By Wayne Heming
December 8th 2009 @ 2:00am
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We’ll trust our gut on Bird, says Titans boss
Gold Coast went with their proven “gut” in signing Greg Bird and are confident he won’t let them down, says the NRL club’s chief executive Michael Searle.
Bird has had past off-field issues but Searle said the former Cronulla star had no doubt there can be no repeat as he returns to the NRL after a [...]
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![There’s been much debate on David Gallop’s handling of the Sonny Bill Williams affair. And we hear loud rumblings that rugby league is in poor shape in Australia and that change is needed. So I invited Roar editor, Zolton Zavos, to put his thoughts forward on why he thinks Gus Gould might provide the solution, [...] Steve Kaless: Should Gus Gould replace David Gallop?](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/gus-gould-th.jpg)
![One of the highlights of Sydney Tests is the dinner hosted by The Australian Cricket Media Association (ACMA) to present the Australian Cricketer of the Year Award at Sydney Football Stadium.
This year’s winner was Shane Watson. Brad Haddin was the winner last year and Mitchell Johnson the previous summer. As this was a Silver Jubilee [...] Kersi Meher-Homji: Watson named Australia’s best by the media](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/australian-cricket-watson-th.jpg)
![Mike Hussey’s return to form in the tourists’ clash with England’s second string should silence the critics who were beginning to doubt him. One of the more surprising elements of the Ashes build-up has been, from both sides, the criticism levelled at Hussey.
Following a stellar start to his international career, Hussey’s descent to normality has [...] Alec Swann: Why Hussey has been a victim of his own success](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/why-michael-hussy-th.jpg)
![The Brisbane Lions incensed their Fitzroy support base late last month when they revealed a new club logo which didn’t feature the traditional Fitzroy lion. And Brisbane seriously risk abandoning all links with the Roy boys with plans for a new guernsey.
This story has been big news up in Queensland but if you’re from another [...] Ben Somerford: Is Brisbane’s guernsey the last straw for Fitzroy?](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/is-brisbane-guernsey-fitzroy-th.jpg)
![Some might not have you believe it, but the most pressing story to come from Australia’s 1-0 win over Indonesia on Wednesday night was not the emergence of Tommy Oar on the international scene. Oar stole the headlines, but a more pertinent issue remains: the Socceroos’ inability to turn its domination into more than a [...] Paddy Higgs: Socceroos goal scoring problem still not solved](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/joshua-kennedy-th.jpg)
![At 6.45am on Tuesday, my phone rang. It was Geoff Mould and he was as mad as hell about the demand by some senior Wallabies for $2,500 to play a trial match before the overseas tour.
Mould is a rugby guru.
He coached and selected the 1978 Australian Schoolboys side which is, arguably, the best rugby [...] Spiro Zavos: Wallaby disgrace! Money comes before the jersey](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/wallaby-disgrace-jersey-robbie-deans-th.jpg)
![I have watched live Test cricket since 1952 (Bombay Test between India and England remembered for centuries by Tom Graveney and my childhood hero Vijay Hazare) and televised Test cricket since 1970 (the Perth Ashes Test when Greg Chappell scored a century on debut).
Both have been experiences to cherish.
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![It was a good weekend for the underdogs in the Four Nations, and it’s almost beyond comprehension that England finished top of the table after their first forty minutes against France.
Without question the side that most impressed over the weekend was New Zealand.
Hit hard by injuries, the Kiwis showed their World [...] Steve Kaless: Four Nations review: Kiwis look the goods](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/four-nations-kiwis-warriors-th.jpg)
![The response to my pre-season article on Wednesday said it all. AFL fans really aren’t that bothered by the NAB Cup, and it is an attitude brought on by clubs not necessarily wanting to win the cup.
The AFL’s annual trial rules certainly don’t help, but the differing attitude of clubs towards the NAB Cup (which [...] Ben Somerford: Who actually wants to win the NAB Cup?](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/bombers-magpies-anzac-chris-bryan-th.jpg)
![There’s been a bit of significant Australian football news slipping under the radar recently. Last week Football Federation Australia announced they had signed an agreement with Indonesia that is intended to result in “a raft of exchange programs and more internationals between the two countries.”
As Matthew Hall wrote in his SBS blog, “Had you blinked [...] Davidde Corran: A raw deal is still the best deal for the Matildas](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/salisbury-matildas-th.jpg)
![Of all the conjecture surrounding Robbie Fowler’s shock omission from the North Queensland Fury line-up, not much of it has focused on the reasoning behind coach Ian Ferguson’s decision to change his formation and play a lone striker up front.
“We went down the line of changing my formation to 4-1-4-1 and I just needed a [...] Mike Tuckerman: Is physical football ruining the A-League?](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/fowler-smarts-th.jpg)
![AFL stars and fans are declaring war on Channel 7. And for good reason. The network has confirmed it won’t be showing Friday night AFL matches live, as it’s committed instead to Better Homes and Gardens.
The continuation of delayed coverage has the AFL world fuming and has already sparked discussion over the AFL’s [...] Adrian Musolino: Battlelines drawn over live Friday night footy](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/grant-birchall-hawthorn-th.jpg)



