The Sydney Morning Herald from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia • Page 49

SPOR Tania Van Heer Ma Li a Rnrlnox PqHd Whi ha'c I 1U.UU WWIIJf IIW worth a million bucks peace with Nov PAGE 46 PAGE 46 fo stoma jteiniiflliB 'M hi. in king ((5o Low-key arrival just the shot for underdone tourists CRICKET Two-year ban hanging over Raider heads LEAGUE match, so we've got to get into it straight away. "We're not here to warm up for the Australian season. We're here for 10 weeks, a long time, and we want to win over here. And then there's a Test in Zimbabwe, too, which will be a good challenge." Waugh said they would need to work hard over the next few days before the one-day series starts in Galle, south of Colombo.

"I picked up a bat for the first time on Friday. So we're going to be fresh, but I don't know how good we're going to be. We've just got to work hard in the few days we've got here." Waugh was pleased with the relaxed feel of Colombo despite concerns in Australia about the team's security because of some terrorist activity in recent weeks. "Our welcome was pretty low-key last night compared to other visits to the subcontinent," he said. "It was almost surprising.

There was very little fanfare. It was good. We just slipped in quietly. So far it's been great, so I don't think there'll be any problems. "I think it will be pretty much as normal: make sure you take a security guard with you if you're going out somewhere and stick together as much as possible.

I don't want to get stuck in the hoteL There's no point in touring if you're going to do that I want to get out and have a look at the place." Waugh dismissed Ricky Pont-ing's unfortunate comments about not wanting to come here at all by saying they were a joke made at a function and did not reflect Ponting's true feelings about his visit to Sri Lanka. Waugh also repeated his assertion from last his mind to the approaching one-day and Test series, consigning the World Cup and its celebratory aftermath to history. "We had a dinner in Brisbane and, in a way, that was the last of the World Cup," Waugh said. "It was fantastic, but you can't hang your hat on that all the time. So now it's time to get back into the serious work." Although he admitted he and his players would be a little rusty after the break following the World Cup, the Australian captain gave this triangular one-day series between Sri Lanka, India and Australia as high a priority as any Test match.

"This is the real thing," Waugh said. "It's always the real thing. This game the first against Sri Lanka on Sunday is as important as any other one-day game or Test year that the tour to Pakistan this time last spring was a turning point in the team's attitude to touring the subcontinent "Pakistan was a big turning point for. us," Waugh said. "Guys got out and embraced the culture a bit more than in the past and found that it's not that scary out there.

I think that's slowly turning around and guys are wanting to have a look around." Although Waugh is aware that some players will always prefer to stay close to the hotel, he was confident more would follow his lead and soak up the culture of the country. "It gets passed onto the guys but you're not going to lecture them," he said. "Gradually they catch on and once they get out there, it's not too bad. But it's not for everyone. Some guys like to stay around the hotel and watch TV.

That's their choice and they can do that" Not the captain, though. He has already queried members of the Australian media, who have been here for a week, about some of the better places to-visit with his camera. The priority for many other players was to sign on to a local Internet service provider. Two-thirds of the team now carry laptop computers when they travel the world. Waugh was also unfussed about any possible problems with the Sri Lankan players, particularly deposed captain Arjuna Ranatunga.

"Well, he sent me a fax after we won the World Cup, so I think everyone mellows with age," Waugh said. "But I'd like to think we're still going to get stuck in." MARK RAY in Colombo Although the population in the lobby of the Australian team's hotel here suddenly increased once Steve Waugh's side arrived on Tuesday night, the odds are that most were not local fans but plainclothes security people. Waugh described the team's arrival as pleasantly but nevertheless there are many more security personnel here now that the Australians have arrived for their eight-week tour. Army personnel and one of their sniffer dogs scoured the team's hotel And Colombo police, not taking any chances, raided two suburbs and detained 20 people suspected of being members of a Tamil separatist group. But Waugh was eager to turn 71 and ihjales TKM.

SI eager 11 To jm (i oe Cup or. to piay i RUGBY shoulder reconstruction Manly's Geoff Toovey and Johns. But the-thcn-20-year-old was dumped from the team after he exposed himself to a woman during a team bonding session at a Coogee hotel Despite the embarrassment caused to the code, NSW selectors gave Gower a second chance during Origin I before dropping him in favour of Toovey. Selectors said the job of fullback would be fought out among Melbourne -and NSW player Robbie Ross, Brisbane's Darren Lockycr, Newcastle's Robbie O'Davjs and the Sharks' David Pcachey. Australia play New Zealand in Auckland on October 15 followed by an October 22 clash with Great Britain in Brisbane.

The series final is at the Sydney Football Stadium on November 5. The Newcastle Knights are confident of retaining Peter Shiels after encouraging talks with the second-rower. Shiels, who makes his return on Saturday after two months out, is considering the Knights' offer of a three-year contract "We spoke today and they put an offer to me so now I've just got to weigh up my options and think about a few things but I don't want to let it drag on too long," Shiels said. Prop Clinton O'Brien is yet to come to terms on a new three-year deal with the Knights as both sides haggle over the final details. Newcastle have re-signed captain Tony Buttcrfield for another season and centre Mark Hughes for three more years but winger Jason Moodie has agreed to a two-year deal with Parramatta.

Auckland hooker Robert Mears was ready to quit the game until the Warriors threw him a lifeline earlier this year. The former Sydney City and Canterbury lower-grader had "retired" to the Central Coast this year after failing to come to terms for another season with the Bulldogs. The Warriors recruited him in May when they lost first-choice dummy-half Jason Death to injury but Mears has played well enough to keep his spot even after Death's return. "I was just stoked to get back to playing grade footy. It was great to get another shot at it" Mears said.

AAP Paul Kent's comment Page 46 Canberra's Ben Kennedy and Brandon Pearson may hold an unenviable place in rugby league history if found guilty tonight of taking ecstasy despite returning negative drug tests. The pair face up to a two-year ban from the National Rugby League if the anti-dop-ing tribunal finds them guilty of using drugs during a drinking session in Canberra last month. Kennedy, who signed with Newcastle last month for an estimated $2 million, will plead not guilty when asked if he consumed any illegal drug. But Pearson, in a statement to the NRL, has admitted taking ecstasy and offering Kennedy a half-tablet which the NSW forward refused. The problem facing the anti-drugs tribunal is the pair gave negative results when drug-tested by the Raiders two days after the night in question.

Kennedy's manager John Fordham yesterday had no concerns his client would be tarnished by anything Pearson might say tomorrow night "Kennedy is innocent and we're very confident of the outcome," Fordham said. In tri-nations news, injuries, retirements and some spectacular performances have made some selection tasks easier but others much harder when picking the Australian team for the October series. The easy choices start in the halves, with selectors already acknowledging skipper Brad Fittler will be named five-eighth and Newcastle's Andrew Johns will take over from the retired Allan Langer at halfback. Penrith coach Royce Simmons has pushed for Ryan Girdler to be handed the No 3 or No 4 green and gold jumper following an impressive State of Origin debut this year and outstanding performances over the past few weeks. "He's a special type of player," Simmons said.

Selectors Eddie Lumsden and Les Geeves confirmed Girdler was high on the list of candidates for the centres with Canterbury's Darren Smith, Manly's Terry Hill and Sydney City's Matt Sing. But Simmons believes selectors can't look past Craig Gower to take over as hooker. Gower was the only surprise call-up to the Anzac Test team when named hooker ahead of Canterbury's Jason Hethering-ton now unavailable due to a whether I'd be in the starting line-up; if anything I would be on the bench." Eales was one of many to praise Larkham's endeavours: "Stephen certainly handled himself well out there and controlled the play very welL "Still, it's hard to compare this with a Bledisloe Cup match because you need a different type of fitness for that type of match compared to tonight's run-around. The scrum is a huge focus in Bledisloe Cup, so in some ways tonight was a little easier." There were others in the Barbarians line-up who stood out Latham, for one, could easily find himself back in the Test starting line-up, probably on the wing, after a swashbuckling performance. He was involved in everything, passionately joining the backline whenever possible, and his ball-handling was exceptional.

Almost as impressive was winger Scott Staniforth, who finished with two tries, including an 80-metre sprint to outrun Sevens wizard Waisale Serevi after the visitors spilled the ball in the Barbarians' quarter early in the second half. In the forwards, the Barbarians' back row of Willie Ofahengaue, Keith Gleeson and Finegan were all-encompassing, with the latter enjoying a pair of tries, including one which involved an extraordinary chip and regather. If the Australian selectors had any fears their backline depth was flimsy, they would have been dispelled in the first half. They played with the true Barbarians spirit, ignoring midfield positional kicking to spin the ball as wide and as often as possible, giving all the backs ample opportunity to show off their speed and ability to beat an opponent Larkham, as usual refusing to be hurried in his options, repeatedly threw cut-out passes and deceived the inner defence with his sleight of hand, sometimes holding back the pass to create a gap. His best moment of the first half came in the 32nd minute when the Fijian defence hung off him, expecting him to offload to the blind side.

Running across field to link with his fullback, Larkham threw little dummy after little dummy before passing to Latham, who joined the line at pace and, with the line clear 15 metres ahead, was able to finish off a well-tuned move. Latham would have enthused the Australian selectors with his eagerness to always play at pate. Obviously realising there have been concerns over Matthew Burke's reticence to join the Test backline attacks since his return from injury, Latham made certain he did all he could to be at the centre of virtually all of the Barbarians' midfield charges. AUSTRALIAN BARBARIANS 31 (0 Finegan 2, Staniforth 2, Latham tries; Eales 3 goals) bt Fill 25 (I Tikomaimakogai, Rouse, Satala, Serevi tries; Little pen goal, Serevi goal). Crowd: Abt 17,000.

Referee: Marshall. GREG GROWDEN Chief Rugby Correspondent BARBARIANS 31 FIJI 25 Stephen Larkham and John Eales last night put their hands up and said they were ready, willing and able to play for Australia in the deciding Bledisloe Cup match against New Zealand at the Olympic stadium next week. Both survived the Australian Barbarians try-fest at North Sydney Oval and are strong possibilities of being included in the 22-man Wallaby squad to be announced this morning. Larkham was the more impressive of the two, playing with great poise in the midfield, taking on the Fijian defence and mixing up his options well. In front of a capacity crowd, the Test pivot looked as though he had been sidelined for just a few weeks rather than many months with a knee injury which forced him out for most of the Super 12 tournament Larkham was involved in the lead-up to several of the Barbarians' five tries, and his assured and controlled passing was in marked contrast to the continuous blunders from a frazzled Australian backline against South Africa in Cape Town last weekend.

For many representative coaches, his performance last night would have been enough to warrant his recall. But Australian coach Rod Macqueen is the most cautious of leaders and may choose to pick Larkham on the bench rather than in the starting line-up against New Zealand, and give him some time late in the match if possible. Two other players in the victorious Barbarians line-up may have won themselves Test spots, with Owen Finegan also returning from serious injury to lead an excellent back row, while Chris Latham was easily the best of the backs. Eales was more subdued than Larkham, but he showed his fitness is improving and he is not far from being ready for a return to the top level. After the match, Eales was asked what his reaction would be if Macqueen invited him to play in the Bledisloe Cup match after just two games since recovering from a serious shoulder injury.

Eales replied: "Of course I'd love to play. Obviously there is still room for improvement in my game, especially my reaction time. But I think I would hold myself up OK in a Test match. "I am very keen to get back in the Test team and can't wait to get back, because every time you are not playing you are so disappointed not to be out there with your Wallaby teammates." Larkham was even more enthusiastic about what his response would be if contacted by Macqueen. "Do I want to play? In front of a capacity 110,000 crowd at a Bledisloe Cup? Of course I would say yes," Larkham said.

"Still, I doubt very much r. 1 "') I ttey latest star to fail nandrolone test ATHLETICS Back where he belongs Barbarians second-rower John Eales takes to the air in last night's match. Photo by STEVE CHRISTO ships and Olympics since 19S0, but has just two golds, from the 1993 and 1995 200m races. Ottey is the latest in a string of top athletes to test positive for drugs. Cuban high jump Olympic and world champion Javier Soto-major was caught for cocaine abuse at the Pan American Games last month.

Only djys later, 1992 Olympic 100m champion Linford Christie also tested positive for nandrolone. Earlier this week the International Amateur Athletic Federation confirmed that Ben Johnson would remain banned for life after a second positive test back in 1993, and that US sprinter Dennis Mitchell would have to serve a two-year ban for a positive test for testosterone. Meanwhile, Sri Lankan sprinter Susanthika Jayasinghe is boycotting her compatriots at the world championships because she fears officials will spike her food. The 200m runner a silver medallist at the previous world championships has reportedly asked the organisers to provide her with accommodation outside the games village. Jayasinghe, who tested positive to a steroid, was banned in April last year.

Her saspcasion was lifted four months later after a local hearing, but the IAAF has referred her case to an arbitration pancL Jayasinghe has also accused local officials of sexually harassing her and attempting to ruin her athletics career. Dash for track tickets Pag 46 Ailing selectors finally given something to smile about Seville: Sprinter Merlene Ottey became the latest big-name track and field star to fail a drug test when it was revealed on Wednesday she had tested positive to the anabolic steroid nandrolone after a meeting in Switzerland. "I owe it to my family, my country, my beloved sport and all my fans around the world to prove that this is a terrible mistake and that I will do everything in my power to find the truth and prove my innocence," Ottey said in a press release. Ottey's management company, the Liechtenstein-based Fritz-Kaiser-Group, said she failed a drug test after winning the 1 00m on July 5 in Lucerne and that FKG was informed about the test result last Sunday. The statement said Ottey would not participate at the world championships, which start here on Friday.

"I have lived my personal and athletic life with the utmost honesty and integrity," Ottey said. "I have applied all the highest ethical standards to myself and expect the same from others. I have always proclaimed fairness in sport and adamantly oppose all use of banned substances." Ottey, 39, now faces a two-year ban from competition that would end a glamorous career spanning almost two decades and highlighted by heartbreaking defeats rather than triumphs. She has amassed 25 minor medals from world champion COMMENT was to give the players "further time to recuperate" from their South Africa trip. But there is more to it While the issue is not a major drama, it is known that the Caloundra experiment is starting to wear thin.

Several players are finding it difficult to cope with spending the bulk of the representative season cooped up with teammates. When a team is winning, everything is fine. But when a team is losing, being in such close proximity for so long can cause irritations. Two more days at home with family and friends is probably the best news the Wallaby players have had all week. pathetic backline performance against the Springboks last weekend, Macqueen wouldn't need much prompting to rush Larkham straight back.

The Test pivot surprised many with his efforts last night, considering his long lay-off, but it would be far wiser for the sake of Australian rugby if Larkham was slowly eased back. If Australia are to win the World Cup, they must have a fit and confident Larkham. The Wallabies run the risk of crucifying him if they rush his return. Last night was only his second major match on the recovery trail A far smarter decision would be for Larkham to be included on the reserves bench, giving Macqueen the option of bringing him on late in the Cup match. After all, Larkham can cover at least four positions in the back-line, having already appeared at halfback, five-eighth, fullback and centre at club level and above.

Larkham conceded that his fitness was not quite 100 per cent It may be dangerous to gamble with him, especially as the likes of outstanding All Black breakaway Josh Kronfeld are bound to target him. Nonetheless, it was pleasing to witness how eager Larkham was to do all the hard work not holding back in the tackles, the midfield runs and the changing of options. His midfield kicking game was not exposed, as it was not that type of match. Eales is expected to be moved back into the Test second row, and he looked ready for a recall. But do not be surprised if Finegan is a surprise inclusion in the Wallaby back row this morning.

Macqueen is an unabashed Finegan fan, and the forward did everything right last night, producing fee highlight of the game with a clever chip and regather. If Macqueen wants to bolster his back row with some hard nuts, then Finegan is definitely the man. Latham is also worthy of a Test spot, as he was the most accomplished attacking player on the field. He has been the unluckiest of Test performers this season, doing nothing wrong as Matthew Burke's replacement during the regular fullback's long period on the sideline. Already officials have shown commonsense in giving the Australian players an extra two days at home before re-assembling at their training camp in Caloundra on Saturday.

The official reason given yesterday by the Australian Rugby Union for the change of assembly time from Thursday to Saturday GREG GROWDEN Wallaby coach Rod Macqueen and fellow selector Jeff Miller were last night confined to bed, fighting the flu but they would have found some relief by watching the performance on television of four players fighting for a Test recall: John Eales, Stephen Larkham, Owen Finegan and Chris Latham They may be persuaded to pick all four in the 22-man squad for the Bledisloe Cup match against New Zealand because all had their moments for the Australian Barbarians against Fiji last night Disgruntled by Australia's a CM.