'Samuels not well-liked in Australia'

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Fiery ... Shane Warne and Marlon Samuels face off. Source: Wayne Ludbey / News Limited

Melbourne Stars' batsman Cameron White says he finds it remarkable that Marlon Samuels has escaped with a reprimand for hurling his bat at Shane Warne.

After a surprisingly light judgement for his role in the incident, Samuels lashed out at Warne and his behaviour as the the face of the KFC T20 Big Bash League, and now White has joined the war of words too.

The BBL handed down a verdict on Monday night on a charge of unbecoming behaviour levelled against Melbourne Renegades' batsman Samuels following the heated Melbourne derby on January 6.

An underarm throw from Warne hit Samuels, which prompted the West Indian import to hurl his bat in the direction of Warne.

Cricket Australia Commissioner John Price said in his findings from the code-of-behaviour hearing that Samuels had been officially reprimanded.

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''The player's conduct resulted from extreme provocation,'' Price said.

White is baffled at how Samuels has avoided suspension.

''Being provoked, I don't think you can use that as an excuse,'' White told reporters on Tuesday.

''It's remarkable, isn't it? How many times have you seen someone throw their cricket bat on a cricket field and get (reprimanded) for being extremely provoked?

''I've never seen it before. That's what the judiciary came up with.

White added that it isn't surprising Samuels didn't get much sympathy from him or his Stars teammates after the West Indian was floored by a Lasith Malinga screamer.

''I don't think he's very well-liked, definitely not just from the Stars' point of view but probably in Australian cricket,'' White said.

''People think he carries on a bit.

''There's probably a few reasons (the Stars' players didn't check on his welfare). We were quite busy.''

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'The mid-season blues are no more'

Rematch ... Melbourne Victory come out on top in November in the last Big Blue battle. Source: AAP

Is the Hyundai A-League finally rid of its annual case of the mid-season blues?

With the middle part of the season now behind us, and an exciting race to the finish line ahead, it's reasonable to say this yearly obstacle has been consigned to history.

In previous years, the A-League followed a familiar pattern. An initial burst of enthusiasm and interest at the start of the campaign, and a spike in interest once finals football was on the horizon. In between, a lull, with crowds tapering off and the media's curiosity drawn towards competing sports.

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Following a national narrative can be tricky when the local club is struggling.
 
But the addition of Western Sydney Wanderers (and not to mention three key marquee players) has helped sustain the competition throughout the summer months, with a regular diet of big matches and big stars, enough to keep the appetites of sports fans (and crucially, the media in the big cities) whetted week by week.
 
The Wanderers have been a masterstroke. Easy to say with hindsight of course, but it's difficult now to think of the competition without them, such is the impact their team - and their noisy supporters - have made.
 
That's not to say FFA gets away scot-free for killing off Gold Coast United and North Queensland Fury.

It remains my opinion (and many others), that pulling up sticks after only a couple of years in both areas was an unforgivable act of betrayal to football fans in both Townsville and the glitter strip. It's great to see the phoenix of the Fury starting to rise from the ashes and compete again in the Australian Premier League.

In truth, Wanderers was perhaps FFA's last chance to get an expansion club right - but credit to them, they've delivered in spades, and hopefully now the template is set for clubs who wish to join the league in the future. Ditto the marquee experiment. More of the same please next season.

Wanderers have given the competition three extra derbies to salivate over and, if you throw in the Adelaide-Victory rivalry, the F3 versions, the "Big Blue's" and the all-Melbourne clashes, there's never too long to wait before one of the real eye-catching games looms large on the horizon.

That is certainly the case this week.

Melbourne and Sydney was a rivalry just waiting to happen, even before the A-League kicked off. Right from the word go, the intensity was there - sparked by Victory's 5-0 thumping of the sky blues in just their second-ever meeting.

It's strange to think that match wasn't even shown live, with the TV deal in those days not stretching to coverage of every match of the opening season.

By contrast, the meeting this Saturday is arguably the showpiece occasion of the season so far - a game which will probably draw one of the biggest TV audiences this season.

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A resurgent Sydney - replete with its "marquee" quartet of Emerton, Culina, Griffiths and, of course, Del Piero - travelling to meet a Victory team with title aspirations, and which has Thompson, Rojas and Flores to offer as a counterpoint to the Sky Blues "fab four."

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A sell-out Australia Day crowd will gather at the splendid AAMI Park as representatives from the nations two biggest cities resume hostilities - and it's worth remembering that the rectangular stadium itself was built largely on the back of Victory's success, on and off the park.

Melbourne Victory versus Sydney FC is Australia's version of Liverpool v Manchester United.

People might scoff at that notion, but it must be pointed out that the aforementioned clubs have built their enmity over the course of a hundred years or more. In year eight of their rivalry, just 12,000 showed up to Old Trafford to watch the clash between the pair.
 
The A-League today is eight years old. The progress is staggering, and there is nothing manufactured about the mutual dislike between Melburnians and Sydneysiders. Imagine how big clashes between Victory and Sydney - along with the city and regional derbies - will be in a hundred years time? 
 
It's a pity we won't be around to see it - but in the meantime, let's enjoy the build-up. The mid-season blues are no more - this week it's all about whether you're navy blue, or sky blue.

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Catch the Big Blue derby live on Fox Sports 1HD from 5pm on Saturday.

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Rafter, Tomic bury the hatchet

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Stern ... Pat Rafter expects Bernard Tomic to move on from their feud. Source: Ibrahim Ot / AAP

Davis Cup captain Pat Rafter says he and Bernard Tomic have buried the hatchet and is hopeful of having the resurgent youngster back for Australia's second-round qualifying tie in April - if his weakened line-up makes it.

Tomic remains suspended from Australia's qualifying tie in Taiwan from February 1-3 after Rafter disciplined the 20-year-old last month for his poor attitude and dreadful end to 2012.

In a seemingly tit-for-tat response, Tomic earlier this month said he had no interest in speaking with Rafter until September, when Australia are hoping to contest another World Group playoff.

But after announcing his line-up for Taiwan on Monday, Rafter said Tomic had since recommitted to the Cup cause after the pair cleared the air following Tomic's third-round Australian Open loss to Roger Federer.

"It's the first time I made contact with him since early November. We had a great conversation," Rafter said.

"Obviously I spoke to him about just going forward, what he thinks about Davis Cup in the future, if he wants to be part of the team.

"It was really important for us to have contact straightaway ... obviously he's playing great tennis and it's a shame not to have him available for the first one in some ways.

"But in other ways we have to stand firm on our decision not to have him in this team.

"When the April tie comes around, providing we win, mind you, I hope he'll be available. He'll be part of the selection team like everyone else.

"But obviously if he's playing like he was at the back end of last year it would be hard to put him in.

"If he's playing like he is now, obviously he'll be a starter for sure."

Rafter admitted Tomic "didn't jump out of his skin" in putting his hand up.

"The proviso I put on to it was obviously we need to work things out," he said.

"Hopefully we're still on, not great terms, but good terms. I think our last conversation was that.

"He needs to respect me and I need to respect him in that manner. If we have a breakdown, then obviously that's not a good thing."

With Tomic out, Rafter named Lleyton Hewitt, Marinko Matosevic, Matt Ebden and doubles specialist Chris Guccione to face Taiwan, while Luke Saville will also travel as a hitting partner and standby player.

Rafter has no regrets about suspending Tomic, who bounced back to record 10 straight wins before Federer ended his summer campaign at Melbourne Park.

"The reason we left him out was hopefully to teach him a lesson," Rafter said.

"He came back at us pretty well. I think he used that anger, channelled it and played some great tennis here.

"I don't mind how he gets up to playing great tennis ... whatever spurs him on."

New Cup coach Josh Eagle, who has replaced Tony Roche - who will stay on as a team mentor - said Tomic's suspension was not dissimilar to Matosevic's for Australia's World Group playoff in Germany last September.

"The great thing about Marinko, that really hurt him last year," Eagle said.

"He thought just by winning matches and getting his ranking to 60 around the US Open, he thought he was a walk-up starter for the Davis Cup tie in Hamburg.

"Pat made it very clear to him due to his poor behaviour when he was representing Australia that he wouldn't be selected.

"That sends a great message to these guys. He went away, responded magnificently and finished the year top 50.

"Ultimately, what we want is people to be proud to represent Australia." 

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Black Caviar sizzles in trial

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Comeback ... Black Caviar is nearing a return to racing after a successful 800-metre trial. Source:AAP

Black Caviar's return to the racetrack appears a step closer after an impressive jump-out this morning.

Peter Moody's champion sprinter was part of a nine-horse field that ran 800m at Sportingbet Park on Tuesday morning.

As expected, Black Caviar made light work of those also in 'Trial 6' - cruising home to win in the impressive time of 45.58 seconds - but of more interest was how the six-year-old looked in her action.

She jumped quickly from the gates, assumed a front position and cornered wide but still cruised to the finish more than three lengths clear of her nearest rival.

Black Caviar's likely comeback race is the Group 1 Lightning Stakes - which has been renamed the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes - on February 16.

Moody has also floated the idea of his superstar running in the Newmarket Handicap on March 9.

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Dellacqua, Barty into doubles semi

Young star ... Ash Barty is still in the hunt for an Australian Open title. Source: Joe Castro / AAP

As the senior partner in a blossoming Australian doubles partnership, Casey Dellacqua senses the opportunity for something special at the Australian Open this week.

The 27-year-old West Australian and 16-year-old Queenslander Ashleigh Barty powered into the women's doubles semi-finals at Melbourne Park with an emphatic straight sets win over Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic 6-2 6-3.

For Barty, a Grand Slam semi-final is uncharted territory and the excitement is building and bubbling over.

So too for Dellacqua, who already has a Grand Slam mixed doubles title under her belt.

She won the 2011 French Open with American Scott Lipsky, and has been in the women's doubles semi-finals before at the Australian Open - with Francesca Schiavone four years ago when the duo lost.

But she believes the prospect of her and Barty being able to achieve something special at their home Grand Slam is now a real one.

"I think this is a great opportunity for Ash and I," Dellacqua said.

"I didn't think I'd win the mixed doubles at the French Open, but you keep taking it match by match. Before you know it, you're in the final. then anything can happen.

"It's a great opportunity, and we're making the most of it.

"I didn't expect to be in the semi-final of a Grand Slam. We're both pretty pumped."

Dellacqua and Barty have already won a doubles title together, winning in Toyota, Japan late last year.

Already the duo have knocked out the No.3 seeds at Melbourne Park - Maria Kirilenko and experienced Lisa Raymond - and now face American Varvara Lepchenko and Zheng Saisai of China in the semis.

Barty, from Springfield near Ipswich, has already impressed in the Hopman Cup to kick-start her year and with understandable teenage exuberance, is relishing the opportunity for a Grand Slam title.

"It's unbelievable. We played well, we're pretty excited," she said.

"To be in the semis, to give ourselves a chance to be in the final, it's unbelievable."

Italy's Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci, the top seeds, play Russian duo Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina in the other semi-final.

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Djokovic stems Berdych challenge

Focused ... Novak Djokovic was too good for Tomas Berdych. Source: AAP

He was coming off a five hour marathon but Novak Djokovic left no one in any doubt he had his mojo back as he brushed aside the claims of Tomas Berdych to progress to another Australian Open semi-final.

Australian Open: Mens Singles

Round QF, 22/01/13

Djo (1)	6	4	6	6
Ber (5)	1	6	1	4

Djokovic was challenged as Berdych red-lined his game to steal the second set and level the match but the world No.1 weathered the storm to breeze home 6-1 4-6 6-1 6-4.

He now meets David Ferrer after the Spaniard survived a nerve-wracking, rollercoaster five-setter to beat countryman Nicolas Almagro 4-6 4-6 7-5 7-6 (7-4) 6-2 earlier on Tuesday.

"David is one of the most respected guys on tour because he never gives up," Djokovic said.

"He's one of the fittest guys on tour so I'm expecting a long one."

Despite a string of his trademark forehand winners dotting a highlight-filled second set, Berdych never quite managed to fully sink his teeth in the quarter final clash as he relinquished his opening serve of the third set and never recovered.

Djokovic's epic fourth round match with Stanislas Wawrinka brought about question marks over the two-time defending champion's ability to hit the ground running against another heavy hitter.

But the No.1 seed wasn't in the mood to be drawn into another long match and he quickly found his rhythm in the opening set, getting hold of Berdych's serve and bolting to the lead before sealing it 6-1.

Speaking after the match, Djokovic said he was pleased with his powers of recuperation following the Wawrinka match.

"It was a great performance (against Berdych). I was just hoping not to go over five hours like the other night," Djokovic said.

"It takes a lot of time after a match like that to recover physically, emotionally, mentally."

While Djokovic was playing like his old self again, Berdych was flat and made too many errors to impose his powerful groundstrokes on the intimidating Serb.

That was to turn around out of nowhere in the second set as Berdych shot out of the blocks with some breathtaking winners to break Djokovic in the first game.

It must have felt like a long haul with five service holds to level up the match but the big Czech was able to maintain an exceptionally high level until he served for it at 5-4.

With two tight points to open the game, Berdych looked to have fluffed his lines as he stared down the barrel of a Djokovic break back at 0-30 down.

With some big serving and some brave forehands, Berdych saved a couple of break points before finally taking his chance to serve out the set.

As the winners flowed from the Berdych racquet, expectation grew that another epic was afoot but the crowd was to be stunned by another monumental momentum shift as Berdych dropped his opening service game in the third and suddenly the set was over - again 6-1 to Djokovic.

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