Sports Australia

It’s almost hard to believe that we’ve reached week four of the 2009 NRL Season, several clubs though are feeling it with injuries and more off-field issues dominating the tabloids.

On the injury front, Cronulla and Gold Coast appear to have lost their playmaking halves Trent Barrett and Scott Prince for at least a week.

Barrett has been named though we believe he won’t play, while the Titans ruled out Prince yesterday.

Reigning premiers Manly suffered a blow last night when Jamie Lyon walked off nursing a knee strain.

The off-field issues involving alcohol continue as more players come under the microscope.

Roosters star-duo Nate Myles and Willie Mason have both been stood down, while Gold Coast Ben Jeffery was fined $750 and had his licence suspended after being charged in December of drink-driving.

Meanwhile, the Sharks have offered former Raider Bronx Goodwin a lifeline with a contract for the rest of season 2009. Goodwin was stood down last July following a late night altercation which also included Todd Carney.

Carney was sacked on the spot, and subsequently linked with the Sydney Roosters for 2010.

Back on the field, and the Titans kicked off the weekend with a rousing win over the previous-unbeaten Bulldogs. The Wests Tigers fulfilled the engagement with the SFS and cooked a few Chooks in the housewarming comeback party.

Super Saturday saw wins for the Broncos, Eels and Storm. Parramatta snatched victory while Brisbane and Melbourne controlled its matches from the start.

South Sydney broke a six-year drought on the NRL’s Sunday opening game, scoring a win after being held scoreless in the first half, something the Bunnies had not achieve since season 2003.

The battle of the former Kangaroo coaches saw Wayne Bennett triumph over Ricky Stuart as the Dragons made its first appearance for the year at Kogarah-Jubilee Oval.

Penrith completed round three with a rousing win of their own, defeating Manly at Brookvale last night.

Round four kicks off with another blockbuster encounter as Bennett returns to Suncorp Stadium for a showdown with the Broncos, the club he coached for 21 years.

Brisbane have named prop Nick Kenny and centre Justin Hodges. Kenny missed the last two matches with a hamstring strain, while Hodges was rubbed out for round three with suspension.

With Mason and Myles relegated to feeder club Newtown, it paves the way for Frank-Paul Nuuausala and Shane Shackleton to take part in the Roosters forward pack.

Parramatta meanwhile has recalled Wellar Hauraki after serving a two-match suspension to partner Nathan Hindmarsh in the Eels’ second row.

Penrith hosts West Tigers on Super Saturday’s opening game, while the Storm and Titans do battle in the second game.

The Tigers have named an unchanged line-up, though added forward Rocky Trimarchi to a five-man interchange bench.

Melbourne has named a 19-man squad, while the Titans remain unchanged with Preston Campbell again in the halfback role.

New Zealand takes on the high-flying Rabbits on Sunday, South Sydney looking for another scalp and maintain its place in the top eight.

Rhys Wesser and Nathan Merritt have both been recalled for the Rabbitohs, David Kidwell and Luke Stuart both set to play their 200th NRL first grade game.

Bulldogs’ halfback Brett Kimmorley takes on his former club Cronulla at Homebush and Newcastle despite some venue issues host Manly in the late game.

Both the Knights and Sea Eagles are unchanged for the clash.

Canberra hosts North Queensland to close out round four on Monday night. Adrian Purtell and Alan Tongue are back, while NYC star Josh Dugan is poised for his NRL debut at the expense of David Milne and Brett Kelly.

Daylight saving time concludes this Sunday morning in New Zealand and Eastern Australia.

Below are all the team line-ups that were announced today, along with Radio and Television coverage details.

Brisbane Broncos vs St George-Illawarra Dragons
Friday night, April 3 @ Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Kick-off: 6:35pm (QLD/AEST); 7:35pm (AEDT).

Broncos: 1 Karmichael Hunt, 2 Antonio Winterstein, 3 Steve Michaels, 4 Justin Hodges, 5 Israel Folau, 6 Darren Lockyer (c), 7 Peter Wallace; 8 Nick Kenny, 9 Aaron Gorrell, 10 Joel Clinton, 11 Sam Thaiday, 12 Ben Te’o, 13 Corey Parker. Interchange: 14 Andrew McCullough, 15 David Taylor, 16 Lagi Setu, 17 Alex Glenn, 18 Ashton Sims, 19 Josh McGuire. *Two to be omitted*

Dragons: 1 Ben Hornby, 2 Brett Morris, 3 Beau Scott, 4 Darius Boyd, 5 Wendell Sailor, 6 Jamie Soward, 7 Mathew Head; 8 Jarrod Saffy, 9 Dean Young, 10 Michael Weyman, 11 Matt Prior, 12 Ben Creagh, 13 Jeremy Smith. Interchange: 14 Dan Hunt, 15 Neville Costigan, 16 Luke Priddis, 17 Trent Merrin, 18 Nick Emmett. *One to be omitted*

Live coverage on Channel 9 and Radio 2GB from 7:30pm (AEDT). Fox Sports Two late night replay from 11:30pm (AEDT). Check local guides for more information.

Sydney Roosters vs Parramatta Eels
Friday night, April 3 @ the Sydney Football Stadium
Kick-off: 7:35pm (AEDT).

Roosters: 1 Sam Perrett, 2 Sonny Tuigamala, 3 Mitchell Aubusson, 4 Sia Soliola, 5 Shaun Kenny-Dowall, 6 Braith Anasta (c), 7 Mitchell Pearce; 8 Mark O’Meley, 9 James Aubusson, 10 Frank-Paul Nuuausala, 11 Shane Shackleton, 12 Craig Fitzgibbon, 13 Setaimata Sa. Interchange: 14 Lopini Paea, 15 Martin Kennedy, 16 Ben Jones, 17 Jake Friend, 18 Sisa Waqa. *One to be omitted*

Eels: 1 Luke Burt, 2 Joel Reddy, 3 Ben Smith, 4 Krisnan Inu, 5 Eric Grothe, 6 Jarryd Hayne, 7 Brett Finch; 8 Nathan Cayless (c), 9 Matthew Keating, 10 Fuifui Moimoi, 11 Nathan Hindmarsh, 12 Wellar Hauraki, 13 Feleti Mateo. Interchange: 14 Kris Keating, 15 Joe Galuvao, 16 Tim Mannah, 17 Broderick Wright, 18 Todd Lowrie. *One to be omitted*

Replay on Channel 9 from 9:30pm (AEDT). Fox Sports Two late night replay from 1:00am (AEDT). Check local guides for more information.

Penrith Panthers vs Wests Tigers
Saturday evening, April 4 @ CUA Stadium, Penrith
Kick-off: 5:30pm (AEDT).

Panthers: 1 Lachlan Coote, 2 Michael Gordon, 3 Michael Jennings, 4 Brad Tighe, 5 Shane Elford, 6 Wade Graham, 7 Jarrod Sammut; 8 Matthew Bell, 9 Paul Aiton, 10 Petero Civoniceva (c), 11 Trent Waterhouse, 12 Nathan Smith, 13 Luke Lewis. Interchange: 14 Masada Iosefa, 15 Frank Pritchard, 16 Frank Puletua, 17 Gavin Cooper, 18 Tim Grant, 19 Adam Woolnough, 20 Joseph Paulo, 21 Maurice Blair. *Three to be omitted*

Tigers: 1 Tim Moltzen, 2 Taniela Tuiaki, 3 Dean Collis, 4 Chris Lawrence, 5 Beau Ryan, 6 John Morris, 7 Benji Marshall; 8 Bryce Gibbs, 9 Robbie Farah (c), 10 Keith Galloway, 11 Gareth Ellis, 12 Chris Heighington, 13 Todd Payten. Interchange: 14 Rhys Hanbury, 15 Dene Halatau, 16 Corey Payne, 17 Danny Galea, 18 Rocky Trimarchi. *One to be omitted*

Live coverage on Fox Sports Two and Radio 2GB from 5:30pm (AEDT). Check local guides for more information.

Melbourne Storm vs Gold Coast Titans
Saturday night, April 4 @ Olympic Park, Melbourne
Kick-off: 7:35pm (AEDT).

Storm: 1 Billy Slater, 2 Steve Turner, 3 Will Chambers, 4 Wille Isa, 5 Anthony Quinn, 6 Greg Inglis, 7 Cooper Cronk; 8 Jeff Lima, 9 Cameron Smith (c), 10 Adam Blair, 11 Wairangi Koopu, 12 Ryan Hoffman, 13 Dallas Johnson. Interchange: 14 Ryan Hinchcliffe, 15 Kevin Proctor, 16 Aiden Tolman, 17 Scott Anderson, 18 Joseph Tomane, 19 Matt Cross. *Two to be omitted*

Titans: 1 William Zillman, 2 Kevin Gordon, 3 Esi Tonga, 4 Brett Delaney, 5 Chris Walker, 6 Mat Rogers, 7 Preston Campbell; 8 Luke Bailey (c), 9 Nathan Friend, 10 Michael Henderson, 11 Anthony Laffranchi, 12 Mark Minichiello, 13 Ashley Harrison. Interchange: 14 Matthew White, 15 Brad Meyers, 16 Luke O’Dwyer, 17 Josh Graham, 20 Aaron Cannings. *One to be omitted*

Live coverage on Fox Sports Two from 7:30pm (AEDT).

New Zealand Warriors vs South Sydney Rabbitohs
Sunday afternoon, April 5 @ Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland
Kick-off: 2:00pm (NZST); 12:00pm (AEST).

Warriors: 1 Wade McKinnon, 2 Denan Kemp, 3 Patrick Ah Van, 4 Jerome Ropati, 5 Aidan Kirk, 6 Joel Moon, 7 Stacey Jones; 8 Sam Rapira, 9 Ian Henderson, 10 Steve Price (c), 11 Simon Mannering, 12 Jacob Lillyman, 13 Micheal Luck. Interchange: 14 Nathan Fien, 15 Russell Packer, 16 Jesse Royal, 17 Ukuma Ta’ai.

Rabbitohs: 1 Rhys Wesser, 2 Nathan Merritt, 3 Colin Best, 4 Shaune Corrigan, 5 Fetuli Talanoa, 6 John Sutton, 7 Chris Sandow; 8 Luke Stuart, 9 Issac Luke, 10 Roy Asotasi (c), 11 Ben Lowe, 12 Shannan McPherson, 13 David Fa’alogo. Interchange: 14 Craig Wing, 15 Eddy Pettybourne, 16 Jaiman Lowe, 17 David Kidwell.

Live coverage on Fox Sports Two from 12:00pm (AEST). Check local guides for more information.

Bulldogs vs Cronulla Sharks
Sunday afternoon, April 5 @ ANZ Stadium, Sydney
Kick-off: 2:00pm (AEST).

Bulldogs: 1 Luke Patten, 2 Hazem El Masri, 3 Josh Morris, 4 Jamal Idris, 5 Bryson Goodwin, 6 Ben Roberts, 7 Brett Kimmorley; 8 Ben Hannant, 9 Michael Ennis, 10 Michael Hodgson, 11 Gary Warburton, 12 Andrew Ryan (c), 13 David Stagg. Interchange: 14 Chris Armit, 15 Greg Eastwood, 16 John Kite, 17 Yileen Gordon, 19 Matt Utai. *One to be omitted*

Sharks: 1 Mitch Brown, 2 Misi Taulapapa, 3 Ben Pomeroy, 4 Blake Ferguson, 5 Luke Covell, 6 Trent Barrett, 7 Brett Seymour; 8 Kade Snowden, 9 Corey Hughes, 10 Luke Douglas, 11 Reece Williams, 12 Anthony Tupou, 13 Paul Gallen (c). Interchange: 14 Reni Maitua, 15 Jack Afamasaga, 16 Bryan Norrie, 17 Tony Caine.

Live coverage on Fox Sports Two from 2:00pm (AEST). Check local guides for more information.

Newcastle Knights vs Manly Sea Eagles
Sunday afternoon, April 5 @ Energy Australia Stadium, Newcastle
Kick-off: 3:00pm (AEST).

Knights: 1 Kurt Gidley (c), 2 James McManus, 3 Junior Sau, 4 Adam MacDougall, 5 Akuila Uate, 6 Ben Rogers, 7 Scott Dureau; 8 Mark Taufua, 9 Isaac De Gois, 10 Ben Cross, 11 Chris Houston, 12 Zeb Taia, 13 Matt Hilder. Interchange: 14 George Ndaira, 15 Marvan Karawana, 16 Richie Fa’aoso, 17 Danny Wicks.

Sea Eagles: 1 Michael Robertson, 2 Michael Bani, 3 Jamie Lyon, 4 Steve Matai, 5 Shane Neumann, 6 Chris Bailey, 7 Matt Orford (c); 8 Brent Kite, 9 Matt Ballin, 10 Josh Perry, 11 Anthony Watmough, 12 Glenn Hall, 13 Glenn Stewart. Interchange: 14 Heath L’Estrange, 15 Jason King, 16 Adam Cuthbertson, 17 George Rose, 18 Shane Rodney. *One to be omitted*

Live call on Radio 2GB from 3:00pm. Replay on Channel 9 from 4:00pm, check local guides for more information. Replay on Fox Sports 2 from 6:00pm (all times AEST).

Canberra Raiders vs North Queensland Cowboys
Monday night, April 6 @ Canberra Stadium
Kick-off: 7:00pm (AEST).

Raiders: 1 Josh Dugan, 2 Adrian Purtell, 3 Jarrod Croker, 4 Joel Monaghan, 5 Justin Carney, 6 Terry Campese, 7 Marc Herbert, 8 David Shillington, 9 Stuart Flanagan, 10 Josh Miller, 11 Joe Picker, 12 Bronson Harrison, 13 Alan Tongue (c). Interchange: 14 Tom Learoyd-Lahrs, 15 Trevor Thurling, 16 Glen Turner, 17 Nigel Plum, 18 Travis Waddell. *One to be omitted*

Cowboys: 1 Matt Bowen, 2 John Williams, 3 Ashley Graham, 4 Ty Williams, 5 Ben Farrar, 6 Travis Burns, 7 Johnathan Thurston (c); 8 Shane Tronc, 9 Aaron Payne, 10 Antonio Kaufusi, 11 Carl Webb, 12 Ben Harris, 13 Luke O’Donnell. Interchange: 14 Clint Amos, 15 Scott Bolton, 16 Matthew Scott, 17 Manase Manuokafoa, 18 Steve Rapira. *One to be omitted*