Talk » that it helps me play a little faster

He is the secret weapon Cronulla hope will finally deliver them a maiden NRL premiership.Six months after revealing his boredom in the centres, Sharks star Jack Bird is thrilled by the possibility of being bombed in-field in next weeks preliminary final.Coach Shane Flanagan made the shock decision to bench starting halfback Chad Townsend late in their qualifying final win over Canberra, shifting Bird into the halves in the clutch.What has been overlooked was his initial plan to bring bench centre Gerard Beale onto the field late in the game and inject Birds attacking play at lock.That was the plan for Flanno, to put me at lock when them big boys are getting tired and try to beat them on their inside shoulders, Bird told AAP.It was something I was looking forward to actually, just to be around the ball a little bit more and get myself more involved.Unfortunately it didnt work out, but I went to five-eighth and thats the second best option.The NSW State of Origin representative hasnt played a minute in the midfield at club level this year, but is salivating at the thought of making the surprise move in a grand final qualifier.Flanagan has enjoyed the luxury of having a specialist centre in Beale or Ricky Leutele on his bench for most of this season, and could look again at using Birds thrust around the ruck.Bird, who was in a battle with Ben Barba for the fullback spot in the pre-season, concedes he has heard the calls for him to eventually find his best position in the forwards.But he hinted that it could happen sooner, against North Queensland/Brisbane next week.Ive heard a few talks around saying thats where Ill probably end up, playing lock. I played lock when I was younger. Its something I wouldnt mind doing again, he said.The way I play footy, I gotta be around the ball a little bit more. The more I get the ball in my hands, the better Ill be.The 21-year-old admitted he has had a number of discussions with Flanagan during the year on how to get more involved during matches.I havent spoken to him about playing lock, but Ive spoken to him about swinging on the other side of the field and that kind of stuff, he said.But its hard at centre - youve got to stick to your edges. But hopefully it happens somewhere down the track, but Im not too sure when.Miami Marlins Pro Shop .ca! Kerry, Two nights after the Scott-Eriksson incident in Buffalo, the Bruins returned home to play San Jose. In that game, Zdeno Chara put a check on Tommy Wingels that clearly targeted his head. 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Eden Hazard and Fernando Torres scored second-half goals to seal a fourth straight victory for Chelsea, which climbed above Arsenal and Manchester City in the standings ahead of their games on Monday and Sunday respectively.MADISON, Wis. -- Wisconsins defense could soon be getting an energy boost.Outside linebacker Vince Biegel is listed as questionable on the injury report to start practice this week ahead of the 10th-ranked Badgers road game Saturday at Iowa.Its a big step forward for Biegel, who has missed the last two games with a right foot injury .Wearing sweats before Saturdays game against Ohio State, Biegel jogged on the field and played catch. He did some light individual work before joining the rest of his team for warmups.Biegel looked like an unofficial coach the way he nervously paced the sideline and joined his team in defensive huddles during timeouts.But its been more of an energizing thing than an anxiety, coach Paul Chryst said Monday. The two games that hes missed to this point, that has bothered him a lot.When healthy, Biegel and fellow outside linebacker T.J. Watt form one of the best outside linebacker combinations in the Big Ten. Biegels outgoing personality is complemented by unique hairstyles that make him stand out.He has missed the loss to Michigan and to Ohio State, which sandwiched a bye week for the Badgers (4-2, 1-2 Big Ten).Vince loves playing the game and he really in all the right ways cares about this team, and so thats been the sting for him, Chryst said.The defense has played relatively well even without two starters at linebacker, though Wisconsin could have especially used Biegel last week against the Buckeyes.Inside linebacker Chris Orr was lost for the season in the opener against LSU because of a right knee injury. T.J. Edwards has stepped in for Orr. Garrett Dooley has moved into the starting lineup for Biegel, while freshman Zack BBaun has also seen more playing time in the outside rotation.ddddddddddddWatt has emerged into a force with 5 1/2 sacks. So has Jack Cichy, who was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week for a career-high 15 tackles in the 30-23 overtime loss to Ohio State last week.Cichy played inside linebacker in high school. But until midway last season, the former walk-on was playing outside linebacker.He earned the nickname Three-Sack Jack after getting sacks on three straight plays during Wisconsins win over Southern California in December in the Holiday Bowl.It seems that hes found a home on the inside.Its kind of helped me have a better understanding of the whole defense, in that it helps me play a little faster, a little freer, Cichy said. I know what some of the outside guys are doing, as well as what Im supposed to be doing on the inside, so I think it ties the whole picture together.That picture could get a whole lot brighter if Biegel is able to return against Iowa. Chryst said Biegels availability will be determined later in the week.With two losses in Big Ten play, Wisconsin is already two games behind undefeated Nebraska in the West Division. There is little room for error for the Badgers to reach the conference title game.I think we all know how Vince would approach that, Cichy said when asked if Biegel would lobby to be cleared for the Iowa game. It will be exciting to unleash him again, whenever that is.---Online:College Football site: http://collegefootball.ap.org---Follow Genaro Armas at: https://twitter.com/GArmasAP ' ' '