two games so expect flyhalf Quade Cooper to again use him as a go-to weapon.

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The Reds scored one try against the Cheetahs and should have had another against the Sharks from Davies splitting the line off lineout moves.

Reds centre Mike Harris knows chances have to be better taken because he blew a certain try by dropping the ball with the tryline open last weekend.

"I couldn't have been more off myself for dropping it. We know we are better than that and have to take the chances we are creating," Harris said.

Reducing a competition-high 14.5 penalties per game is imperative or Lions superboot Marnitz Boshoff will keep feasting at 19 points per game.

Genia spent part of his midweek day-off at a coaching clinic for underprivileged black kids from the Orlando township in Soweto.

Marnitz Boshoff has been a pointscoring machine for the Lions. Source: Getty Images

"People come to Africa to go see lions, rhinos and elephants," Genia said."To get out and do something with those schoolkids and see the joy on their faces is something I'll remember for the rest of my life."

South African referee Stuart Berry will control the game despite SANZAR referees' boss Lyndon Bray saying he blundered when not ruling a knock-on in the Lions' decisive try against the Blues last weekend.

Pocket-sized Lions halfback Faf de Klerk is a nippy rival for Genia to be wary of sniping from behind rucks or big rolling mauls.

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Hawks snuff Kings’ playoff hopes

The Sydney Kings are out of the NBL playoff race. Source: Adam Ward / News Corp Australia

THE Sydney Kings' playoffs aspirations disappeared in quicksand on Friday night after conceding a 100-87 loss against the Wollongong Hawks at the Sandpit.

Rotnei Clarke was the man the Kings wanted to stop pre-game and he struggled in the first half, scoring four points at one from eight from the field.

But he got going in the second half, as Clarke and captain Oscar Forman had a fun night beyond the arc to so book a spot in the playoffs.

The result means that tonight's game at the Kingdome against the Townsville Crocodiles will be a dead-rubber and Sam Young's final appearance in an entertaining stint with the Kings.

A three-point basket from Clarke gave the Hawks an 11-point lead with less than seven minutes remaining in the contest, but the Kings put on a quick run to get them within five points midway through the final quarter.

But three-point baskets from Forman and Rotnei sealed the deal, pushing the margin back to double digits with three minutes to go.

Forman finished with 26 points after scoring 20 points in the opening half, while Clarke ended up with 24 points at 44 per cent after a red-hot second half.

Shooting from beyond the arc was a factor in the Hawks 13-pint win, nailing 19 out of their 35 three-point attempts.

Sam Young led the Kings scoring with 27 points, and Ben Madgen (17 points) and Tom Garlepp (16) were strong contributors.

It was a shoot-out between the captains as Wollongong's Forman and Sydney's Madgen scored 14 and 10 points respectively. With the scores tight throughout the quarter, Forman gave his Hawks valuable breathing space going in to quarter-time with consecutive three-point baskets to give the Hawks a 28-22 lead at the first change.

After only scoring two points in the first quarter, Young scored 11 points in the second quarter to help the Kings cut an eight-point margin to three, but a late basket from beyond the arc from Forman kept the margin at six points going in to half time.

Clarke finally snapped out of his cold spell with two three-point baskets and another three from Forman helping the Hawks break out to an 11-point lead midway through the third quarter. A strong recovery led by Sanders and a three-point basket from Cody Ellis got the Kings within five and James Harvey almost cut the margin to two points just before the buzzer to end the third quarter.

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Inglis KO’d in Tigers ambush

Greg Inglis is helped from the field after copping a high shot from Tim Simona. Source: Gregg Porteous / News Corp Australia

AFTER just five minutes Rabbitohs talisman Greg Inglis lay motionless on the turf as medicos checked his vital signs. It was a vital sign of the carnage to come.

Five players on report, three more off with concussion, two sin-binnings, a knee to the head, a sneaky leg twist and a forward battle with personal undertones.

This was the type of street fight synonymous with South Sydney's monsters, yet it was the NRL's most under-rated pack that landed all the telling blows.

Greg Inglis is looked at by the trainers after copping a head shot. Source: News Corp Australia

Routinely written-off for being too small and too soft, Wests Tigers forwards stood up and trounced their more vaunted rivals in a wickedly spiteful contest that saw Tim Simona, George Burgess, Bryson Goodwin, Robbie Farah and James Gavet all placed on report.

Simona also joined teammate Pat Richards and Inglis in the concussion ward, with South Sydney failing to register a point for 72 minutes after losing their superstar fullback. Inglis could not recover his senses after Simona crunched him high while he was juggling a bomb.

And neither could Souths. For the remaining 75 minutes they stumbled and bumbled in a collective concussion, failing to find touch with penalty kicks and spilling routine passes. To make matters worse, hooker Issac Luke departed the field just before full time with a serious shoulder injury.

The relentless aggression from their opponents deserves credit for inflicting such a rare malfunction upon Michael Maguire's machine. It translated to ill-discipline as the match wore on, with Tigers fullback James Tedesco repeatedly struck in the head.

Furious Wests players refused to accept the treatment, with Gavet kneeing Burgess in the head and twisting the leg of Luke. In the end the referees lost patience, marching Luke Burgess and Luke Brooks to the sin-bin in the final 10 minutes.

Tim Simona celebrates a try with David Nofoaluma. Source: News Corp Australia

Despite their youth, the Tigers did a remarkably better job of keeping their heads. Brooks and Tedesco were once again inspirational, combining for the match-winner in the 53rd minute, while Simona and Richards grabbed doubles.

After conceding a third minute try to Ben Lowe, the Tigers purred to life when Inglis left. By halftime they were roaring ahead 14-6, with the interval arriving as an unwanted circuit breaker to their momentum.

Three ties was a fair first half dividend for the home side. Two contentious video referee decisions went either way, while Keith Galloway will forever admonish himself after blowing a rare chance to open his team's account when he lost control of the ball over the line.

The Tigers didn't have to wait long to strike. In the 14th minute Bodene Thompson crossed from a Brooks short ball thrown amid traffic that Souths defenders claimed was obstruction.

They were ignored. So too, were any calls for the Rabbitohs to revert to the structured style of football that's transformed them into a premiership force since Maguire's arrival two years ago.

Adam Reynolds couldn't find his range with the boot, kicking too long, too regularly. Minus the thrust of Inglis on kick returns at the other end of the park, Souths were playing limited yardage and Wests enjoyed all the territory.

It told in the frantic period before halftime. Simona scored his first try in the 30th minute after a fortunate review, which found that Brooks had not knocked a Braith Anasta bomb forward in the lead-up. Four minutes later Tigers appeared to have a strong case for a penalty try when Lowe knocked Richards out as the Tigers winger crouched to score in the corner. Their pleas were ignored, but Simona could not be as he went back-to-back from a blindside rush three tackles after the resultant penalty.

Richards returned after halftime and scored within a minute. Tedesco's try from Brooks grubber sealed the upset, before Joel Reddy grabbed a consolation double against his old club in the final three minutes.

After giving up a try in the Rabbitohs' first set of six of the night, the Tigers upped the ante and blew their better credentialled opponents away for a convincing 25-16 victory.

James Tedesco makes a break in a sensational game for the fullback. Source: News Corp Australia

The Inglis hit was the turning point, and the man who ended the fullback's night finished the game among the most influential players on the field.

In just the fifth minute, Tim Simona chased an unusually high torpedo kick-off from the Tigers and as Inglis went to ground to field the kick, Simona came bombing through over the top, making head high contact with Inglis as he did.

Early in the second half, Simona got a taste of his own medicine and was forced to leave the field with a concussion of his own after copping an errant boot to the head from Sam Burgess.

But by that stage the lightning centre, who returned from injury for the first time this season, had already set his side well on its way with two tries and some crunching defence.

WESTS TIGERS 25 (T Simona 2 P Richards J Tedesco B Thompson tries P Richards 2 goals B Anasta field goal) bt SOUTH SYDNEY 16 (J Reddy 2 B Lowe tries A Reynolds 2 goals) at ANZ Stadium. Referee: Matt Cecchin, Alan Shortall. Crowd: 20,061.

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Carrusca genius gives Reds the edge

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MARCELO Carrusca's touch of genius delivered two crucial assists in a tense 3-1 win over Sydney FC at Coopers Stadium on Friday night.

Fabio Ferreira scored the opening goal in the 13th minute after a classical Carrusca through ball allowed the Portuguese to gather a full head of steam.

Sergio Cirio made it 2-0 nine minutes after the break with an opportunistic finish after a rebound from a Carrusca shot fell his way before slotting his eighth goal of the season.

But Carrusca did all the hard work when he latched onto a pass from Cam Watson after Alessandro Del Piero appeared to be fouled near Adelaide's penalty box.

Sydney's Matt Thompson, however, jangled Adelaide's nerve 16 minutes from time with a brilliant 15m finish to leave Reds skipper Eugene Galekovic stranded.

But when Sydney's five-star midfielder Terry Antonis started finding room in Adelaide's tiring midfield, a streaker in the 77th minute added some satire to seriousness of what was at stake for the clash before Bruce Djite sealed the tie with his signature move.

Antonis found an equaliser with a brilliant effort which sailed over the bar in the 81st minute before Adelaide's third goal on the counter attack.

Adelaide United's Marcelo Carrusca, left, celebrates a goal with Bruce Djite, Sergio Cirio and Fabio Ferreira in the match against Sydney FC. Picture: Daniel Kalisz.

But the entertaining clash started off with a Ferreira peach from Carrusca's inch-perfect pass.

Ferreira still had much to do after he outpaced Matt Jurman outside the box to jag his eighth goal of the season.

He rounded Sasa Ognenovski's outstretched leg before slotting the ball past Sydney gloveman Vedran Janjetovic.

But Adelaide had Sydney pegged in its own half save for the brilliance of Del Piero in the opening 45 minutes.

The Juve legend threatened to sway the game Sydney's way with neat swivels of the hips and step overs and visionary through balls but his teammates weren't reading the Italian legend.

Sydney, however, bounced back into contention after youngster Alex Urosevski, 20, picked up a yellow card for an overzealous challenge on Carrusca.

Sydney FC's Alessandro Del Piero, right, takes on Adelaide's Isaias. Picture: Sarah Reed.

With the Argentine writhing in pain on the ground the clash threatened to turn ugly when Ognenovski and Tarek Elrich were seemingly about to trade more than pleasantries.

The pair feuding sparked a mini melee before referee Kris Griffiths-Jones was allowed to gain control of the clash.

The passion of the two sides was likened to the early Adelaide and Sydney spiteful clashes in the first year of the A-League in 2005 where former boss John Kosmina relished beating the Sky Blues before claiming the maiden premier's plate.

Nine years on it was clear Adelaide had become rattled by the push and shove incident but Sydney couldn't force Galekovic into one making a save from a shot on target in the first half.

But Jon McKain leaving the pitch a minute before the break with a hip flexor problem made the tie even more interesting given Osama Malik was sidelined after picking up what club officials described as a "sore pubic area'' during Adelaide's training session at Coopers Stadium on Thursday.

Michael Marrone came off the bench to take the stopper's role as Adelaide opened up the second half chasing a second goal by earning a corner a minute after the break.

Del Piero's shift ended to a standing ovation in the 66th minute as Sydney coach Frank Farina looked for the fresher legs of Thompson in an effort to salvage a result as Ognenovski took the captain's armband from the Italian.

A-LEAGUE ROUND 23

Adelaide United 3 (Fabio Ferreira 13m, Sergio Cirio 54m, Bruce Djite 88m) Sydney FC 1 (Matt Thompson 75m) at Coopers Stadium.

Referee: Kris Griffiths-Jones. Crowd: 14,212.

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Mental demons Pocock’s biggest challenge

Pocock won't play Super Rugby again this season. Source: Daniel Wilkins / News Corp Australia

INJURED Wallabies star David Pocock faces the greatest mental challenge of his career as he contemplates a second rehabilitation from knee surgery, Springboks great Schalk Burger says.

Pocock underwent a second knee surgery earlier this month after the same ligament he had reconstructed last year snapped in what looked to be an innocuous incident against Western Force in round three.

The Brumbies recruit missed the entirety of last season and faces a similar scenario for 2014 as he begins the long road back to top level yet again.

Having spent much of the last two seasons on the sidelines himself Burger is better placed than most to comment on Pocock's troubles and while he has little doubt his breakdown rival can return to Test rugby, the Springboks star says it's the mental demons that represent the greatest challenge.

"It's the biggest challenge I think. Obviously there's a big physical element but mentally it's taxing," Burger told Rugby HQ on Thursday night.

"Obviously it takes a while to get back to the level you were and I think the danger I've got and he's got is that we've got to be compared to what we were before, before our injuries.

"For me coming back the toughest part is just being (ready) mentally one and secondly, physically, just getting back to the level you were at.

"The game's not waiting, the game's moving on. And for me to miss out on two years of rugby was a massive step. So it's taking me a long time to get back to the level where I'm at now and even now people are still 50-50 as to whether I'm back or not."

Burger has been in outstanding form since his return to the Stormers line-up. Source: AFP

Burger was at the peak of his powers when a knee injury ended his 2012 season. He then picked up a calf strain early in 2013 which was later found to be connected to a cyst near his spine.

He then contracted bacterial meningitis which resulted in him being treated in isolation and had some people fearing the worst.

Burger said his first goal was to return to full health, and then a return to action followed.

"There was a certain stage where I was seriously ill," Burger says. But for me it was just to get quality of life back – just for me to be normal Schalk, as a social person, as a father, as a family man.

"And then after that obviously I got better and better, and then I thought I'm young enough let's give rugby a go and here I am trying to get back into some form."

Burger believes Pocock has the work ethic to handle the physical side of his rehab and that he could come back a better player than ever before.

"It's a long road, you wish it on no rugby player," he said.

"It's something part and parcel of the game but you hope the luck is on your side and you don't go through it. So for me, you know it was touch and go going either way and it's a long road back.

"But I've been fortunate to play a few games now and I'm sure David's young enough and has got a great work ethic to come back and be a better player than he was before.

"But look it's not going to be easy."

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Same old Jimmy thrives in new role

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NEW role, same old Jimmy Bartel.

The 2007 Brownlow Medal winner has always been damaging as a part-time forward, but last night his years of midfield magic bore critical fruit in attack in Geeelong's 38-point win over Adelaide.

LIVE HQ: EVERY SUPERCOACH SCORE FROM THE MATCH

Bartel, celebrating his 250th AFL match, seemingly brought his own ball for 15 destructive minutes in the second quarter, powering Geelong from his new forward post.

While the Cats were forced to respond to a concerted Adelaide challenge early in the final term, it will be Bartel's genius that the majority of those who witnessed the match will cherish most.

Hamish McIntosh (R) and Jimmy Bartel of the Cats celebrate a goal. Source: Getty Images

That he kicked his career-best fourth late in the final-term was just the icing on an already sweet cake as Cats fans chanted "Jimmy" to honour their homegrown hero.

MATCH REPORT: SELWOOD, BARTEL IGNITE THE CATS

Bartel's second-term salvo featured three goals — one a mile in the clear after slipping Luke Brown with pure football nous, one after a rock-solid pack mark and one a dribbling, angled left-foot snap — to show all his tricks.

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And among a joyous night for the Cats and their fans, the only celebration to rival the love for Bartel was when almost forgotten big man Hamish McIntosh strolled into an open goal in the first term to boot a major in his first game for the club after missing all of 2013 injured.

ULTIMATE SUPERCOACH FORMGUIDE

Every player ran to McIntosh to spur on the former Roo who was obviously ecstatic to have contributed.

Crows forward Lewis Johnston was reported for rough conduct against Steve Johnson just into time-on in the second quarter.

Jimmy Bartel of the Cats marks the ball. Source: Getty Images

The Cat wasn't fazed by the high contact as he bent over to pick up a loose ball, even seeming to shake his head in disagreement when the umpire told him his opponent had been booked.

Josh Caddy suffered a severe cut when a stray boot from captain Joel Selwood clipped him across the face in the second term.

Caddy had seven stitches above his right eye during the long break and returned to notch 20 touches and a goal in an impressive showing.

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