Summary
So plenty afoot, as always on Saturday Sportwatch.
South Sydney have fired rivals an early warning shot with the sixth Charity Shield win over St George in seven seasons, and the Wayne Bennett era officially starts with a W.
The combination of Corey Norman, Gareth Widdop and Ben Hunt one to excite Dragons fans though, who gave as good as they got, and but for some soft defence could have edged a pulsating 24-36 clash out in Mudgee.
In the A-League Newcastle Jets have produced a hugely important 2-0 win over Melbourne Victory to really fire their late run for the finals, with goals to Johnny Koutroumbis and an absolute belter from Dimi Petratos earning the points.
In the AFLW Carlton have won a classic, keeping hapless Collingwood winless despite a much improved showing from the Pies. And in Brisbane, the Lions have conceded top spot in Conference B to newcomers Geelong, with frankly a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde showing in front of their own fans.
Thanks for your company as always - we’ll be back tomorrow with live Matildas action from the Cup of Nations in Brisbane. See you then!
Cricket: Australia 236-7 (50) at the end of the first innings
Eek. So a score you’d consider entirely getable - especially for a team boasting Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni in the first ODI between Australia and India in Hyderabad.
We’ll stay will that dutifully for the second innings of course though, so don’t miss a ball of that one:
Another fine spell by Geoff Lemon, who makes way for Rob Smyth in the Guardian hotseat there.
Updated
Super Rugby: Reds 12-22 Crusaders
We’ve seen a few of the Kiwi sides wobble over the opening three rounds, but they’re really at another level, the Crusaders.
An 18th consecutive win for the Cantabrians, who on this form are nigh on unstoppable. The Reds for their part kept the damage to just three at half-time, but as seen so often the depth off the bench and superior fitness of the reigning champions became a factor.
A late Scott Higginbotham try making it more respectable for the home side, who find themselves at the base of the Australian conference after that shock Sunwolves win earlier.
Full-time: Melbourne Victory 0-2 Newcastle Jets
90 + 5 min: He’s missed easy ones tonight, but that was absolutely top draw from Dimi Petratos!! It’s been a frustrating season for the Socceroo, but doesn’t he half have a spectacular goal in him.
Joey Champness strikes the base of the post, before Kaine Sheppard recycles the ball to pick out Petratos about 25m out. And he puts the left boot through it and it arrows into the top left corner! Goal of the season? A fair chance.
More than that though - their season is 100% alive - last season’s grand finalists.
Look over your shoulder with trepidation, Wellington Phoenix, Melbourne City and Adelaide United. The race for the last finals’ spot has Just. Got. Very. Lively.
Updated
Red card!! And Victory are down to ten!
90 + 2 min: It’s bad to worse at the end for Kevin Muscat against the man he won championship with in happier days. James Donachie with a foolish second yellow, and he’s cost his team late on. It’s uphill from here, but they’ve still got three added minutes to play.
Ahh, sakes. Maxxie’s out in the cricket. Shut it down. Everybody go to bed. What’s the point.
Doomed.
A-League: Melbourne Victory 0-1 Newcastle Jets
85 min: Two of the league’s form goalkeepers are showing their worth tonight - first Glen Moss between the sticks for the Victory and then Lawrence Thomas, who pulls off a game-saver from Dimi Petratos.
A win here will mean so much for the Jets’ season. Already written off weeks ago, could the wily Scotsman Ernie Merrick mastermind another win over the club he loves to beat? Big 5-10 minutes to play here.
Cricket: Australia 169-5 (38 overs) - Turner 21 (23) out on debut
And a reminder that we’ve got live ODI action elsewhere on the Guardian site tonight.
But I’ll save you the late night up because unless Maxxie can put on something pretty spectacular over the next ten overs, you’d have to think India are already in the box seat in Hyderabad, for game one. He’s still at the crease and has whacked 40 (46). Come on the Big Show!
A-League: Melbourne Victory 0-1 Newcastle Jets
75 min: It’s a tense last fifteen to play in the A-League, and Keisuke Honda has gone close to drawing his side level! Terrific work from the league’s marquee off some fine work from Terry Antonis.
They had a goal disallowed (correctly) earlier on, when Kenny Athiu thought he’d opened his goalscoring account - only to see it chalked off for his teammate Corey Brown being offside! Hope they’re not rooming anytime soon, those two - poor old Kenny.
AFLW: Carlton 4.10 (34) defeat Collingwood 4.5 (29)
Wowee. By all accounts it’s a nail-biter between two ancient rivals of Australian rules. Chasing that elusive first win of the season the Pies looked good value, but a late Darcy Vescio snap shot has dashed any hopes of that.
They led by 10 on the run into the final quarter. Does this count as a Colli-wobble?
Here’s the highlights - you decide:
Missed @CarltonFC’s incredible win against the Magpies?
— AFL Women's (@aflwomens) March 2, 2019
We’ve got the highlights!
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Full-time: St George 24-36 South Sydney
80 min: Reece Robson crashes over.. but he’s held up!
Widdop goes for the crossfield kick to the corner, but it’s more or less defused. The ball spills lose, there’s a scramble - but it’s eventually batted into touch!
Wayne Bennett’s first game in full charge of South Sydney finishes with a sixth Charity Shield win in seven year (the other drawn).
“A bit scrappy” was the assessment from Sam Burgess post-game, and definitely a lot of rust blown out by both squads tonight, but plenty of attacking promise as well.
Updated
77 min: Ouch! It’s a nasty looking high shot from Tracey on the flyer Dufty. They’ve got six to play from about 20m out. What can they conjure, the Dragons.
Widdop puts it on the toe, but Souths are awake to the danger and clean up in goal. At the expense of a repeat set of six and a line drop out though.
75 min: Sam Burgess and James Graham exchange English pleasantries. In the form of shoulders, at pace. Both sides still giving their all, as you’d expect as they look to build match fitness for Round 1 in a fortnight’s time.
Dragons with a scrum feed, a try here could make for a lively/uneasy last few minutes; depending on the colour of your support.
Try! St George 24-36 South Sydney (Sironen)
69 min: And that, surely, is the ball game. Mikaele Ravalawa drops a high ball to give Souths a decent set of six to look at the line. And the son of the great Paul, Bayley Sironen, makes the most of his time on the pitch - it’s a first ever try in Bunnies colours.
Ethan Lowe - a third choice kicker with no Reynolds in the squad and Gagai on the bench - and oh my. That’s one of the worst conversion attempts you’ll see!
He’s skanked that from almost dead in front. Gagai has a decent chuckle on the bench - but if St George somehow draw this one, you won’t imagine Bennett will be giggling.
Updated
64 min: Some good defence from the Dragons, as the Rabbits go within five of the line, but it’s a turnover.
So. Who’s the fitter squad to close this one out? We enter the business end. McGregor shuffles his pack, bringing Matt Dufty on and into fullback, Widdop shifts to the halves, Hunt goes to No 9.
Try! St George 24-32 South Sydney (Sims)
57 min: My, my. You have to enjoy the symmetry of this match!
After letting their opponents make all the running early on in both halves, the Dragons are now threatening to pull themselves back into this one.
It’s a rampaging run from Tariq Sims, and the youngster Bayley Sironen, just on the field, could do nothing about it. Is this game going right down to the wire?
Widdop adds the extras, he’s kicking cleanly tonight.
A-League - half-time: Melbourne Victory 0-1 Newcastle Jets
Welly, well. You might not have picked that scoreline, and you definitely wouldn’t have picked the goalscorer. It’s the Jets’ utility/fullback Johnny Koutroumbis with the strike that makes the difference!
Still, only half-time, and as the Mariners will tell you, even leading with ten to play in the A-League this season is no guarantee. Especially with Keisuke Honda on the pitch for the Victory.
✈✈✈@johnnykout16 with just his third @ALeague goal to put @NewcastleJetsFC ahead. #ALeague #MVCvNEW
— Hyundai A-League (@ALeague) March 2, 2019
🎥 @FOXFOOTBALL @10BoldAU pic.twitter.com/ZRMhoz43OH
Updated
Try! St George 18-32 South Sydney (Allan)
50 min: They’re all at sea again, all of a sudden, the Dragons. Widdop rises for the high ball, but he gets none of it! Souths smell the opportunity and it’s Cook who punishes the backline, with Allan having a field day as the finisher. Three tries for the winger!
Gagai with a carbon copy of the one he missed earlier, slapping that conversion attempt well wide. But it’s still a 16-pt turnaround since half-time. What did the 800+ game veteran Bennett tell his players during the break?!
Corey Allan has a hat-trick!
— NRL (@NRL) March 2, 2019
The @SSFCRABBITOHS lead 32-18 after 53 minutes. #CharityShield#NRL pic.twitter.com/6vdgRvsDeM
Try! St George 18-28 South Sydney (Murray)
45 min: And they’ve come out of the traps flying, once again, the Rabbitohs. Cameron Murray! What a star this kid could be - still just 21 years old. He wasn’t taking no for an answer that close to the line, and he’s hit the defence at pace, and barged over.
Gagai adds the extras. And they’re back out to a 10-pt lead once again. It’s see-sawing this one; I guess that’s the inconsistency of pre-season?
Murray goes through!
— NRL (@NRL) March 2, 2019
The @SSFCRABBITOHS extend their lead, 28-18 after 46 minutes.#CharityShield #NRL pic.twitter.com/eDZ6xWOrxH
Updated
Try! St George 18-22 South Sydney (Walker)
42 min: Eep. He won’t like this, the Dragons coach, only just back to his seat after the restart.
A lovely runaround between John Sutton and Cody Walker and they’ve been so simply opened up once again, St George.
NRL Charity Shield - second half!
40 min: So it’s Widdop who gets us underway once again. They haven’t won the Charity Shield for the last six years, the Dragons. Is tonight the night? Paul McGregor will presumably be hoping so.
Hockey: Australia 2-1 USA
And just to mix it up a little, here’s the latest from the Pro League where the Hockeyroos have continued their decent form, albeit after a little bit of a scare. Here’s what Australian Associated Press had to say:
Veteran defender Jodie Kenny, returning from a month out with injury, scored the all-important equaliser in the first minute of the last quarter with a powerful drag flick from a penalty corner.
And striker Mariah Williams, arguably the form striker of the competition, secured the win with a rocket after a clever pass from Emily Chalker.
Australia top the table with 14 points from six games while the USA have just one point from three games.
“It’s about persistence and finding a way to win,” said Australian coach Paul Gaudoin.
“The second half, we had to lift the urgency and we did. The girls held their heads up. International hockey is not pretty at times and they had a lot of people back in defence the whole game.
“I was pleased with our tenacity.”
So a reminder, we’ve got live ODI cricket - the first of a five-match series between Australia and India from Hyderabad.
And after an awful start (Finch: quack) it’s a steadied ship with Khawaja and Stoinis chipping away dutifully. 83-1 off 19. But are they scoring too slowly? Geoff Lemon is our eyes on the action there:
Half-time: St George 18-16 South Sydney
40 min: And there’s the hooter. Not before Sam Burgess has a stern talking to from the refs for a, well, “rugged” tackle. He’s caught a dragons player around the neck, but avoids report this time. Plenty of feeling out there, pre-season or no. Which the fine burghers of Mudgee are no doubt loving.
And after that lightning start, it’s the Bunnies that trail. What words of wisdom can Bennett impart?
AFLW: Carlton 2.6 (18) lead Collingwood 2.4 (16) - third quarter, 5.45 played
And it’s looking tight in our second AFLW fixture of the evening. Plenty of twists and turns left in this one.
Incidentally, keep a look out on Monday for our eyes-at-the-ground roving reporter Kirby Fenwick for her weekend’s write up. Tomorrow’s North Melbourne v Crows could feature in that.
Try! St George 18-16 South Sydney (Lafai)
32 min: Wowee. They’ve turned this around, and at the quick. I don’t think Wayne Bennett will be too happy with what he’s seen over the past ten minutes.
It’s that man Lafai who crosses again for a brace, after some good work from Widdop.
Norman - Hunt - Widdop. Is that a troika Dragons fans could get used to enjoying this season?
Lafai has a double!
— NRL (@NRL) March 2, 2019
The @NRL_Dragons hit the lead! #CharityShield #NRL pic.twitter.com/JSc8USWRpi
A-League: Melbourne Victory 0-0 Newcastle Jets
And we’re underway in Melbourne in tonight’s only A-League fixture. We’ll try to bring you some updates from that one as they arise. Surely getting close to last-chance saloon if Jets lose tonight, as they continue to keep pressure on Wellington Phoenix, Melbourne City and Adelaide United for that last finals spot.
Try! St George 12-16 South Sydney (Lafai)
29 min: Huge contact between Jordan Pereira and Sam Burgess. Ooph. It might technically be a trial game, but there’s a fair bit of aggro out there. And there is a penalty now, to the Dragons, for a late hit from Tom Amone, I believe on Corey Norman.
There’s a tremendous offload from Tim Lafai, and as the play progresses it’s Widdop who finds the centre, who fends well to cross the line.
Straight over the black dot from Widdop. We’re at almost a point a minute in this one - so much for that early dominance from the Rabbitohs. Game on.
Updated
Try! St George 6-16 South Sydney (Allan)
22 min: Ach. Some tremendous defence from the Dragons to keep Souths just out as they probed and burrowed away looking for the line. But they’ve gone wide early, the Rabbits, and Allan is again afforded too much space to finish it. In fairness some decent hands and quick thinking shown by the veteran John Sutton to create the chance.
No dice with the kick this time from Gagai, which is shanked badly wide.
Corey Allan has a double!
— NRL (@NRL) March 2, 2019
The @SSFCRABBITOHS extend their lead to 10 points, 16-6 after 24 minutes. #CharityShield #NRL pic.twitter.com/ZvEx1Ps8jY
Updated
20 min: And an early blow for the Dragons, with Paul Vaughan failing a concussion test - and the lumbering forward will be out for the evening, and St George will be a body short on the bench. Fortunately, under trial rules its an extended bench tonight.
Updated
Try! St George 6-12 South Sydney (Lomax)
13 min: So, it will come as no surprise given the scoreboard to hear that it’s been all South Sydney so far. But a handling error from the play the ball gives the Saints a chance to set something up, and it’s a decent combination between Norman and Ben Hunt - their Broncos understanding evident - before the No 7 throws a super long ball to put Lomax over in the corner.
Great kick from the sideline from Widdop, and despite being clearly second best, they’ve got something to hang their hat on, the Dragons.
Try! St George 0-12 South Sydney (Allan)
6 min: Ay, ay, ay. Lomax with another poor error for the Dragons, and do you think Wayne Bennett’s men are feeling charitable? No chance.
They’re in again, this time down the left, and it’s another youngster, Corey Allan, who strolls over!
And now it's Allan's turn on the other wing!
— NRL (@NRL) March 2, 2019
The @SSFCRABBITOHS lead 12-0 after six minutes. #CharityShield #NRL pic.twitter.com/jiHkt9YBzu
Try! St George 0-6 South Sydney (Graham)
2 min: Ooph, it’s a simple turnover from the Dragons, and with their first look at the footy, the Bunnies have skipped through a gaping defensive hole and drawn first blood.
The youngster Campbell Graham gliding through the line with hardly a hand laid on him, and Dane Gagai adds the extras from the boot.
From the scrum!
— NRL (@NRL) March 2, 2019
The @SSFCRABBITOHS are in early through Graham! #CharityShield #NRL pic.twitter.com/SScWrsVmCL
Updated
NRL: Charity Shield - First whistle!
1 min: And we’re underway in Mudgee, where Dragons new signing Corey Norman reiterated pre-game the importance of keeping it simple and finishing their sets, and we’ve not gone 45 seconds, and, uhoh..
Super Rugby: Chiefs 15-30 Sunwolves
And a “gee whiz” of a result coming through from Hamilton, NZ. They got hammered by the Brumbies last week, the Chiefs, but it’s gone from bad to worse in the Waikato, as they’ve handed the Sunwolves their first win of the season; and is that their first victory on NZ soil? Don’t quote me on that.
A few of the NZ teams looking ropey early in the season. Is this real life?
FULL TIME - The Sunwolves get their first win of the season and their first win against the Chiefs in a thrilling match at FMG Stadium in Hamilton #superrugby #CHIvSUN https://t.co/RE5tsk9YJ7 pic.twitter.com/QPm4ftGcil
— Super Rugby (@SuperRugby) March 2, 2019
So, let’s turn now to the NRL charity shield, from sunny Mudgee, where there’s already a decent crowd trickling in. A first look at Wayne Bennett in myrtle and cardinal, who offers his trademarked dry pre-game comments. Is he excited that the game’s most successful coach is now coaching the game’s most successful team? Yes. Does he look it? No.
Now, let’s see if I can dig up some team news for you.
Rabbitohs
1. Alex Johnston, 2. Campbell Graham, 3. Dane Gagai, 4. Braidon Burns, 5. Corey Allan, 6. Cody Walker, 7. Connor Tracey, 8. Junior Tatola, 9. Damien Cook, 10. Tom Burgess, 11. John Sutton, 12. Sam Burgess (c), 13. Cameron Murray
Bench: 14. Ethan Lowe, 15. Matt McIlwrick, 16. Tom Amone, 17. Rhys Kennedy, 18. Bayley Sironen, 19. Cory Denniss, 20. Kyle Turner, 21. Liam Knight, 22. Mawene Hiroti
Dragons
1. Gareth Widdop (c), 2. Jordan Pereira, 3. Euan Aitken, 4. Tim Lafai, 5. Zac Lomax, 6. Corey Norman, 7. Ben Hunt, 8. James Graham, 9. Cameron McInnes, 10. Paul Vaughan, 11. Jacob Host, 12. Tariq Sims, 13. Tyson Frizell
Bench: 14. Jeremy Latimore, 15. Matt Dufty, 16. Blake Lawrie, 17. Luciano Leilua, 18. Mikaele Ravalawa, 19. Reece Robson, 20. Lachlan Timm, 21. Josh Kerr, 22. Jai Field, 23. Korbin Sims
AFLW: Brisbane Lions 1.2 (8) lose to Geelong 5.5 (35)
And a big statement in conference B in the AFLW, where previous table-toppers the Brisbane Lions have, well, let’s not sugarcoat it - they’ve been battered by the Cats.
Kate Darby the star of the show for the visitors with three majors - or put otherways - two-and-a-bit-times Brisbane’s match total, with the second half especially turning into one-way traffic.
An interesting situation now in the lop-sided conferences, with former top-of-B side, the Lions, now with a worse record than bottom-of-A conference, the Bulldogs.
We’ve also got Geoff “lightning fingers” Lemon on the case for the first ODI between Australia and India from Hyderabad, and I promise I won’t for a second be disappointed if you sneak off to see what’s happening in that one:
Australia to bat first is the latest; will Maxxie do the biz once again?
Evening all! A happy Mardi Gras to you and yours, or a foie gras at home on the couch with a nice Malbec. Whatever floats your boat. Or boats your float.
We’ll go big on the NRL Charity Shield soon, but before all that if you happened to miss it, ol’ mighty mare Winx has been up to her tricks again.
And in a slightly more tightly-run affair than usual:
Preamble
It’s Saturday, so that means Sportwatch. And 152 days and a handful of hours since the NRL grand final kicked off, it’s official rugby league season once again.
Tonight’s Saturday Sportwatch feature match is the NRL charity shield, between South Sydney and St George, and a first semi-competitive-ish look at the Rabbitohs under the austere gaze of Wayne Bennett.
We’ve also got A-League action, with Melbourne Victory playing host to Newcastle Jets and a few clashes in the AFLW to keep across. And as always, all and sundry else from the wonderful world of sport, if and as it occurs.
The first cricket ODI between Australia and India gets underway in Hyderabad as well - Geoff Lemon will be bringing you every ball of that shortly elsewhere.
So settle in, plump the cushions - and if you’ve got some bon mots to throw into our coverage do get in touch via email or twitter to raise to tone. Otherwise, you’ll just have to make do with this guy.
