He also had doubts, but Katich says Hughes will show up the critics

SIMON KATICH entered the office of Cricket NSW chief executive David Gilbert on a November morning in 2007, and told his boss that Phillip Hughes was not ready for first-class cricket because he could not handle the short ball.

Hawks Confident Of Ending Drought

FOR a team stuck in a five-game losing rut, the Wollongong Hawks have a surprising spring in their step heading into tomorrow night's road duel with Townsville.

Get Out Of The Cut Rut

The internet can do many things but should we really take advice on our next hairstyle from anonymous people in cyber space?

Rabbitohs' Revival Was Just A One-game Wonder

Raiders 38 Souths 10 SOUTH Sydney thought they had emerged from their rut two rounds back, when they beat North Queensland to record their first win of the season before having the bye last weekend.

From Butcher's Defensive Wall A Ray Of Hope Emerges For Sydney

IT'S the dead chestnut lying in the path of any team having trouble finding its way to victory. All week we've been told - by players, administrators and coach - that Sydney FC can turn the corner. But with virtually the same playing roster as last week, what can the team do differently to ensure that happens when they play Perth tomorrow? What can they do to haul themselves clear of the rut?

Hard Work Will Get Cats Out Of Rut: Mooney

GEELONG'S leaders will decide how to dig the Cats out of a form slide that Cameron Mooney has described as a rut. Mooney, speaking after the pre-season premier posted its third consecutive loss to Sydney on Saturday night, said the players had lacked confidence since being thrashed on their home ground by Hawthorn three weeks ago.

Clark On Road To Contentment At One Horsepower

TIM Clark has some sound advice for those in a rut. Clark, who plays a vital role in the stables of Gai Waterhouse, John O'Shea, Kevin Moses and co, has found a niche and with it peace.

Elementary As Watson Delivers, Martyn Flops

Australia emerged from their Ashes fog and Shane Watson suggested he may one day answer his country's prayers and morph into Andrew Flintoff. But the future looked bleak for Test discard Damien Martyn, who could find himself out of international cricket altogether if he does not pull himself out of his rut soon.

Martyn Under More Stress

AT FIRST the Ashes fog appeared to have lifted for Australia's batsmen when they took on the World at a thinly attended Telstra Dome last night, but it could engulf the international career of Test discard Damien Martyn altogether if he cannot pull quickly himself out of his rut.

Manly Agree: Put Up Or Shut Up

Manly's players have decided to stop talking about how to get out of their rut and intend to just go out and fix it against St George Illawarra tomorrow.

Sea Eagles Agree: Put Up Or Shut Up

Manly's players have decided words are cheap and have stopped talking about how to get out of a rut that could ruin their season. Instead, they have challenged each other to simply go out and do it against St George Illawarra tomorrow.

The Lessons From John Faulkner

Labor in a factional rut

Roos Takes It On Chin And Puts It Down To Experience

Swans coach Paul Roos yesterday accepted part of the blame for the Swans' ugly loss to St Kilda on Saturday night, before outlining a plan to get his young players out of their rut. "We've just got to make sure we keep coaching them," he said.

Turning Slow Starts Into Fast Finishes Can Be As Simple As Getting A Grip

Climbing out of an early-season rut is often just another one of the mental hurdles that rugby league throws up. Brad Walter reports.

Celebrity Analyst Holds Line On Us Forecasts

The US sharemarket has been in a rut since the end of January and is 11 per cent below where Abby Joseph Cohen thinks it should be - but Goldman Sachs' celebrity analyst is holding the line.

Investors Wary As Us Wobbles

Favourable winds that have supported the world economy this year appear to have stopped, with oil prices still hitting new highs, global share prices languishing and signs that the US jobs market has found a new rut.

Blundstone Puts In The Boot

Blundstone Footwear hopes a new focus on sales and marketing, plus the launch of its latest safety boot, will help rescue the company from its sales rut.

Bingo, Budweiser And Uzbek Transvestites: A Night On The Town In Tibet

This is a highway town, if you agree with the Chinese maps that claim this series of wheel-rut imprints running east-west across the centre of Tibet deserves the term highway.

Frills Can't Hide That Stuck-in-a-rut Feeling

ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND Rated: M. Starring: Jim Carrey , Kate Winslet , Kirsten Dunst , Elijah Wood . Critic's warning: Language, adult themes. Critic's rating: 6/10

Gambling Chips

With prices in a rut, now might be the time to buy into the North Shore.