IT'S BEEN more than a year since The Canberra Times exclusively reported the Raiders were looking to take the first NRL game to China. Well, the initiative is getting closer, with the possibility that next year's NRL season could kick off in Shenzen. Manly and Canberra are pushing for a stand-alone game a week before the rest of the competition starts. The ARL Commission, which would have to underwrite the game, is conducting a feasibility study. The tentative plan is for a game on February 28 or March 1. It's hoped the Nine Network would broadcast the game. ''It's an initiative of ours but it's not just about Manly, it's an opportunity in the best interests of the game,'' Sea Eagles chief Dave Perry told Fairfax Media's Adrian Proszenko. ''You never know what it could do for TV over time in terms of incremental broadcasting deals in Asia.'' Manly's major sponsor, Kaspersky, and Raiders backers Huawei are keen on the event.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Pay boost helps Meteor's rise
ACT METEOR Zoe Cooke is living proof the recent financial boost given to women's cricket will go a long way to developing the sport. Cooke was one of three ACT cricketers selected in the 2013-14 Australian under-18s talent squad. The 17-year-old has ambitions to play for Australia, but has seen plenty of her peers lost to the sport. ''Recently I have seen all the younger girls drop out because there was no real future in women's cricket. Now that there is, more young girls will keep coming through, which will be very good for the game,'' she said. ''It allows them [professionals] to focus on cricket 100 per cent - not like before when they had to juggle different jobs as well as trying to play top-level cricket.''
Ferguson welcome, for now
RAIDERS centre Blake Ferguson looks to have booked an Origin debut spot with the Blues. But we're not sure exactly how NSW skipper and Ferguson's former teammate at Cronulla, Paul Gallen, feels. The Sharks tried to lure Ferguson next season, but he re-signed with the Raiders. ''Fergo doesn't care about what anyone's name is or what they have done before,'' Gallen started off, nicely enough. ''He just goes out and plays footy. Some people don't like that about him and I don't always either, but in this team I am going to love playing with him.''
Cold cuts for dinner?
SPORTS scientists invited 16 female cyclists to the AIS last week for a barrage of tests, looking at the potential benefits of calcium loading before training. What the cyclists didn't know was they were also guinea pigs in a study of whether ice baths could lead to over-eating. "We're also looking at the effects of cold water immersion on appetite," physiologist Dr Megan Ross explained. "Cold water immersion can [negate] that appetite suppression that you get from exercise … so if they're doing too much recovery [in ice baths], potentially you can over-eat." Sport scientists monitored what food the cyclists ate when put in front of a tempting buffet after each session, particularly to see if they ate more after using ice baths in recovery. Stay tuned for the results.
Hurst back on board
THE Canberra Capitals received a massive boost when they lured six-time championship winner Natalie Hurst back to the WNBL, but fellow point guard Nicole Hunt has taken an off-season injury hit. Hunt has been nursing an injured ankle which could require surgery and three months out. The Capitals are still chasing Elyse Penaluna and Alice Kunek.
F-League season kicks off
CANBERRA soccer fans shouldn't hold their breath for an A-League team, but the ACT does have a full contingent of teams when it comes to the F-League. Never heard of it? The F-League is futsal's version of the A-League. The indoor version has been the development pathway for players such as Canberra's Socceroos representative Tom Rogic. The ACT will once again be represented by the Boomerangs in the men's F-League. But Canberra will also have a team in the inaugural women's F-League, which will include teams from Queensland, NSW and Victoria. The season kicks off May 31.
Swans hitch a ride
SYDNEY SWANS players were forced to catch taxis and trams to the MCG for Friday night's match against Collingwood after the team bus broke down. Clad in the team's distinctive red polo shirts, the Swans provided Melbourne commuters with an interesting sight as they got aboard.
Not so giant crowds
SUDDENLY, the crowd of 6832 that attended the recent AFL match in Canberra isn't looking so bad. The round five game against the Gold Coast Suns was the smallest crowd the Giants had attracted this season. That was until only 5830 turned up in Western Sydney for their round seven match against the Adelaide Crows, before another poor showing of 6324 against the West Coast Eagles on Saturday.
