By Wayne Heming
June 18th 2009 @ 7:14am
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Blues will do whatever it takes, warns Civoniceva
Ageless prop Petero Civoniceva says Queensland must be ready to quell a desperate NSW side committed to doing “whatever it takes” in Wednesday night’s defining State of Origin clash.
The 33-year-old warhorse, who has gone into battle 24 times previously for the Maroons, believes the Blues have resorted to a team for game two with added [...]
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![During Friday night’s West Coast-Essendon preseason hit-out, some time in between feats of Nic Naitanui brilliance, a curious umpiring decision managed to raise a few eyebrows.
Right before half time, a goal umpire awarded a crucial six points to Eagle Andrew Embley. The decision put the Eagles in front seconds away from the siren. However watching [...] Michael DiFabrizio: Video replays shouldn’t do the work of umpires](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/grand-final-afl-umpire-accuracy-th.jpg)
![The tide of public opinion seems to be turning against Fox Sports. With A-League crowds dipping, the fact the league’s reach is limited by that of Foxtel’s is not lost on those who are searching for answers to explain the disinterest.
Even its presenters, such as the likes of Mark Bosnich, aren’t spared from the [...] Adrian Musolino: Are A-League fans right to criticise Fox Sports?](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/central-coast-mariners-player-drain-th.jpg)
![On Saturday, La Gazzetta dello Sport declared it the greatest derby in the world and the game hadn’t even happened yet. The pink sport daily had “analysed” all of Europe’s other derbies and decided none had as many titles between them, as big attendances or successful teams as the Derby Della Madonnina.
La Gazzetta’s liberal criteria [...] Davidde Corran: Is this the greatest derby in world sports?](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/serie-a-th.jpg)
![Just to prove that journalist can multi-task with the best of them, I watched the NSW Waratahs defeat the gutsy Queensland Reds in an unconvincing fashion at the Sydney Football Stadium while plugged in to ABC 702 to listen to Phillip Hughes smashing the much-vaunted South African bowling attack to all parts on and [...] Spiro Zavos: Phillip Hughes is bound for glory](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/phillip-hughes-bound-for-glory-th.jpg)
![If you can’t beat them, join them. So let’s have a Rugby Union Queensland Vs NSW State of Origin series. The notion was floated by John Connolly in his review of the upcoming Super 14 Waratahs-Reds match at the Sydney Football Stadium.
My original reaction that that Connolly was an old Queensland warhorse who was missing the [...] Spiro Zavos: Let’s have a Rugby Union State of Origin](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/union-state-of-origin-beale-horwill-th.jpg)
![The long wait ends this Friday night when AFL footy returns with the NAB Cup kicking off in Perth. But after a dramatic off-season the new campaign will offer plenty of subplots to keep everybody interested and the pre-season competition presents us with our first insights into it all.
Indeed, this season’s Trade Week was one [...] Ben Somerford: Five things to look out for this AFL pre-season](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/grant-birchall-hawthorn-th.jpg)
![Brett Lee has been back in the news in the last week, and depending on which paper or website you were looking at, he’s either crucial to Australia’s future campaigns or he may never play again.
In many ways, he’s the forgotten piece of the ever-growing puzzle that is the Australian fast-bowling attack.
There are a few [...] Brett McKay: The curious case of Brett Lee](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/brett-lee-ab-th.jpg)
![With his fourth NRL Grand Final in a row coming up on Sunday, and another championship ring likely, the question has to be asked: Is Craig Bellamy our best coach in any Australian rugby code right now? The answer, in my opinion, is not yet.
He is undoubtedly the finest rugby league coach of his generation.
In [...] Spiro Zavos: Is Craig Bellamy our best coach, league or union?](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/is-craig-bellamy-th.jpg)
![Forget for a moment the cause of Robbie Fowler’s tiff with North Queensland Fury coach Ian Ferguson – that type of disagreement can happen at any club in any league around the world. What’s been fascinating is the response from the public and media.
For the uninitiated, Fowler refused to play on Saturday night against [...] Adrian Musolino: Fowler ‘crisis’ shows A-League’s precarious state](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/fowler-smarts-th.jpg)
![While the Australia 2018-2022 bid might have taken some succour from the withdrawal of Mexico from the race for hosting the World Cup, there looms a significant event on the horizon that will pose a whole new challenge: the official launch of the Russia 2018-2022 bid by the Russian Football Union before the October 10 [...] Jesse Fink: The Russian bear roars](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/the-russian-bear-roars-th.jpg)
![The Expert Determination Panel, otherwise known as Barry Paterson QC, a former New Zealand High Court judge, and David Kirk, former All Black captain, lived up to its grandiose title in allocating the fifth Australian Super Rugby to Melbourne.
The decision was a determined one, in that the madcap South African bid was rejected, and [...] Spiro Zavos: SANZAR finally gets it right on Melbourne](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/next-five-things-john-oneill-th.jpg)
![More than two million viewers tuned in to see Jelena Dokic lose to Dinara Safina in her quarter-final. Two million! That’s more than any cricket match could attract. Actually, make that most male sports.
It’s a sign of how far women’s tennis has come.
The fact that women’s Grand Slam tennis rates so well is the main [...] Benjamin Conkey: Women tennis stars need to play best of five-sets](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/maria-sharapova-grunts-th.jpg)




Camillos Lakae said | June 18th 2009 @ 9:10am | Report comment
The criticisms about Lockie’s defence by the Blue’s coache is nothing but a desperate attempt by Bellamy to distruct Lockyer from concentrating fully on his plans for origin 2 game. Lockyer has in the past proven himself to be a class player both in origin and NRL games and I’m preety sure such negative comments will only add fuel for him to leap higher.
Richard Brockhurst said | June 22nd 2009 @ 9:40am | Report comment
Could be a bit of petro on the fire.