Revealed: Top 10 players of 2013

Andrew Fifita of Cronulla. Source: AAP

ANDREW Fifita kept thinking it couldn't possibly get any better.

But it did.

Fifita initially nailed down a spot in Cronulla's NRL squad this year — a goal that he desperately wanted to achieve.

He kicked on from there. 

Next was State of Origin for NSW, then the semi-finals, a World Cup, a place in the Test side and now the final triumph — being ranked among the top six players in rugby league.

Fox Sports Stats painstakingly compiled a list of rugby league's top 10 players for this season. 

They call it a Performance Stats Index (PSI), a mechanism in which players are rated on detailed performance statistics.

Players are given a weighting for a score out of 100.

And there was Fifita ranked at number six by posting 74.53 points. He made more runs (436) and metres (3767) than any other player this year.

"He exceeded his wildest expectations, and our expectations," Sharks coach Shane Flanagan said. 

"We knew he was a first grader and possibly a rep player but not all in one year.

"It has been an amazing rise. But Andrew hasn't reached his potential by any means. He will only get stronger. 

"I think he will also learn the game more and understand the game and his body."

Other key points include: 

FIVE of the top seven players in the top 10 are Queenslanders.

ONE New Zealander is there, Sonny Bill Williams (number nine). 

AT 31, Manly veteran Jamie Lyon continues to shine (number eight).

MELBOURNE and World Cup star Billy Slater has slipped from the top 10.

STORM stars Cam Smith and Cooper Cronk took the first two positions.

Maroons Smith, Cronk, Johnathan Thurston, Daly Cherry-Evans, Corey Parker and Greg Inglis are all in the top 10.

But there can only be one winner and it was Smith, who polled 76.78 points.

Only one per cent of players this season posted a score of 90 or more in a single match.

The best individual score in a match came from Thurston in round 22 of the competition against Penrith when he posted 96.8 points through five try assists, three line-break assists, one line- break, six goals from six attempts, 14 tackles and 10 kicks for 266 metres.

KEY STATS: 

1. Cameron Smith, Hooker, PSI 76.78. Averaged 40.2 tackles per game as well as assisting 10 tries and forcing 10 drop outs in 2013.

2. Cooper Cronk, Halfback, PSI 76.22. Finished the season with a competition high 30 try assists.

3. Johnathan Thurston, Five-Eighth, PSI 76.17. Forced the most drop outs in 2013 with 31 and also finished the year with 25 try assists and 23 linebreak assists.

4. Corey Parker, Lock, PSI 75.89. Had his best season in 2013 and finished it by making the most offloads (68) as well as averaging 148 metres and 39.9 tackles per game. 

5. James Maloney, Five-Eighth, PSI 74.66. Made 18 linebreaks in 2013, more than any other half and also assisted 26 tries. 

6. Andrew Fifita, Prop, PSI 74.53. Made more runs (436) and metres (3767) metres than any other player in 2013 despite averaging just 52 minutes per game.

7. Daly Cherry-Evans, Halfback, PSI 74.00. Had a great 2013 finishing with career high numbers in linebreaks (12), linebreak assists (16) and try assists (21).

8. Jamie Lyon, Centre, PSI 73.60. Scored 16 tries in 2013, his best tally in a single season, to go along with his 10 linebreaks and 12 linebreaks assists. 

9. Sonny Bill Williams, Second Row, PSI 73.25. Had a great return to rugby league, finishing the season with 16 linebreak assists, 13 linebreaks and averaging 109 metres per game. 

10. Greg Inglis, Fullback, PSI 72.78. Busted 121 tackles in just 20 matches, the most of any player. 

- Fox Sports Stats 2013

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Laver honoured

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AT 75, Rod Laver is officially back in business doing what he can to help Australian tennis.

The greatest player ever _ in the opinion of many who are qualified to make such a lofty call, including Roger Federer _ was appointed the Australian Open's first global ambassador yesterday.

Yes, such a title is not so much a job description as a mark of respect and gratitude for all that he has already done over a long lifetime in the game _ a "mere formality", Tennis Australia president Steve Healy said.

But Healy said there was a reason for doing it. "The qualities Rod Laver personifies _ excellence, fair play, spirit, fun, and most outstandingly humility _ are the very qualities the Australian Open strives to emulate." By that, read Australian tennis full stop.

This was happening at _ naturally _ Rod Laver Arena where his autobiography, Rod Laver _ A Memoir, was formally launched even though it is already in its second print run, testimony to the enduring popularity of the Rockhampton Rocket even though he hasn't lived in Australia for decades.

Laver may not _ quite _ qualify as Australia's greatest-ever sportsman, a status unlikely to be lost by legendary cricketer Sir Donald Bradman any time soon, but it is doubtful anyone else has managed to so completely combine stupendous achievement with such a liberal supply of the bloody-good-bloke factor.

To some extent that is a compliment to tennis itself, or at least the way it used to be. As happy as he is entitled to be about his two Grand Slams and countless other glories, Laver says he is even prouder that he can still, 40 years later, count his opponents as his best mates.

"It's a sport of friendships _ you fought hard on the court and whoever won had to buy the beer," he said.

"You did it just because you enjoyed it and you wanted to play for your country."

That's not to suggest he is not also happy to have played a major role in making the sport fully professional. He is, very much so. But that wasn't what TA was honouring. It was his attitudes and examples.

With that in mind, he was asked to critique the Australian team's problem prodigy Bernard Tomic, who was reported yesterday to have retired midway through an important match with a headache the day after his 21st birthday.

Laver sympathises with him, but only up to a point.

vI thought he played some great tennis at Wimbledon this year. He's very, very capable. But he has a different game and that's why some people feel he's not playing up to his best standard," he said.

"That's the way he plays so people shouldn't get too critical if he plays a drop shot and misses. Some things don't pan out but he's putting opponents off with the way he plays so I hope he doesn't give that up."

But Laver also worries about the negatives. "I know there have been some down times that when he looks back in five or 10 years time he may be disappointed with himself," he said.

In his day, he said, if you didn't behave properly legendary Davis Cup captain Harry Hopman wouldn't have a bar of you and senior players such as Neale Fraser, Frank Sedgman and Ken McGregor would say "that attitude is not what we want in tennis and you're representing all of us on court, so heave to."

Here's hoping someone buys young Bernie a copy of the book for Christmas.
 

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Ange with one last score to settle

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YET to taste a win over Brisbane Roar since deserting them last year, Ange Postecoglou has one last chance to inflict defeat on the club he coached to back-to-back A-League championships.

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The new Australian coach ends his tenure at Melbourne Victory Friday night at Etihad Stadium, and fittingly it's against the Roar, where he forged the reputation that resulted in him being this week named the new Socceroos boss.

Despite his standing, Postecoglou has been unable to get the better of the Roar since defecting to the Victory in April last year.

The Roar and the Victory have met four times since then, including a recent trial, with Brisbane winning two of the matches and the other two finishing in draws.

Of the four matches, Brisbane fans will most fondly remember the 5-0 thrashing the Victory copped at Suncorp Stadium last October.

The Roar could do no wrong that night against a woeful Victory, with Postecoglou having been angered before the match with suggestions his former assistant Rado Vidosic had been the brains behind Brisbane's successive title wins.

"There was already plenty of spice surrounding that match," Brisbane skipper Matt Smith said Thursday.

"None of us wanted him to leave us. But that was 18 months ago and we've definitely moved on."

Smith said regardless of Postecoglou's involvement, the Roar always lifted when they played the Victory, the club regarded as the A-League's biggest.

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Host Adam Peacock is joined this week by Simon Hill and Brenton Speed in the studio, and on the phone by Daniel Garb from London.

There's no shortage of fodder for the gang to discuss - from the incoming Socceroos' coach, to all things A-League, EPL and El Clasico - and none of our pundits are short of an opinion.

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However, the central defender said he would like nothing more than to end Postecoglou's Victory reign with defeat Friday night.

"There's nothing more sure of us wanting to beat the Victory, and there's nothing more sure that Ange would finally like to beat us, particularly as it's his last game before the takes charge of the Socceroos," Smith said.

Both teams are unbeaten this season going into Friday night's clash, but the Roar are far healthier with two wins from as many matches and the Victory having to settle for draws in the opening two weeks of the season.

Brisbane coach Mike Mulvey couldn't resist having a dig at the Melbourne club, particularly at the way the Victory and Postecoglou celebrated their 2-2 draw with Adelaide United last Friday night.

"I'll tell you why it's big for them - they haven't got a win on the board yet," said Mulvey in dismissing the significance of Friday night being Postecoglou's last game in charge of the Victory.

"They've played two games and they've drawn two games. There were scenes of delirium last week when they got one point."

Mulvey said he was shocked that Postecoglou would be in charge of the Victory tonight after being officially appointed Socceroos coach on Wednesday.

"I'm quite amazed that he's actually coaching this game against us, because I thought he's already got another job," Mulvey said ahead of the clash at Etihad Stadium.

"If you're holding one job, I find it difficult to understand that you can do two jobs at once.

"From outside it appears there's a degree of uncertainly (at the Victory) at the moment.

"(But) as far as Melbourne Victory is concerned, it doesn't bother me in the least because I've got a job to do here."

Mulvey said Friday night's clash was "just another game" and claimed he and his players had divorced themselves from any of the hype surrounding Postecoglou.

"They (the Roar players) also recognise that the past is the past, and you've got to go and write history, you don't go and read about it," he said.

"I don't really care about the opposition."

Brazilian speedster Henrique, who scored after coming on as a substitute in last Saturday's 4-0 thrashing of Sydney FC, is set to start in the absence of injured striker Besart Berisha.  

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'Like the Mafia days'

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IT'S all fun until someone mentions the mafia.

Which is why, today, the joke is on us. Why after who knows how many rorts, routs and rubes disguised as $49.99 Main Event entertainment, Australian boxing has finally been outed internationally as an embarrassment.

Worse, the insult comes from a legend.

Roughly 48 hours after walking out on his fight with Anthony Mundine, US great Shane Mosley has not only taken aim at the entire ordeal involving an unpaid $700,000, but the wider Aussie fight game - which he describes as "underground", "messed up" and "like the mafia days".

Insisting promoter Vlad Warton failed to meet contract deadlines, Mosley also told boxing website Fight Hype how he feared the bout was rigged after learning Aussie great Jeff Fenech and Team Mundine were providing the cash required to keep him.

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And while some of his message is misguided - like stating the Sydney bout was to be judged "by Aborigines" - it's obvious Mosley still saw, and heard, enough during his stay to ensure promoters will now need double to bring genuine global stars back.

Take it away Sugar: "It seems like (Australia), they're still behind the times with their boxing ... like the mafia days.

"I'm hearing that people watch the judges; they're sitting behind them while they mark their scores and shit. It's like anything goes.

"Everyone was like 'Oh yeah, you gotta watch this; you gotta do that'. I'm like damn, it's that bad? I gotta knock him out and they don't got my money?".

Continuing on, Mosley said Australian boxing was at the mercy of "bootleg" judges, referees, illegal gambling and weak officialdom.

Sadly, the attack comes at a time when no less than five of our top fighters - Vic Darchinyan, Garth Wood, Michael Katsidis, Sakio Bika and Billy Dib - are preparing for genuine battles worthy of three and four gloves on The Daily Telegraph rating scale.

But we had to know it was coming, right? After being sold too many lies, for too many years, only 1500 sports fans had bought tickets for this bout. Around 1000 pre-ordering with Main Event.

Elsewhere, Mosley also denied knowing Fenech had provided his initial $300,000, saying he thought he was merely "betting" on the fight. "It was crazy," Mosley said. "Jeff threw some money up, then you have this other guy going to pay $200,000 ... it was a whole bunch of underground bull. The end result was not going to be good."

Of that there's no doubt, Sugar.

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Beware the GC walls

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RED Bull Racing star Craig Lowndes has warned "carnage" – the type caused by giant concrete walls – is likely to decide the 2013 V8 Supercar Championship.

As practice for the Gold Coast 600 gets underway today, Lowndes has told The Daily Telegraph he expects the notorious holiday strip to help decide a title race where only 181 points separates the top four drivers.

Currently, fellow Red Bull racer Jamie Whincup leads the championship with Lowndes and Ford Performance Racing duo Mark Winterbottom and Will Davidson right in the mix.

"Coming to the Gold Coast, you always know this is the one track where mistaking a mistake costs you – big," Lowndes said. "Everyone saw the amount of carnage up here last year, it was tough. And there's nothing to suggest it won't be happening again.

"Right now, I'm very mindful of the championship. All the top drivers are. You want to win this race but at the same time there's just no room for error. With those concrete walls going right around the track, it makes things incredibly difficult." Exactly 12 months ago, the Gold Coast track resembled a smash-up derby after not one, but two start line incidents on Saturday wreaked havoc.

In the first, American driver Ricky Taylor launched off another car and rolled along the pit wall, with his ride eventually coming to rest on its roof. All up, six V8s did not make the grid of the restarted race due to damage from the first two attempts.

Asked if the notoriously tough Gold Coast track, complete with its famous triple chicane, could determine the outcome of this year's series Lowndes continued: "Oh, for sure.

"Winning the series now is all about taking risks, calculated risks. So you want to push the car as hard as you can up here.

"But if you cross that line ... you're into a wall and the race, as well as the championship, is over. Any mistake up here can prove so costly mistake." Whincup leads the V8 supercar Championship on 2423 points. Lowndes is next, on 2309 points, followed by reigning Bathurst 1000 champion Winterbottom (2281) and FBR stablemate Davidson (2242).

Asked about Whincup's claim that he couldn't really call his advantage a lead, Lowndes smiled and said: "Any time you're ahead in a series as tough as this one you'll take it ... it makes more a fantastic weekend of races."

Elsewhere, this weekend's Gold Coast 600 will also decide the inaugural Pirtek Enduro Cup, with no less than 12 combinations still in with a mathematical chance of securing the new gong.

Whincup and Paul Dumbrell lead the Championship-within-a-Championship and, having won three of the last six Gold Coast races, the Holden driver starts as short-priced favourite to lift the Cup.

Practice begins this morning, with two 300km races taking place Saturday and Sunday.

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Ennis the menace

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SYDNEY Kings coach Shane Heal says it will take team defence, not a solo effort, to contain Wildcats star import James Ennis when they host Perth at the Entertainment Centre on Sunday.

Traded by NBA champions the Miami Heat, Ennis has drawn comparisons to some of the NBL's most athletic stars after some eye-catching dunks in his opening matches.

The 23-year-old was the difference between the teams when the Kings were overrun by the Wildcats in the closing minutes of last Friday night's clash in Perth (81-69).

"He's one of the most talented players to come to the country in the last 10 years," Heal told the Daily Telegraph.

"Fans will want to come and watch him.

"As far as talent goes, he was drafted in the second round (NBA draft), he's young and athletic and he's a great scorer.

"He needs to prove himself over a season before we start drawing any comparisons to other players, specifically."

Ennis led all scorers with 27 points, including a perfect nine from nine from the foul line in last week's win over the Kings.

But Heal and his players have gone to school on the American and will come up with something different defensively.

"We won't play him the way we played him last Friday night we will make adjustments," Heal said.

"We will certainly put enough pressure on him to see if he can handle the adjustments.

While the margin was comfortable for Perth in the end the Kings have drawn confidence from the fact they were able to go with the championship favourites deep into the match.

"We believe we can beat Perth," Heal said.

"In a tough environment we were 62-62 with four and half minutes to go and then we broke down in certain areas.

"We take confidence out of that game more than anything else."

An upset win against the Wildcats who are coming off a busy schedule having played the Breakers in New Zealand last night would be a massive result for Heal's men, who are sure to finish the season stronger than they started.

"If we could beat a team like Perth at home in a tough first three games then I think it gives us even more confidence to know we're on the right track and can beat anyone in the league," Heal said.

"I feel like there's a whole lot of upside and I don't think our guys should play with a whole lot of pressure because anyone outside our team thinks we aren't going to win anyway.

"We should feel really loose, we should feel really confident and we'll play aggressive to be able to get the win.

"We will be a lot better in the second half of the year than the first just because of our injury problems and Cody Ellis coming in."

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