SPORT llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll ntnews.com.au Serb pair out of Hopman Cup Evans targets Giro d’Italia Reservations over Redskins THE Hopman Cup has missed out on Novak Djokovic FORMER Territorian and 2011 Tour de France BATTLE lines have been drawn over the name of and Ana Ivanovic for the mixed teams tournament in champion Cadel Evans says he is unlikely to compete Washington’s beloved American football team, after Perth. The event starting on December 28 will be at the 2014 edition of the race as he concentrates on President Barack Obama indicated he’d favour without last year’s Serbian runners-up and includes targeting a win in the Giro d’Italia. Evans, 36, who something less racially charged than Redskins. The only three players ranked in the world top 10. was among the Tour de France’s oldest champions, casino-rich Oneida tribe in New York state is However, organisers remain confident the field for produced an impressive performance in this year’s spearheading a campaign to get the NFL franchise to 2014 will be the most complete and even in the Giro d’Italia. He came to the cycling world’s attention rebrand itself. Dan Snyder, the marketing mogul who 26-year history of the event. Djokovic and Ivanovic in 2002 when he almost won the Giro d’Italia on bought the Redskins in 1999, has insisted that he will have teamed up three timesfor the Hopman Cup. debut, and admits he has unfinished business there. never change the name. Silent Knight ready to roar against Kiwis

RUGBY UNION Marlor, who is the Territ- By DAMIEN McCARTNEY ory’s only representative in the game, has just 40 per cent HIGH hopes will rest on the hearing capacity. shoulders of a Territorian in Marlor was injured during one of the most hotly con- his 2005 appearance — which tested international rugby ga- the Knights lost in New Zea- PUB: mes of the year. land — and spent more than a Darwin’s Nicholas Marlor year out of the game. will line up in the front row ‘‘I didn’t really play much

TNEWS NT for the Australian Silent after that — I was busy with Knights against the New Zea- work and stuff, but I got back land Deaf Blacks in the Coch- into it and I’ve been having lear Plate rugby match in fun,’’ he said. Canberra on Sunday. ‘‘They phoned me a couple The Cochlear Plate is of times while I wasn’t playing exclusively for the deaf and and asked me if I wanted to

DATE: severely hearing-impaired. play, but I had to keep saying This will be the second time no. It felt great to be able to Marlor, 29, has played for the say I could. Silent Knights — having ‘‘Some of the guys in the

9-OCT-2013 participated in the 2005 team this time were in the edition of the match. 2005 team, and I know a few Marlor, who plays for the others through deaf rugby in Darwin Dragons B-grade the past, so I’ll know a few of team in the NTRU, said play- the players, but we have a ing for his country was a three-day training program in great honour. the days leading up to the ‘‘This game is like the game and we will have to

PAGE: — but better,’’ bond then.’’ he said. Deaf rugby is played to full ‘‘We’ll be favourites with IRB rules and referees control the home-ground advantage, the game with a whistle —

46 so I think we will have better aided by eye contact and chances to control the tempo.’’ hand signals. Nicholas Marlor will represent the Australian Silent Knights against New Zealand this weekend Picture: DANIEL HARTLEY-ALLEN COLOR: C

M Turner set to spark Reds Y Cooper in a Test- old knows he’ll have a tough with his skill set — he’s a big past four Tests and Graham K By JIM MORTON laden backline job to earn and keep his Reds’ man, he’s tall, he’s quick and s