Del Piero still has that aura

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Training ... Alessandro del Piero imparts his wisdom to some younger Sydney FC players. Source: Phil Hillyard / News Limited

Italian superstar Alessandro Del Piero looked anything but "just another soccer player'' when he arrived in Brisbane on Thursday afternoon intent on helping Sydney FC continue Brisbane Roar's A-League woes on Friday night.

Brisbane coach Rado Vidosic was not being disrespectful earlier when he said of Del Piero: "It's just another game and he is just another player. He is one of the 11 enemies.''

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Vidosic was speaking as a coach intent on winning a big game.

There wasn't quite the media scrum waiting at the airport for him as there was a few hours earlier when former world heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson was humbled by a cuddly Koala at his press conference.

But heads turned and people stopped in their tracks as the 38-year-old Italian World Cup hero strolled through the airport's baggage area before happily answering media questions.

How was the Sydney club handling the shock resignation of coach Ian Crook last weekend?

Did he know who might replace him and had he recommended anyone from Europe who might be interested in the job?

And more importantly, how were the hamstrings of the best overseas big-name player ever to compete in the A-League?

"The hamstrings are feeling better but not 100 per cent,'' said the man whose first appearance in Brisbane is tipped to pull more than 25,000 fans to Suncorp Stadium.

Del Piero said the eyes of Europe were on the Australian competition now that he was playing in the A-League.

"Coaches, I think players, watching, maybe something can change,'' he said.

"About Australia, the eyes of Italy are really open. That's why we have to win because they call me all the time and say 'what's up Ales'.

"I am joking, but it's true. Everybody is watching here with curious eyes and interesting eyes.''

All eyes will be fixed on De Piero on Friday night with Vidosic revealing his match tactics to stop him would be simple.

"Don't let him get the ball,'' said Vidosic.

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Ioane v Ashton: their debut clash

Threat ... Digby Ioane will have to be at his best to stop Chris Ashton (L), who loves scoring against Australia. Source: AAP

Chris Ashton's inclusion in the England team to face Australia sets up a promoter's dream clash between the rugby league convert and Wallabies winger Digby Ioane.

Two of rugby's most explosive and exciting wingers will face off for the first time in a Test match at Twickenham on Saturday (Sunday AEDT), despite being stalwarts of their respective sides and having amassed 57 caps between them.

Ashton was named on the right wing to mark Australia's left winger Ioane, who is returning from a knee injury.

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The 25-year-old Ashton has been something of a nemesis for the Australians with three tries in as many Tests and it's a clash Ioane is looking forward to.

"I've got a lot of respect for Chris Ashton because he's done a lot for England rugby,'' Ioane told AAP.

"But I see him as another stepping stone in my career. I love these challenges and coming up against Chris Ashton will be a challenge.''

Ashton's inclusion is the only change to coach Stuart Lancaster's side that beat Fiji 54-12 last week with the move seeing Charlie Sharples switching to the left wing in place of Ugo Monye.

Ashton, the former Wigan league player, missed the Fiji match due to suspension.

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Ashton scored his first Test try in England's 21-20 victory in Sydney in 2010 and crossed twice in a record 35-18 victory at Twickenham a year later.

The second of his tries, finished a counter-attack from their in-goal and is regarded as one of the best tries scored at Twickenham. Ashton iced the touch-down with his customary swan dive.

Ashton is England's most lethal attacking weapon with 15 tries in 26 Tests but hasn't scored for nine matches.

Ioane, who has 11 tries from 31 Tests, is playing his first match since early last month when he scored in Australia's 25-19 win over Argentina in Rosario.

The hulking winger's try against Argentina was the last time Australia have scored a try in a Test match after failing to do in their past two against New Zealand and France.

England: Alex Goode, Chris Ashton, Manu Tuilagi, Brad Barritt, Charlie Sharples, Toby Flood, Danny Care, Thomas Waldrom, Chris Robshaw (capt), Tom Johnson, Geoff Parling, Tom Palmer, Dan Cole, Tom Youngs, Joe Marler. Res: David Paice, David Wilson, Mako Vunipola, Joe Launchbury, Tom Wood, Ben Youngs, Owen Farrell, Mike Brown.

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See who comes out on top as the Wallabies take on England, live on Fox Sports 3HD at 1:30am EDT on Sunday.

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Sehwag puts India on top of England

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Drought is over ... Virender Sehwag clubbed a century. Source:AFP

Virender Sehwag's century laid the platform for India to reach 4-323 on the opening day of the Test series against England in Ahmedabad.

1st Test - Sardar Patel Stadium

15 November 2012 - Day 1, Session 3

India 1st Innings

C. Pujara	98	181	13	0	54.14
Y. Singh	24	47	2	0	51.06
J. Anderson	17	3	66	0	3.88

Sehwag hit a run-a-ball 117 and Cheteshwar Pujara finished on 98 not out as India seized the initiative after opting to bat first.

Graeme Swann took all four of the wickets to fall, removing Gautam Gambhir, Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar during the afternoon session to peg back the home side to 3-250.

Swann (4-85) added the scalp of Virat Kohli after tea on a pitch that was already showing signs of wear but Pujara and Yuvraj Singh stood firm for the remainder of the day in a fifth-wicket stand of 40.

Sehwag and opening partner Gambhir had put on 134 in 29.5 overs as England went wicketless in the morning. Sehwag brought up his half-century from 44 balls with James Anderson (0-66) and Tim Bresnan (0-56) - preferred to Monty Panesar in the starting XI - taking the most punishment.

Gambhir was bowled for 45 in the second over after lunch, Swann straightening one from round-the-wicket as the left-hander looked to play through the off-side but Sehwag continued to play his shots, bringing up his 23rd Test hundred by lofting his 16th boundary - 15 of them fours and one six.

His scoring rate slowed in the aftermath of his milestone but it was still a surprise when he misjudged a sweep against Swann and was bowled.

Tendulkar, playing in his 191st Test, received a rousing ovation on the way to the middle but his stay was a brief one, scoring 13 off 17 balls before holing out to Samit Patel at deep midwicket shortly before tea.

Kohli was dropped at slip by Jonathan Trott off Swann on four but had only advanced to 19 when he offered a crooked bat at a delivery from Swann that turned sharply to hit middle stump.

Pujara had no such problems, showing exemplary technique to combat the threat of England's bowlers for 181 balls and he was still there at the end, two short of a century, alongside Yuvraj (24no).

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Parramatta lead race for Folau

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New teammates? ... Israel Folau with Eels prop Tim Mannah. Source: Gregg Porteous / News Limited

Parramatta Eels are leading the race for Israel Folau's signature after the code-hopper walked out on AFL football.

The former NRL star, who has spent the past two years in the AFL with Greater Western Sydney, announced on Thursday he is quitting the Giants.

It is understood the Eels, a club now coached by Ricky Stuart, have been in talks with Folau and plan to conduct further discussions with the NRL over the prospect of signing the former Queensland and Australia back.

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However, at Thursday's press conference Folau refused to confirm he would be returning to league - and even left the door open for a switch to rugby union.

Folau will have to accept a cut in salary to rejoin the NRL after being on multi-million dollar deal in the AFL .  

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Parramatta chief executive Ken Edwards confirmed the club's interest in Folau.

"We would be very interested in talking to Israel," Edwards said.

"We think Israel would be a great fit."

Asked about the salary cap implications of signing Folau, Edwards said: "Salary cap in the first year would probably be an issue for us. It's something we need to work through with the NRL and discuss with the NRL. In terms of years after 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 would not be an issue for us."

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Mick can't save the Blues: Judd

Skipper for now ... Chris Judd looks at life under Mick. Source: Wayne Ludbey / News Limited

Carlton captain Chris Judd has warned teammates against expecting decorated coach Mick Malthouse to turn the AFL club around on his own.

Judd said he had long been a Malthouse admirer and expected the three-time premiership coach to have a quick impact.

But he cautioned that rebounding from a disappointing season would take club-wide improvement.

"It's really important that we don't view (Malthouse) as a panacea that's going to fix all our problems," Judd told reporters on Thursday.

"At the end of the day, there's 44 players on that list, there's a staff of 70 or 80 people and it's not up to Mick to come in and solve all the problems at our football club.

"It's up to everyone who's there to work out how they're going to improve on what they've done before, to be accountable and be a part of the solution."

Malthouse guided West Coast to premierships in 1992 and 1994 and Collingwood to the 2010 flag.

But Judd took more from Malthouse's transformation of the Magpies from a wooden-spoon side when he took over ahead of the 2000 season to grand finalists in 2002-03.

"As much as they didn't win a premiership, I think to get to two grand finals in a row with the list he had there, that's almost the most impressive feature of his coaching career," the Blues skipper said.

Judd is yet to meet Malthouse face-to-face since his appointment so his view of the veteran coach is based mainly on reputation.

He said that was of a coach who ruled from the top and expected players to toe the line.

"He probably doesn't go down the player empowerment model, which a lot of modern-day coaches do," Judd said.

The 29-year-old dual Brownlow Medallist is yet to announce whether he will stay as skipper and plans to consult with Malthouse at the Blues' pre-season camp in Arizona, which starts on November 9.

While coy on his plans, he understood the speculation.

"There comes a time in every player's career where it makes sense for him to move on, whether that's move on from the game or move on from a leadership role to open up opportunities for young people," Judd said.

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Thorpe has Games in his sights

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Revealing ... Ian Thorpe opens up to Fox Sports News on a wide range of issues. Source: Adam Knott / Supplied

Ian Thorpe has no immediate intention of retiring from swimming for a second time, instead targeting a place at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

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The five-time Olympic gold medallist sat down with Fox Sports News reporter Andrew McKinlay for an exclusive interview, following revelations of his battles with depression and alcoholism were detailed in the launch of his biography, This Is Me.

Despite failing to secure a place at the London Olympics, Thorpe said he has no regrets about his comeback to the pool.

"I wish my return went the other way and I qualified for London, but I found for myself the reason I love swimming. I had lost that," Thorpe said.

Thorpe confirmed he will target the 2013 World Championships and the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow the following year, provided his form and fitness is good enough.

"Everything is on a two-year plan for me these days. What I didn't like about London was that I was rushing to make it.

"I'm not going to do that this time. I'll do what I want to do and what I feel I can do."

He also opened up about his well-publicised battle with depression and suicidal thoughts, a topic he originally only wrote about for his own personal benefit and didn't plan to publish.

"It's a difficult subject for me to discuss," Thorpe said. 

"I am someone who has everything people dream of, but there was always something missing.

"When you get to a point when you rationalise the process of suicide, you can't sleep at all at night and when you feel it's actually a viable option, that's when you know you need more help.

"I experienced that. I hit rock bottom, then found another layer below that.

"It's not a chapter I wanted to publish, but I'm glad I have been able to. It's been a bit cathartic."

The 30-year-old also discussed his relationship with the media, his thoughts on American rival Michael Phelps, his second coming to swimming, failure to make the London Olympics and the constant innuendo over his sexuality.

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Bogut back with a bang in NBA

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Back on court ... Golden State Warriors center Andrew Bogut. Source: Paul Connors / News Limited

He only played three quarters but as his first basketball steps in nearly a year Australian superstar Andrew Bogut's 2012 NBA debut was a good one.

Now with Golden State Warriors, Bogut missed all eight of his new club's pre-season games and was a surprise elevation to the starting line-up for the Warriors' season opener against Phoenix Suns in Arizona.

But he poured in his team's opening points and finished the night with eight and six rebounds in his first competitive hit-out since injuring his ankle in January.

Bogut played 18 minutes all up in the thrilling 87-85 win and said he felt "great".

"It's been a long time coming for me; it's been nine months since I've played basketball competitively. I felt great,
body felt great," he said.

"Early on in the game it was kind of tough. Once I pushed through that and got my second wind I felt great.

"Obviously they limited my minutes tonight so I wasn't too happy about it but as long as we get the win."

Warriors coach Mark Jackson said he wouldn't rush Bogut, his No.1 centre, back in to big minutes.

"It's going to take time, but he certainly gives us a presence on both sides of the ball and makes us that much better," Jackson said of Bogut.

"We'll wait until the real Andrew Bogut shows up, and we'll take this one for now."

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Sharpe wins John Eales Medal

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Superb ... Sharpe is a deserved winner of the John Eales Medal. Source:News Limited

Australia's latest rugby captain Nathan Sharpe has continued his incredible swansong season by winning the John Eales Medal, the Wallabies Players' Player award, on Thursday evening.

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Sharpe, who twice during the year postponed his international retirement, polled 259 votes from his peers over the course of the Wallabies' last 19 Test matches stretching back to the 2011 World Cup.

Openside flanker David Pocock (235), led the field by a massive 93 points following Australia's Rugby World Cup campaign, but missed their last six matches of the 2012 campaign due to a knee injury.

Western Force lock Sharpe, who also won the medal in 2007, ensured a forward took out the prestigious prize for the ninth time in 11 years.

He assumed captaincy duties of the Wallabies after three leaders, James Horwill, halfback Will Genia and Pocock, all suffered injuries during the course of the campaign.

"It was very hard to lose the three previous captains in one hit," Sharpe said.

"I've just enjoyed it for what it is.

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"You know when it's coming to the end - roughly at least."

Sharpe, 34, also won the inaugural Spirit of Rugby award and the Australia's Choice title.

In the course of 2012, Sharpe also became the most-capped lock in Test history, surpassing South Africa's Victor Matfield and has amassed 112 Test appearances heading into his final four-match tour with the Wallabies in Europe.

He is only the second man behind openside flanker George Smith to win the medal twice and also eclipsed the former Brumbies backrower's previous record tally of the most Test appearances by an Australia forward.

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Outstanding Test rookie Michael Hooper, who finished third in the medal voting on 171, picked up the Rookie of the Year title.

New Zealand-born Steve Walsh was named Referee of the Year while former touch football star Emily Cherry took out the Women's Player of the Year.

Former Australian Rugby Union chairman Dick McGruther was the latest recipient of the Joe French Award, which acknowledges high-profile individuals who have made a significant contribution to Australian rugby.

Captain Ed Jenkins took out the Sevens Player of the Year.

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Kennett calls for tough tanking penalty

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Throw the book at them ... Jeff Kennett wants the Dees done for tanking. Source: Chris Scott / News Limited

Former Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett believes Melbourne Demons deserve a penalty severe enough to send them into the AFL wilderness for the next decade if tanking claims are proven.

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And he says the Demons board should resign even if they claim to have no knowledge of the club's alleged tanking in 2009.

While the AFL investigation is still ongoing, Kennett said he had seen and heard enough to believe the Demons were guilty.

And he took a starkly different view to others such as former Melbourne president Paul Gardner and former Carlton president Ian Collins, who have suggested that if tanking occurred individuals should be punished rather than the club.

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Kennett said that would not be satisfactory as if individuals were punished, a club could keep changing their office-holders and never suffer the consequences of their actions.

He said it would be sad to see a club with Melbourne's tradition sent further into the doldrums by heavy sanctions, but the AFL had no realistic alternative if the Demons were guilty of deliberately losing matches for draft picks.

He said severe penalties should also be applied to Adelaide Crows if they were found guilty of draft-tampering in their dealings with Kurt Tippett.

"The AFL, if both these clubs' cases are proved to be correct, are going to have to sanction the clubs severely," Kennett told Melbourne's 3AW radio on Thursday.

"For all those Melbourne supporters out there, it is probably going to condemn Melbourne to the back blocks of the AFL for perhaps another decade and that is a tragedy given the brand that Melbourne is.

"I think the board, if (the allegations) are proved to be correct, will have to resign, they should resign.

"They will argue they knew nothing about it but the buck stops with them."

The Demons returned to pre-season training this week and star forward Mitch Clark said the off-field dramas were not affecting the players.

"We're here for the pre-season and that stuff will take care of itself," Clark said.

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Crows may have breached cap

Adelaide Crows ... winning games, not convincing everybody. Source: Simon Cross / News Limited

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Adelaide Crows' no-longer secret "exit clause" with forward Kurt Tippett may be the least of their problems as the AFL investigation turns to allegations of undisclosed third-party payments.

If proven, these claims - that relate to Tippett and his brother Joel who plays with SANFL club West Adelaide - could subject the Crows to heavy sanctions for salary cap breaches.

AFL salary cap investigator Ken Wood has taken to investigating how the Crows may have paid Joel Tippett to move from Gold Coast to Adelaide to ease Kurt's unease.

Adelaide chief executive Steven Trigg on Friday handed to the AFL a letter of agreement reached outside the Crows' contract dealings with Tippett in 2009.

That letter has at least three clauses - the exit demand to trade Tippett to any AFL club of his choice when he chose to leave Adelaide and two deals that could breach the AFL salary cap rules.

Adelaide face harsher penalties for the alleged third-party arrangements than the exit clause written in the 2009 letter between Crows football operations chief John Reid and Tippett's Brisbane-based manager Peter Blucher.

If Wood and AFL integrity officer Brett Clothier find the Crows should have detailed the third-party deals in Tippett's contract, Adelaide will be subject to penalties ranging from fines to losing draft picks.

Trigg's decision to hand the document to the AFL on Friday appears to have been triggered, in part, by rivals Gold Coast Suns becoming aware of Tippett's letter of arrangement with the Crows and seeking AFL scrutiny of the 2009 document.

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Also, Wood had taken interest - before Trigg's declaration - in an interview in The Advertiser earlier this month when Crows chairman Rob Chapman spoke of Joel's move to Adelaide.

Earlier, Crows chairman Rob Chapman insisted the club had nothing to hide after initiating an AFL probe into Tippett's out-of-contract terms at West Lakes.

Chapman also has opened the Adelaide player files to AFL investigator Ken Wood as the special letter between Tippett and the Crows from 2009 brings into question how the club has signed up their squad.

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"We have nothing to hide - and we have opened all the books to the AFL without condition," Chapman said.

"I can give a gold-plated commitment the AFL will find nothing."

Chapman defended his club's officials who allowed Tippett to have a letter detailing the terms by which he was to be traded from Adelaide if he chose to leave the Crows at the end of his three-year contract - as he has asked with a trade to Sydney Swans.

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"Our intent was never to break any rules," Chapman said.

"And we have a history of compliance, no record of any misdemeanours, but if we have now got this wrong, we need to know before the trade is done and we will have to abide by any penalty."

The AFL investigation now puts in question if Tippett can be traded before Friday's 2pm (EDT) deadline - and what happens to his football career if he is suspended for breaching league rules.

Adelaide are understood to have agreed after closing contract talks with Tippett in 2009 to release him at a "minimal cost", supposedly a second-round draft pick.

"Remember three years ago everyone in this state wanted our club to re-sign Kurt Tippett," said Chapman.

"At that time, our people negotiating the deal believed what they were doing was right."

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