By Adam Cooper
October 4th 2009 @ 12:35am
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Ponting senses new era in one-dayers
Australian captain Ricky Ponting admires the rapid improvement his one-day side has made, but won’t be happy until they win Monday’s Champions Trophy final in Centurion.
Australia are one step away from becoming the first nation to successfully defend this title by walloping England by nine wickets in Friday’s semi-final at SuperSport Park.
After limiting England to [...]
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![Michael Tuck medallist Barry Hall couldn’t have started life at the Western Bulldogs any better, prompting many pundits to believe the Dogs have solved their ‘power forward’ problem and are now 2010 Premiership favourites. But some maintain it’s a matter of time before ‘Big Bad Barry’ has another brain-snap.
The 33-year-old, who controversially ended his time [...] Ben Somerford: Is it a matter of time before Barry Hall snaps again?](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/swans-story-barry-hall-th.jpg)
![Ryan Briscoe and Will Power. Hardly household names are they? Yet the Aussie pair, teammates at the legendary Penske team in the IndyCar series represent the best chance for Aussie sporting success on the international scene. The third? A familiar name who proved a big point on Sunday.
Power and Briscoe may not command back page [...] Adrian Musolino: The three most underrated Aussie sportsmen](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/three-most-underrated-th.jpg)
![There was a strange mood around the DW Stadium in Wigan on Saturday night following the Kangaroos defeat of England, and it was tricky to work out just what you’d witnessed and what it all meant. Saturday’s Test was certainly the best example of ‘a game of two halves’ I’d seen in a long, long [...] Steve Kaless: Kangaroos win a hard one to read](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/kangaroos-win-hard-one-th.jpg)
![We’ve all heard the argument against A-League fixtures clashing with FIFA dates and this weekend is a case in point. The FFA admits they’ll review the situation at season’s end, but with a congested fixture list next season, it’ll be a tough decision.
The 2010-2011 Hyundai A-League campaign will see eleven teams compete for the ‘silver [...] Ben Somerford: 33 or 22 Rounds in A-League Version 6?](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/five-reasons-a-league-th.jpg)
![As we try to cope with post-Ashes depression, let us select the best Australian and England cricket XIs based on their Ashes performances over the years in England. Call it a stimulus package after a lost weekend in rugby and cricket.
By using certain criteria and qualifications (aggregates in runs scored/wickets taken/dismissals made in Ashes [...] Kersi Meher-Homji: Ponting the only current player among Ashes titans](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/ponting-only-current-player-th.jpg)
![With his team 14-6 up after 65 minutes at an ANZ Stadium that was resembling the adjacent Aquatic Centre more and more as the game wore on, it looked for all money that Michael Ennis had secured victory for the Bulldogs.
Four Rabbitohs tried in vain to keep a firm grip on the rain soaked [...] Gabriel Knowles: Rugby league is doing away with the push and shove](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/league-doing-away-ennis-th.jpg)
![I thought I was persona non grata with Football Federation Australia but at least someone appears to be reading my work, judging from the Memorandum of Understanding that was signed late last week by the FFA and its Indonesian counterpart, the Football Association of Indonesia or PSSI.
While it stops short of a joint World Cup [...] Jesse Fink: FFA’s Indonesia deal a watershed for Australia](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/poisoned-chalice-allsopp-th.jpg)
![No doubt Lionel Messi, Xavi Hernandez and Andreas Iniesta were the stars of this wonderful Barcelona performance, but I want to pay a tribute to the unsung heroes and tactics that helped them claim their second European title in four seasons.
Leading in, I felt Manchester United held the aces. Not because they have the [...] Tony Tannous: Bow to Barcelona’s superb work off the ball](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/bow-to-barcelona-yaya-toure-th.jpg)
![As Australia gets ready to meet New Zealand in the first Test in Wellington, starting on Friday, let us go down memory lane and recall the first ever Test between the neighbours 64 summers ago.
It was also played in Wellington, in March 1946.
Historians will remember it as the first Test played after World War II. [...] Kersi Meher-Homji: Looking back at Australia’s first win against the Kiwis](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/new-zealand-vettori-th.jpg)
![When Sydney and Carlton meet in Saturday’s NAB Cup match the AFL will take a significant stride in it’s push into west Sydney with the first ever elite-level match at the GWS headquarters in Blacktown. And with the match already sold out, it could be quite the debut.
On the official Team GWS website yesterday it [...] Ben Somerford: AFL takes big strides into Western Sydney](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/top-5-afl-round-12-paul-roos-th.jpg)
![In the end the Wallabies defeated England quite comfortably 18 – 9 to win the first Test of this Grand Slam tour. This was a Test the Wallabies had to win. And they won it playing inventive, attractive and skilful rugby with a confidence that grew as the Test developed.
The Grand Slam dream remains alive, although [...] Spiro Zavos: The Wallabies slam England in a terrific Test](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/how-wallabies-look-th.jpg)



