Pirate Galaxy » njure Dorsett given the length of time for Green to deliver

Australias captain Steven Smith is staking plenty on his ability to get the best out of the New South Wales left-hand batsman Nic Maddinson, as a potential match-winner among the raft of changes made to the team for the day-night Test at Adelaide Oval.No name among the five to be included for Thursday - the others are Matt Renshaw, Pete Handscomb, Matthew Wade and Jackson Bird - stands out quite like that of Maddinson as an indicator that this is now very much Smiths team.On the face of it, his selection at No. 6 runs contrary to the teams desperate need for batsmen capable of playing a long innings and toughing it out during the difficult periods that have so wrecked Smiths chances of emerging as the winning captain across the past five Tests.However Smith believes he has seen welcome signs of evolution in Maddinsons methods over the past 12 months, backing a state team-mate he has known for many years to step up to the plate. In this there are distinct shades of Ricky Pontings faith in another destructive middle order performer - Andrew Symonds.I think on his day he can tear any attack apart, Smith said of Maddinson. I think the selectors have given him an opportunity to come in and play at No. 6, and I guess sum up the conditions and play with a bit of freedom at the same time.I think he has developed his defence over the last couple of years, from what I have seen he has been playing the ball a lot later and a lot more under his eyes, which is a very good start. From there he has certainly got the shots to expand his game, so hes going to continue to work hard and hopefully he can flourish in this system.The system Smith spoke of has been under serious strain over the past week, as evidenced by the resignation of the selection chairman Rod Marsh and the five changes that have been made to the Test team. Smith said he sensed a change in mood simply through the high turnover of players from Hobart to Adelaide.Weve obviously made a lot of changes and some young guys have come into the squad, Smith said. I think its obviously this series has been disappointing the way it has gone for us. But Im actually really excited now about the young guys coming into the group and what they bring.Ive almost felt a little shift over the last couple of days in attitude and energy from what the new guys have brought in. Im happy with the team that weve got, and Im excited about all these young guys coming into the group and what they can bring to the team.Smith has acknowledged that the players under his command must show a better ability to identify key moments in matches, particularly with the bat. I think the focus is more around attitude and being able to be more resilient and adaptable to whatever conditions that are out there and identifying periods of the game that are difficult and getting through those periods, he said.I think recently we have struggled to identify the periods that are difficult and we have talked about them afterwards where there were moments where we could have done things better. Its about trying to stay in the moment and identify those periods and get through those periods and when you do that things get easier.Similarly, Australias players are now hoping that the difficult period experienced over the past week will be identified by the selectors and other senior Cricket Australia figures as a time to aim for continuity. Its a difficult one, Smith said. You want guys to come in and perform and keep putting in those performances and be consistent. I think its a great opportunity to try and get a little bit of continuity with our team and try to make guys feel as comfortable as they can.I know when you feel comfortable and relaxed thats the way you play your best cricket. Its trying to get that feeling among the group, and make our mindsets right. I think its a great opportunity for me to stamp my authority on this team as the leader. I have talked a lot to the guys over the last couple of days about growth and trying to grow and learn as a team.Growth doesnt happen overnight, so it could take some time, but I am confident that with the guys we have here that we can start turning our results around straightaway and start playing the way we want to play. Wholesale Tigers Jerseys . Peter Holland and Brad Staubitz were sent to Toronto on Saturday as the Maple Leafs traded defenceman Jesse Blacker and draft picks to the Anaheim Ducks. Cheap Tigers Jerseys Authentic . -- Patrick Reed got an early start in golf. http://www.cheaptigersjerseys.com/ . Now that hes hitting streaking teammates with pin-point passes for easy layups, Love is asserting himself as one of the true superstars in the league. Cheap Tigers Jerseys China . James, who turned 29 on Monday, injured his groin Friday during the Heats overtime loss at Sacramento. He sat out the following game, a 108-107 win Saturday in Portland, before coming back to help send the Nuggets to their seventh consecutive loss. Cheap MLB Jerseys Authentic . -- Three close looks at the bucket, three misses.Got a question on rule clarification, comments on rule enforcements or some memorable NHL stories? Kerry wants to answer your emails at cmonref@tsn.ca! Kerry, I cant thank you enough for helping us understand how an official views, or should view, the game and enforce the rules. My question is about the high sticking call against Duncan Keith on Jeff Carter. My take on the play is this: Both players are coming up the ice well behind the play. Theyre likely sharing pleasantries and ultimately Carter slashes Keith. Now angry and hurting from the slash Keith lets his emotions get the better of him and he delivers a wreckless and very dangerous "High Stick" (I would call it a slash) to Carters face. Carter suffers an injury and misses the ensuing power play. As an official I would have given Carter a slashing minor and Keith a Match Penalty. I justify the Match Penalty in that there is no other intent but to injure when you swing your stick at someones head. Accidental or not I feel Referee Furlatt (the referee following both players up the ice and who called the penalty) made a serious error in his assessment of a Double Minor for High Sticking. This incident clearly transcended an accidental high stick. It wasnt as severe a blow or injury suffered, but from the live view inside the arena I flashed back to McSorely and Brashaer. I feel the league should suspend Keith for at least the remainder of the series if not longer as hes a repeat offender. What was your take on the play and whether it deserves supplemental discipline? PS: I think they should retire the No. 2 referee sweater and hang it in the HOF! Derek May Derek: Thank you very much for the kudos and being a loyal follower of Cmon Ref. You can also follow me on twitter (@kfraserthecall) for updates as these playoff games are being played. I can appreciate your perspective on this play as you described Duncan Keiths actions with an eye to common sense and logic. Who could argue with your assertion that bringing/swinging a stick up into someones head area is reckless and potentially dangerous? In this case, minor injury resulted with a gash to Jeff Carters chin. If a play of this nature was to occur in youth hockey I could totally understand (and expect) why you would call a match penalty. The fact of the matter is that a different standard of enforcement is most often applied in the NHL and other professional leagues. Before everyone starts jumping all over this reality statement, I would like to share the thought process used to differentiate between varying degrees of stick related infractions up to a match penalty for a deliberate attempt to injure an opponent. It might be like shifting and change at the end of this business day but I provide anyway. As Im sure you would agree, proving "intent" can be a difficult task. Several factors are taken into account for this purpose. I want to focus on the degree or severity of contact along with the time element taken to deliver a blow in retaliation as two of the primary considerations.dddddddddddd In the setup of this confrontation between Duncan Keith and Jeff Carter, it began in front of the Chicago net when the two players initially came together. Carter brought his hands and stick up into the face of Keith and then clamped his arm down stripping the Hawks defenceman of his stick. Somewhere during the play, Duncan Keith lost his left glove where it came to rest in the middle of the Hawks end zone. As Keith bent down to pick up the glove, Carter chopped down on the glove in close proximity to Duncan Keiths bare hand. While it is obvious the glove absorbed the brunt of Carters stick contact, Keiths hand may have felt some residual effect. At this point we examine Keiths reaction and method of retaliation. With an absence of time delay Keith immediately straightened up and brought his stick up and around in a reflex of retaliation with a one handed strike contacting Carter in the mouth. I say immediate because Keith had not yet taken the time to return the glove to his left hand. The one handed blow was certainly careless and demonstrates a poor decision made by Keith but the contact did not fall into the severe or excessive category that would typically result in a match penalty being assessed by a referee in the NHL. Keiths immediate reaction of remorse further demonstrates a lack of intent in an attempt to injure Jeff Carter through a premeditative strike. Let me further demonstrate the "time factor" from a play that occurred in Game 6 of the Rangers-Capitals series when Mike Green deliberately cross-checked Derek Dorsett in the mouth resulting in a cut to the Rangers mouth. A minor penalty was called on Green at 13:36 of the third period. I believe Greens actions fell into the match penalty category with a deliberate attempt to injure Dorsett given the length of time for Green to deliver the blow and the well placed location of the strike. Mike Green was not suspended as the series moved to Game 7. On the play you might recall Derek Dorsett took Green into the boards with an attempted slew foot causing Green to hit the boards awkwardly but he remained upright on his skates. Dorsett on the other hand fell to the ice onto his back. In the time it took for Dorsett to get off his back and onto his knees, Mike Green turned and looked at the referee standing in the corner to see if a penalty was being called against Dorsett. When he saw the Refs arm was not raised Green then turned his focus downward toward Dorsett, who was kneeling with his face fully exposed in front of the Caps defenceman. Mike Green then brought his stick up and deliberately cross-checked Derek Dorsett in the mouth with a downward blow. The time delay in this retaliation constitutes a deliberate attempt to injure as opposed to more of a reflex action that Referee Eric Furlotte correctly judged in Duncan Keiths one handed high-stick motion. Note: Following the publication of this article, Keith was suspended for one game by the NHL. ' ' '