Griffin dumps Hannant for Cowboys

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BEN Hannant's future at the Broncos is untenable after Brisbane coach Anthony Griffin last night dumped the former Test and Origin prop for Friday night's derby against North Queensland.

In a selection shock, Griffin wielded the axe with Hannant _ just 11 days after the prop amassed 159 metres and 34 tackles in 47 minutes in a tireless display against Souths.

In the same game, underfire prop Martin Kennedy _ a Griffin off-season purchase _ made 50 metres from six runs, but was retained in the starting side for the Queensland blockbuster.

Ben Hannant's relationship with Broncos coach Anthony Griffin is at breaking point. Source: News Limited

As revealed by The Courier-Mail, Hannant has fallen out of favour at Red Hill. And the latest ruction has pushed Hannant's relationship with Griffin to breaking point in a move that ostensibly sounds the death-knell for the prop's career at the Broncos.

Griffin did not return calls on Tuesday night. But it can be revealed Hannant was summoned to a meeting before training on Tuesday, where Griffin advised the prop he would be dropped for form reasons.

Hannant, off-contract at season's end, was said to be gutted. Brisbane's No. 1 bookend just a year ago, he will face the ignominy of playing for Ipswich against Central Capras in the Intrust Super Cup this Saturday night.

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Griffin's decision is even more perplexing considering the Broncos will face the Cowboys' representative pack without Origin back-rower Sam Thaiday, who is battling a calf injury.

The omission of Hannant and Thaiday leaves Brisbane with an inexperienced bench comprising David Hala, Jarrod Wallace, Jake Granville, Corey Oates and Todd Lowrie.

Broncos front-row great Greg Dowling said the axing of Hannant suggested there is bad blood between the prop and Griffin.

The absence of Sam Thaiday leaves the Broncos with an inexperienced bench. Source: News Corp Australia

"I read there was talk of a falling out and clearly there is something more to this," he said.

"The coach will live or die by his decisions but this is a strange one, I don't think he's been going bad at all.

"Ben Hannant didn't deserve to be dropped.

"I guess only Anthony Griffin knows the real reason. But with Sam Thaiday out, Ben's experience would have been invaluable."

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Well-placed sources say Hannant is resigned to being pushed out of Red Hill. It could happen before June 30, with Hannant's manager George Mimis currently in talks with an NRL rival.

Statistics suggest Hannant is by no means out of form. In the past three games, he has made 351 metres, 39 hit-ups and 93 tackles off the bench.

HANNAT ON THE OUTER AT BRISBANE

Over the same period, Kennedy has made 228 metres, 24 hit-ups and 71 tackles _ making him Brisbane's least productive prop.

Hannant's front-row cohort Josh McGuire said Brisbane's pack faced a daunting task in Townsville.

"They have the Australian front-rowers (Matt Scott and James Tamou)," he said.

"We have a tough job for sure, but our forward pack is excited about the challenge on Friday night."

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Capybara spotted on golf course

No gopher ... This capybara has been spotted on an Essex golf course a number of times after escaping from an exotic animals farm. Picture: North Weald Golf Club. Source: Supplied

IT'S like a scene out of Caddyshack — but with an exotic South American rodent instead of a pesky gopher proving difficult to capture on the golf course.

A group of golfers were shocked to see an exotic capybara wandering around on the green at North Weald Golf Club in Essex, The Telegraph UK reports.

The capybara, which is the world's largest rodent and is closely related to the gineau pig, is usually found in the grasslands of South America. It can grow to be up to 1.2 metres long.

The group of golfers who spotted it on March 16 at thought first though the usual critter it was a wild boar. They described it as looking "like a cross between a beaver and a bear".

The capybara has been spotted wandering the golf course a number of times since — but no one has been able to catch it.

The large rodent escaped from local exotic farm Ashlyn's Farm Shop, which is also home to buffalo, emus and wallabies.

Catch me if you can ... The capybara has managed to escape every time officials try to capture it. Picture: North Weald Golf Club Source: Supplied

Ashlyn's Farm Shop manager Rob Dixon confirmed they are missing a male capybara, but say they have not had much luck recapturing the runaway.

"We keep on trying to catch it, but as soon as we try and catch it, it's moved on or it jumps in the river and shoots off," he told The Telegraph.

"Next time we've got to get a vet out and try and tranquillise it."

"They run away from humans, they're quite shy," he said. "They're not like a rat, they're almost like a big hamster."

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Tallis: Maroons big men to fight it out

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IT is time for Queensland's forwards to stand up and show who really wants to play Origin this year.

I expect Mal Meninga will show a lot of faith with the team that delivered an eighth straight series win last year, but there are some positions that are safer than others.

Mal doesn't mince his words.

When I asked him on Triple M if the battle between Greg Inglis and Billy Slater was a great headache to have he replied: "What headache? 'GI' will be centre, Billy will be fullback, Cooper (Cronk) will be halfback and (Daly) Cherry-Evans will be 14."

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Mal knows who he wants and how he uses them is all that is to be decided.

The same applies to his forward pack, although I think there is a genuine battle going on for selection.

Cameron Smith, Matt Scott, Nate Myles, Sam Thaiday and Corey Parker are certain starters.

They will take five of the six positions in the forward pack and have done the job for Queensland many times before.

Greg Inglis and Billy Slater's Maroons positions are certain. Source: News Limited

The real battle is for the last spot in the starting back row and on the bench.

The way I see it, Matt Gillett, Ben Te'o, Chris McQueen, Josh Papalii and Dave Taylor are the ones fighting it out for those positions.

It's a pretty exciting time for Queensland when we have those quality players battling for a starting spot and bench spots and there is a chance that one or two of them could be missing out.

CHOPPY SAYS DRESS TAYLOR IN MAROON

We are probably one great front rower short too. There might still be a chance for someone like Ben Hannant or Dave Shillington to force their way back into the team this series.

Queensland is lacking a genuine big front rower who is playing quality minutes at the moment.

Dave Shillington has work to do to warrant a Maroons recall. Source: News Limited

Shillington and Martin Kennedy are probably the two biggest front rowers we've got, but neither of them has stood up this year.

I'm impressed by Kennedy's size, but at the moment he hasn't played like he is big. Everybody talks about how big and strong he is. At the Broncos they're super impressed by what an athlete he is, well it's not about what sort of athlete you are at training — it's about what you do on the football field.

Of Queensland's genuine big men, only Brenton Lawrence at Manly and Dylan Napa at the Roosters have put their hand up.

Josh McGuire is having a dig at the Broncos and while I would still like to see another front rower in the team, I don't think Mal will change the formula which worked well last year.

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Which means it's a battle between Gillett, Te'o, McQueen, Papalii and Taylor.

We have five guys with two weeks to show Mal how much they want to play for Queensland.

I think Gillett, Te'o and McQueen are slightly ahead — they might have their shorts and socks on but I don't think they have a mortgage on any jersey yet.

Taylor is the one with the best opportunity in the next two weeks.

Will Josh Papalii get another shot at Origin football? Source: News Limited

The Titans play South Sydney and then the Broncos.

He can show what he's got against the guys he is battling with for selection.

If he puts in 80 quality minutes in both games over the next two weeks, he will probably earn himself a spot on the Queensland bench.

I know people say players lift and form doesn't always matter, but the series is so tight now that you have to be going in playing good football.

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I want to see hard players over the next two weeks. No nonsense. Just tough and gritty performances from everyone.

It's not about what you're doing in the 60th minute. I'm watching right at the beginning. I want to see your intensity from the start and then I want to see those same efforts all the way through.

When it comes to Origin football, your intensity cannot drop for a second.

That is what you need to be showing us right now in the NRL.

Show Mal and show Queensland just how much you want that starting spot for Origin.

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Parra at war as tycoon blasts Eels

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PARRAMATTA'S civil war was likened to a contrived boxing bout on Tuesday, with former Macquarie Bank executive Bill Moss doubting the club's capacity to attract corporate support and win another premiership after Monday night's calamitous AGM.

A motion to appoint Moss as independent director was one of several defeated proposals from chairman Steve Sharp, who also endured the humiliation of being dealt a "no confidence" barb from former Eels CEO and political ally Denis Fitzgerald.

Sharp had earlier been verbally abused by ex-teammate and premiership prop Terry Leabeater, who was ejected prior to the meeting. As he left the room in company of two security guards, Leabeater berated Sharp and threw a voting paddle in his direction.

Former Eel Terry Leabeater's relationship with the club has deteriorated. Source: News Limited

Leabater later told The Daily Telegraph he'd mailed his 1986 grand final jersey back to the club in disgust, and claimed he was asked to leave for emailing Sharp a strongly worded message months ago.

On a night that raised the farcical bar for the strife-riddled institution, Sharp also failed in his bid to receive a $60,000 annual stipend and have sitting terms extended from two to three years.

But the biggest talking point was the failure of his motion to appoint Moss, recognised as one of Australia's most successful corporate bankers.

Moss last night told The Daily Telegraph: "It was a bit like going to a World Championship boxing match and getting beaten-up before you got there."

Bill Moss has admitted the situation at Parramatta is toxic. Source: News Limited

Although thankful for the support from Eels fans, Moss was taken aback by the number of "uneducated" comments from the floor. He also revealed that Leabeater had advised him to withdraw his nomination in the lead-up to the meeting, warning of a "s--- fight" at the AGM.

"It struck me as a set-up from day one," he said.

"There were people getting up and twisting the facts, talking rubbish. There were a lot of uneducated comments, a lot of emotive comments.

"Steve Sharp walked into an ambush and I felt sorry for him."

Eels CEO Scott Seward faces a tough task to promote a unified front for the club. Source: Supplied

Moss also expressed sympathy for CEO Scott Seward, who answers to a political maelstrom in the boardroom above.

"The losers (on Monday night) were the fans and the team," Moss wrote.

"Coming from a corporate background, when you look at sponsoring a team, you first look at their board and whether it ticks all the boxes. Companies need to have confidence in the board.

"Any potential sponsors sitting there (on Monday night) would not have been happy with what they saw.

"Having less sponsorship makes it harder to attract good players, which makes it harder to win premierships."

The Eels have a board meeting scheduled for later this month and directors could move to challenge Sharp's position after Monday night's drama.

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Kent: Does the NRL care about rep footy?

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SOMEBODY at NRL headquarters needs to dive into one of Jack Gibson's old quote books, take a strong whiff of the dusty wisdom inside, and reintroduce themselves to the story therein of ham and eggs.

Nobody ever said more with less than Jack, and the ham and eggs came up when he questioned a player's dedication to the team. Was he ham or eggs?

The player was puzzled, until Jack pointed the player to a breakfast of ham and eggs to highlight the difference.

The chicken is involved. The pig is committed.

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"You have to be committed to rep football," NRL head of football Todd Greenberg said on Monday, "if you are going to be genuine about it. And the (ARL) Commission is very genuine about rep football.

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"We want to make sure when people come into rugby league they aspire to play for their city, their state, their country — and to do that you need to be genuine about rep footy.

"You can't be any more genuine about it than taking a whole weekend out of our NRL competition to showcase games like City-Country."

And the A-League thanks them for it.

The evidence contradicts Greenberg's interpretation and suggests the NRL is not committed, but involved.

There were 11 players pull out of the City-Country game. All cited injuries.

Could they have played?

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Certainly some could.

Some have carried injury for weeks, in some cases needling themselves to get through their club games, but when faced with a rep jersey that wasn't Origin or Test level they rubbed themselves gingerly and asked, 'Do I have to'?

GALLEN: DALEY WAS GOING TO QUIT NSW

They didn't play.

Compare that to Paul ­Gallen, the Cronulla warhorse who returned early from injury to prove his fitness for Friday's Test. He wanted to play so much he put his body at risk to prove it.

Luke Brooks was withdrawn from U20's Origin — but what did he miss out on? Source: News Corp Australia

Robbie Farah is now attempting a similar show of fitness before Origin selection in less than three weeks, already back training just a fortnight after dislocating his elbow.

That same desire was not there for City-Country, no matter how "genuine" the NRL is.

On Monday Mick Potter justified withdrawing Luke Brooks out of another weekend rep game, under-20s ­Origin game, by claiming that Brooks was an NRL player and had moved beyond age group football.

GREENBERG: REP WEEKEND HERE TO STAY

It was a logical argument, soundly delivered, and it was hard not to agree with him on the first run.

Yet it highlights the great difference in philosophy of the NSW and Queensland camps — and underlines why the Blues keep getting it wrong. And maybe keep losing.

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While Brooks was withdrawing from NSW Anthony Milford was withdrawing from Samoa, which sparks another argument, to play in the same game for Queensland.

Potter saw no benefit for Brooks, and the NRL so genuinely committed to rep football allowed the Tigers to withdraw him without punishment, as they did when South Sydney withdrew Alex Johnston from the same game.

Should clubs place more importance on rep football?

NSW coach Laurie Daley was powerless. Yet Gorden Tallis pointed out there were unseen benefits for NSW.

Getting Brooks and Johnston in a camp environment, getting them used to a quick preparation, to new playing structures around unfamiliar players ... they are all preparation for what will hopefully be Origin careers down the line.

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On the flip side Queensland, whose attitude to the Maroon jumper puts them in the pig pen, made their desire naked. The Maroons' wish for Milford to play was basic: they wanted to begin indoctrinating him in the Queensland way as early as possible.

They would have started this week if they could.

Players were allowed to pick and choose all weekend about where or if they played, and the NRL blithely watched on and tried to convince us that by suspending the competition they are paid $200 million a year to host, they are "committed" to rep football.

Maybe they are. Or maybe they laid another egg.

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REWRITING THE FORM BOOK

BIAS dies hard in the NRL.

Eight rounds in and while most of us are dying slow deaths in our tipping competitions, a disrupted off-season coinciding with a rejuvenation at some clubs has contributed to produce an opening of bizarro results

And while very little has gone to historic form this season that is not always unusual as teams in the process of getting match fit tend to play a little inconsistently.

Always, though, form tends to level out after six rounds or so and we can start tipping according to historic bias.

Not this year.

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Heading in to round nine the fifth-placed Roosters are strong favourites against the fourth-placed Tigers. The seventh-placed Rabbitohs are favourites against the third-placed Titans.

Melbourne, in 10th place, is favourite against the second-placed Sea Eagles.

The 15th-placed Knights are favourites against the eighth-placed Panthers. The 12th-placed Cowboys are favourites against the sixth-placed Broncos.

Will we ever learn?

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‘I was racist against white people’

Tell-all ... Former Chicago Bulls star Michael Jordan has released a new book in which he admits to being racist against white people as a teenager. Source: News Limited

BASKETBALL legend Michael Jordan says that he considered himself a racist when he was a teenager and was "against all white people."

The confession comes from a new book, Michael Jordan: The Life, by Ronald Lazenby, which was released overnight.

Jordan said the Ku Klux Klan was dominate in North Carolina where he grew up in the mid-seventies, buying uniforms for sports teams and bibles for schools.

Jordan took up baseball before basketball and was one of only two black children on the team. He says he was often told he was inferior,

Jordan says it was after watching the miniseries Roots, about the suffering of his African American ancestors, that he began to understand more about race relations.

In 1977, he remembers a girl at school calling him a n*****.

"So I threw a soda at her," he says. "I was really rebelling. I considered myself a racist at the time. Basically, I was against all white people." was suspended for the incident. During that time it was his mother who convinced him that he could not go through life consumed by racial hatred.

Best of the best ... LeBron James #6 of the Miami Heat hugs Michael Jordan after defeating the Charlotte Bobcats. Source: AFP

Jordan, now 50, owns the Charlotte Bobcats basketball team. Last week he came out against Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling, who has been banned from the NBA over racist comments he made to his girlfriend.

"I look at this from two perspectives — as a current owner and a former player. As an owner, I'm obviously disgusted that a fellow team owner could hold such sickening and offensive views," Jordan said about Sterling. As a former player, I'm completely outraged. There is no room in the NBA — or anywhere else — for the kind of racism and hatred that Mr. Sterling allegedly expressed.

"I am appalled that this type of ignorance still exists within our country and at the highest levels of our sport. In a league where the majority of players are African American, we cannot and must not tolerate discrimination at any level," he said.

Jordan got remarried last year. His second wife, Yvette Prieto, a Cuban-American model, gave birth to identical twin girls in February.

Parents ... Yvette Prieto (L) and husband Michael Jordan have twin girls. Source: Getty Images

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