Speed Skating

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Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Liam dukes it out with skate best BY SUHEIL DAMOUNY

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MITSUBISHI Electric Bulldogs’ Willie Mason and Andrew Ryan have been selected in the New South Wales Blues Origin team to face Queensland next Wednesday, July 4 at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. Mason will play his 10th game for his state while Ryan will appear for the 12th time

(two at Parramatta). The Bulldogs bounced back from a week of turmoil and a shocking start to crush highflying Manly 27-8 in Friday Night’s NRL match at Brookvale Oval. Down 6-0 following a try to Anthony Watmough after just three minutes, the Bull-

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dogs stormed back with four unanswered tries to end Manly’s ten-game unbeaten run at ‘Fortress Brookie’. Former Test centre Willie Tonga scored a first half double with Corey Hughes and backrower Nick Kouparitsas the other tryscorers. Continued page 78

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Blitzing Brookie

Pocket rocket Liam O’Brien glides across the ice. Photo courtesy SPORTSHOTS

THE State of Origin for Short Track Speed Skating, the Duke Trophy, is coming to Canterbury Ice Rink next month (July 28-29). Named after one of Australia’s best Short Track Skaters in the 1950s, Leonard Duke was the Australian Champion in 1951, setting records for the quarter mile (400m), half mile (800m) and mile (1600m). The Duke Trophy originated as a contest between New South Wales and Victoria in 1953 and is now also contested by Queensland. Promising speed skater and Sydney Arrows Ice Racing Club member, 8-year-old Liam O’Brien is strapping on his laces and ready to power through the ice representing his state and bettering the teams’ second place finishes in both 2005 and 2006. His first memories of ice skating was as a three-year-old learning how to figure skate, until one day he was approached to try speed skating and instantly fell in love with the amazing speed of the sport - with Liam capable of clocking a 111m track in under 18 seconds. “I train a lot and have a good technique. I have been to two national events winning the Open Nippers’ gold medal in Queensland. I beat competitors who are two years older than me,” he said. “Nationals is much tougher than The Duke but I think NSW will come second again, like in the past two years. Liam trains with state coach Maggie Holland at Canterbury on Mondays, Thursdays and sometimes on Sunday mornings.