Bellamy blows his top over NRL draw

Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy is threatening to withdraw some of his players from their 2013 round-two clash with North Queensland, saying the NRL draw threatens their health.

He also sees the draw as unfair with his team receiving five five-day breaks, more than any other side.

The defending premiers play the Cowboys in the heat of North Queensland on Saturday March 16, with the game kicking off at 6.30pm local time.

They are then required to return to Melbourne for a grand final rematch against the Bulldogs on the Thursday night, a five-day turn-around.

With the bulk of the team returning for pre-season training in Melbourne on Monday a furious Bellamy said the draw showed a lack of 'common sense'.

'The NRL and the Players' Association talked to doctors about the shoulder charge but is anyone talking to them about dehydration?

'It takes us a full day to get to the Cowboys and it's basically still summer time.

'It's really hot and humid and then it's a full day's travel back and then they expect us to play four days later.

'We're really worried about the welfare of our players, so we're told, but are any doctors being asked about their opinions on what this does to players.

'We feel we've been shafted with that turnaround between the Cowboys and Bulldogs.'

He said he would consider resting players from the North Queensland game.

'I'm really concerned about our players and if I think it's dangerous for some of our players then they won't be playing up there.'

The coach said he was made aware of the draw while enjoying a holiday break on a Queensland beach, late the afternoon before it was made public.

He said the NRL should follow the AFL's lead and give clubs at least a few days to voice their concerns about the draw.

'Then there's still time to perhaps change it.

'And going back to the AFL, none of their teams have five-day turnarounds and with all due respect I think our game's a bit more physical in contact than their game.'

Bellamy said it was time for the Players' Association to stand up for the players.

While most of the Storm players got their pre-season underway, superstars Cameron Smith, Billy Slater and Cooper Cronk won't be seen until after Christmas.

Veteran half Brett Finch, who is returning for a second stint, will be on deck in early December. 

Source  http://www.skynews.com.au/sport/article.aspx?id=820503

Manning avoids injury, stays in MVP hunt

The defense did all of the celebrating. The special teams did most of the scoring. But it was Peyton Manning who quietly and matter-of-factly led the Denver Broncos to a fourth consecutive victory at the Carolina Panthers.

Manning’s play in a 36-14 victory vs. the Panthers (2-7) strengthened the case for him to be the first MVP and comeback player of the year winner in the same season since the latter award was introduced in 1998.

He passed for 301 yards with a touchdown, completing 71% of his passes, as the Broncos moved to 6-3 and extended their AFC West lead to two games.

The only thing Manning didn’t do well Sunday was scramble. He escaped the pocket for 6 yards in the second quarter, sliding and jamming his knee into the ground when the knee brace he was wearing dug into the turf.

Manning sat and grimaced, stood and adjusted the brace and then completed his next three passes amid Denver’s run of 29 unanswered points. Broncos tight end Jacob Tamme, who made the hop from the Indianapolis Colts to Denver with Manning, saw the tail end of the play.

“I guess his brace buckled up or something, because when I saw it, I was like, ‘Ooh!’ You know? I asked him if he was all right, and he just kind of hopped up,” Tamme said. “Obviously it’s a priority for us to keep hits off of him, and everybody takes a lot of pride in that.”

Tamme said he had never played with someone as important to a team as Manning. “He’s a different type of player,” Tamme said. “Not only can you not replace what he does, you can’t really get an understanding for it unless you’re with him every week, preparing.”

The Broncos have shifted into a higher gear over the last month. The defense has posted 12 sacks over the last two weeks, with seven Sunday plus a few Superman celebrations mocking opposing quarterback Cam Newton’s signature move.

Special-teams newcomer Trindon Holliday has returned kicks for touchdowns in consecutive games.

And Manning has vaulted himself into the MVP conversation after a 2-3 start to the season.

With his first-quarter touchdown pass to wide-open Brandon Stokley, Manning tied retired Dan Marino for second all time on the NFL’s passing touchdown leaderboard with 420. Retired Brett Favre owns the record with 508.

Yet Manning says he’s not 100% after having offseason neck surgery. Furthermore, the Broncos aren’t clicking as well as he would like.

“I didn’t know what kind of progress I would make physically,” he says. “I’ve made some, and I continue to have some that I still need to make. I continue to do my rehab. And the team, I think we have improved on certain things and are developing some type of chemistry.

“This is not a team that has been together four or five years, so we still have some things we can do better.”

That’s evident to one man who’s close to Manning: former Colts general manager Bill Polian, who attended Sunday’s game along with Colts offensive coordinator Tom Moore to watch the Broncos quarterback.

“Obviously they need to do a better job protecting him,” Polian said of Manning. “He got knocked down a little bit more than I’m used to seeing.”

Polian lives in the area, having once served as general manager for the Panthers. He didn’t like seeing the Broncos’ protection break down early on a few occasions, leading to one sack.

Polian was one of two prominent former employees of Panthers owner Jerry Richardson on hand. Broncos coach John Fox was not retained when his contract expired after the 2010 season after nine years as Carolina’s coach. He didn’t express a desire to stick it to his former team, though his players recognized the significance and gave him the game ball. He wanted to avoid any emotional encounters before the game but got a hug from Carolina wide receiver Steve Smith as soon as he walked out of the tunnel leading to the field for pregame warm-ups.

“There’s a lot of people here that I have fond feelings about and players on the other side, so you try not to see them too much before the game,” Fox said. “But after the game, it was nice to see a lot of those faces.”

Source  http://tucsoncitizen.com/usa-today-sports/2012/11/11/manning-avoids-injury-stays-in-mvp-hunt/