SPORT Injury-hit Titans Round 14 GOLD COAST 28 (K Gordon 2 L Bailey M Minichiello S Tagataese tries S Prince 4 goals) bt MANLY 14 (M Ballin B Farrar tries S Rodney 3 goals) at Skilled Park. Referee: Gavin Badger, Ben Cummins. Crowd: 17,508. NORTH QUEENSLAND 16 (M Morgan 2 tries J Williams 4 goals) bt CANBERRA 8 (J McCrone D Vidot tries) at Dairy Farmers Stadium. Referee: Matt Cecchin, Gerard Sutton. Crowd: 12,058. NZ WARRIORS 32 (M Vatuvei 2 J Latimore J still end on a high Maloney J Moon tries J Maloney 6 goals) bt NEWCASTLE 24 (M Hilder J Sau Z Taia A Uate tries W Naiqama 4 goals) at EnergyAustralia Stadium. By GREGOR MACTAGGART ‘‘We’re disappointed about not opinion before he got hurt,’’ an hour to salvage a win out of Referee: Tony De Las Heras, Steve Lyons. Crowd: TERRITORY Titans ended their winning the competition, but I Mikaelian said. the campaign. 10,535. thought we competed in every BRISBANE 50 (B Te’o 3 M Gillett 2 J Hoffman 2 J Australian Affiliated States Other players that will come ‘‘For the first 20 minutes we Yow Yeh 2 tries C Parker 7 goals) bt SOUTH game and earned a bit of respect- Rugby League Championship back home bruised and played ordinary footy, but after SYDNEY 22 (N Merritt 2 C Best B Lowe tries C ability back in the NT jumper.’’ battered include Jesse Maclean that the boys aimed up and ran the Sandow 3 goals) at Suncorp Stadium. Referee: campaign with a final day win Jared Maxwell, Brett Suttor. Crowd: 30,311. The Titans were hurt by a (ribs), who also didn’t suit up game out well,’’ he said. BYE: St George Illawarra, Penrith, Wests Tigers, in Adelaide yesterday. lengthy injury toll going into the yesterday, Steve Stamp (shoulder), ‘‘We finished the game stronger Parramatta, Cronulla, Bulldogs. The Titans outgunned hosts SA clash, with the most serious Lee Wallace (ankle) and Brian than SA which was a good sign Ladder South Australia 30-12 at surrounding centre Peter Hassall, Firth (hamstring). because the previous two games Hindmarsh Stadium to end the who will spend at least the Considering the long injury toll that had happened to us.’’ Team P W L B F A PD Pts three-day carnival in third place. DRAGONS 1310 3 1 291 143 148 22 next week in Adelaide after under- and team reshuffle, the Titans Second-rower Trent DeWith and PANTHERS 12 8 4 2 331 246 85 20 Titans coach Merg Mikaelian going surgery on a broken eye- fought hard to lead 8-6 at half-time tireless prop Jarrod Sultana were TIGERS 12 7 5 2 271 252 19 18 described the success as important. socket/cheekbone. and put the foot down in the the standout performers for the TITANS 13 8 5 1 285 289 -4 18 ‘‘It’s certainly a step in the right ‘‘It was horrible luck for Peter second-half. Titans, with halfback Chuck RABBITOHS 13 7 6 1 350 277 73 16 SEA EAGLES 13 7 6 1 282 237 45 16 direction for us,’’ Mikaelian told because he was the standout The Titans crossed for three Norris impressing in both attack BRONCOS 13 7 6 1 322 287 35 16 the Northern Territory News. centre in the tournament in my tries in the final quarter of and defence. EELS 12 6 6 2 195 206 -11 16 PUB: ● ROOSTERS12 6 6 1 259 302 -43 14 WARRIORS 13 6 7 1 274 329 -55 14 RAIDERS 12 5 7 2 205 270 -62 14 SHARKS 12 4 8 2 181 292 -111 12 NT NEWS Broncos BULLDOGS 12 3 9 2 238 268 -30 10 KNIGHTS 13 4 9 1 268 339 -71 10 COWBOYS 13 4 9 1 234 320 -86 10 ●■ STORM 12 8 4 1 237 166 71 0 give Lang ■ Melbourne Storm deducted all points for the season after breaching salary cap. ● To play tonight Round 15 — Friday night: Broncos v Panthers at Suncorp Stadium, Bulldogs v Titans at Suncorp Stadium, DATE: a lesson Saturday: Storm v Cowboys at AAMI Park, Sea Eagles v Rabbitohs at Brookvale Oval, Sunday: Sharks v Dragons BRISBANE: A funny thing hap- at Toyota Stadium, Wests Tigers v Raiders at Leichhardt pened when South Sydney coach Oval, Monday: Knights v Eels at EnergyAustralia Stadium, John Lang sat down to look at the Byes: Roosters, Warriors. 14-JUN-2010 Broncos’ line-up for yesterday’s NRL clash at Suncorp Stadium — he didn’t know many of them. But it will be safe to say the Rabbitohs mentor has committed Adam Blair to a few more names to memory after Brisbane savaged his side 50-22 — especially Jharal Yow Yeh. stand in as After spending the week in PAGE: Origin camp as Queensland’s 18th man, the flying winger proved as Storm leader hard to stop as his name is to pronounce in a two-try display MELBOURNE Storm couldn’t ask for 46 that sealed Brisbane’s fifth a better stand-in leader than Adam Blair straight win. when it sends out one of its youngest COLOR: Yet it wasn’t quite enough for ever line-ups against the Sydney Broncos’ coach Ivan Henjak Roosters tonight. to backflip on his recent assess- The oldest of eight children, Blair, 24, is ment that Yow Yeh wasn’t ready well equipped to focus the attention of for Origin. what should be an excited and nervous ‘‘I thought he was a lot better playing group as well as harness their C today than he has been in the last efforts to work together for the cause. month or so,’’ hard-marking Blair was thrust into an early leadership M Henjak said. role aged just 12 when his father, Willie, ‘‘I still think he has got a lot of was diagnosed with cancer. Y development left in him. The boy quickly became a man, leaving K ‘‘I think being 18th man did him school to help run the family’s farm and the world of good too. learn how to handle tough times, which got ‘‘It would have given him self tougher when Willie lost a year-long battle belief being considered and being with the disease. around those good players for a The past six weeks at Storm could not few days — there was a real spring rival that time in Blair’s life but leadership in his step today.’’ COMING THROUGH: Brisbane’s Ben Te’o, who completed a hat-trick of tries, takes on South lessons learned through that adversity Lang may not have been certain Sydney’s defence. Picture: DARREN ENGLAND have him well placed to show the way for who Yow Yeh was before the his younger teammates. class players coming through. most lips as momentum built on his some confidence out of that — a match but he was more than ‘‘Being the oldest son, just having a mum, stunning comeback from injury. familiar with the 20-year-old after ‘‘Time will tell how good they little bit showed today,’’ he said. being a bit of a leader has been my role the the nine-tries-to-four thumping. become,’’ he said. Yow Yeh started the year disas- ‘‘I didn’t think I was ready going whole time I was growing up. I try to look trously, sidelined for 10 weeks ‘‘It’s a very strange thing for me The early signs are very good into Origin camp (but) it gave me a after my brothers and sisters as much as I with a knee injury sustained in the to be perfectly honest — looking at indeed thanks to the spirited lot of confidence and hopefully in can for her, that’s maybe where it has come the Broncos side and you don’t win also highlighted by a hat- All Stars showcase. the years to come they can pick me from,’’ Blair told the Herald Sun. know the players all that well,’’ trick to Ben Te’o and doubles to But he was all smiles yesterday (for Queensland).’’ ‘‘It is going to be tough (tonight) but the Lang said. utility Matt Gillett and fullback after feeding off the excitement of boys who have come into the squad, they ‘‘But they look like they have a Josh Hoffman. Origin camp. It seemed Yow Yeh could do no are going to be excited, there are a couple very strong young breed of top- But Yow Yeh was the name on ‘‘What I wanted to do was bring wrong yesterday. playing their first game, and will want to play their best because who knows if they are going to get another opportunity. ‘‘And so it’s a big job for the older blokes to lead by example.’’ Maloney’s haul gets Warriors over line That’s been the job of Storm’s leaders since the salary cap scandal threatened to NEWCASTLE: Warriors five-eighth straight loss and fifth in their last It was 24-18 to the Warriors by the derail the club. James Maloney has scored the sixth starts against the Kiwi side. 63rd minute when a Lewis Brown bust ‘‘The leadership group had a meeting match-sealing try and booted six Warriors cult hero Manu Vatuvei put Vatuvei over for his second, before and pointed out what we needed to do for from six to lead his side to a 32-24 (pictured) bagged a double as the the controversial penalty, against the rest of the year to help out the younger NRL victory over Newcastle at Warriors scored five tries to four in Knights back-rower Zeb Taia, which blokes develop in the club,’’ Blair said.