WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 6 2017 SPORT 43 SPORTshorts Sven in the mix Bird’s ready to be the SVEN Goran Eriksson has emerged as a shock candidate for the vacant Socceroos coaching role but a successor to Ange Postecoglou won’t be announced until mid-February. Football Federation Australia centre of attention has formed a nine-person panel — including former Socceroos Mark Bresciano, Stan Lazaridis TRAVIS MEYN au Moga to Newcastle, and and the Sharks. Bird is un- side to accommodate Bird’s and Mark Schwarzer — to help Bird shapes as the man most likely to be fit for the start of injection on the right. pick the man who will take WAYNE Bennett’s $3 million likely to fill that void. the next season but is only ex- “If Bird likes the right, Australia to the World Cup in recruit Jack Bird is set to take Steve Renouf, one of Bris- He could play pected to miss about a month hopefully they push Roberts Russia in March. centre stage for the Broncos. bane’s greatest centres with of action. to the left,” he said. “Yes of course I’m Bird is in line to make his 142 tries in 183 games, said anywhere in Shifting Bird into the un- “He is good on the ball. He interested,” Eriksson is quoted Brisbane debut at centre Bird could dominate on the familiar position of lock with is a good footy player. as saying. when he recovers from a edge. the backline little training time alongside “He keeps it pretty simple shoulder reconstruction. “I don’t mind Jack Bird as a but it would be his new teammates could be a and is solid and he can find Fed Cup in February The NSW Origin player player,” he said. risk and Bennett was set on a the tryline.” has also been talked about as “He could play anywhere great for him halves combination of Kodi If Bird plays centre, that AUSTRALIA’S bid to re-join the a possible lock, five-eighth or in the backline but it would be Nikorima and Anthony Mil- would allow Josh McGuire to Fed Cup elite will begin in fullback. great for him to play centre. to play centre ford. remain at lock. Canberra next February with a But the fact Bird’s pre-sea- “He is really competitive. Bird played mostly at cen- McGuire was one of Bris- home tie against Ukraine. son is being hampered by his He doesn’t go half-arsed. He STEVE RENOUF tre and five-eighth during his bane’s best in the No. 13 jer- World No.17 Ashleigh Barty comeback from surgery is always 100 per cent.” three seasons at the Sharks, sey last season after replacing will lead Australia in the World means he will likely come Bird, 22, is Brisbane’s star featuring at right centre in Corey Parker and was award- Group II meeting, with Fed Cup into the team as a centre. recruit for the 2018 NRL sea- pered due to a delay sur- Cronulla’s historic 2016 ed the Ron McAuliffe Medal captain Alicia Molik selecting Coach Bennett needs a son, having signed a four- rounding his shoulder premiership team. last week as Queensland’s grass for the match-up. new centre following the de- year deal to leave Cronulla. surgery which sparked a war Renouf said James Roberts best player in the State of The redeveloped Canberra parture of the improved Taut- His move has been ham- of words between Bennett should be shifted to the left Origin series. Tennis Centre will host the meeting on February 10 and 11. The team will be seeking revenge after Ukraine Gazza says prevented Australia from reaching the eight-nation World Group in February this year, he’s back winning the tie 3-1 in Kharkiv. for a flag Ben brave in upset BEN Simmons battled flu-like CHRIS VERNUCCIO symptoms to score 20 points but he couldn’t prevent Philadelphia GARY Ablett wants to instil his suffering an upset home NBA competitive instincts into his loss to Phoenix yesterday . new and young Geelong team- The Australian also had eight mates as he revealed a burning rebounds, seven assists and six desire to win another premier- steals in the 115-101 result, but ship before retirement. was upstaged by star Suns guard After seven years and 110 Devin Booker, who registered a games at Gold Coast, Ablett said season-high 46 points. the time was right to return The 76ers trailed for most of home and be closer to family Monday’s game but narrowed but there was also some unfin- the margin to five points with just ished business. under five minutes remaining, The 33-year-old has before Booker fired three of his achieved almost everything in five three-pointers to snuff out the game — two premierships their challenge. with the Cats, two Brownlow Medals, six club best-and- Boomer benefits fairests, eight All-Australian se- lections and five AFLPA MVPs BOOMERS coach Andrej Lemanis — but after failing to play a sin- says Australia’s new-look path to gle final with the Suns he is de- basketball’s World Cup is adding termined to achieve more team another layer to the NBL as success. players scrap for spots and benefit “We play footy to win prem- from time spent in national camp. ierships and that’s what I’ve Wins against Taiwan and Japan come back for, so I’m going to late last month kicked off the be putting in the work,” Ablett Boomers’ road to China for the said. 2019 World Cup. Lemanis said he “I play to win. Whether that’s had already seen the benefits, a game of table tennis with the with squad members Chris boys in the rooms or a challenge Goulding (Melbourne), Mitch out on the training track or Tepai Moeroa and Kenny Edwards with young fans Teremoana and Ngatutai Ford in Alice Springs yesterday Picture: EMMA MURRAY Creek (Adelaide) and Jason Cadee game day, I want to win. (Sydney) all returning to their “That was the first conver- clubs from national duty in sation I had with [Geelong cap- sparkling form. tain Joel] Selwood when I got Eels keen to catch up with Hayne back to the club is how can we Hardball Ricciardo make this group super competi- tive. JACK HISLOP “Jarryd Hayne is that x-fac- spired them to the 2009 decid- locals. “It’s good to break things DANIEL Ricciardo has braced “We’re going to work tor player. When he was at er from eighth place. up and get away,” he said. for protracted talks with Red through that over pre-season PARRAMATTA’S squad are Parra before, he could make Moeroa said the Eels’ failure “It’s even better to meet the Bull, adamant he’s entitled to a and I’m going to be running keen to reunite with Jarryd anything happen from noth- to claim a victory in September local kids and get to spend contract befitting his claim to a some little drills out on the Hayne, who can provide the ing,” Moeroa said. would motivate the squad some time with them and re- Formula One championship. training track, making sure the spark to make the Eels a genu- “It’s good to have someone through a gruelling pre-season. member where it all started for The Australian is preparing boys are super competitive. I ine premiership threat, accord- like Jarryd in the team and he “We finally made it to the fi- us.” for 2018 to be punctuated by truly believe that if you can get ing to back-rower Tepai will definitely boost our back- nals, but it was disappointing Parramatta’s Territory speculation about his future guys to be competitive in every- Moeroa. line.” that we bowed out in both home game is scheduled for with Red Bull, ahead of his thing they do that transitions Speaking at Anzac Oval The Eels finished fourth at games,” he said. June 9 next year, where they contract expiring at the end of into the weekend.” after the Eels’ first training ses- the conclusion of the 2017 reg- “The next step is getting will once again meet the Cow- the year. After a frustrating year Ablett also returned to pre- sion of their four-day Red Cen- ular season, but were bundled back there and improving on boys who proved too strong in in which he won one race to season training early to get to tre camp, Moeroa said it was out of the play-offs in straight what we did.” 2017. finish fifth in the drivers’ know the young players at the fantastic news that Hayne – sets. Moeroa said after four Moeroa said the annual standings, Ricciardo has club. Last week he was unveiled who didn’t venture to Alice It was the first time the weeks of training in Sydney, clash at TIO Stadium was a fix- reiterated the potential for titles in his new No.4 jumper with the Springs – was returning to his Western Sydney club had the team were happy to ven- ture always pencilled in on the will be the biggest rest of the Cats’ recruits. spiritual home. made the finals since Hayne in- ture to Alice and mix with the Eels calendar. consideration for his next deal. 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