Linnane agrees to stay with Halifax

Steve Linnane has agreed a one-year contract extension as coach of Halifax after being assured that he will not have to sell any more players.

Linnane lost Danny Tickle to Wigan in a £90,000 deal last week, but said yesterday: "We won't be selling any more players, that's for sure. "That was just an offer the club couldn't refuse. I needed some assurances from the club, but now we know where we stand.''

Keiron Cunningham will make his comeback for St Helens after a broken hand in tomorrow's game against Bradford, giving him two matches to confirm his recovery before flying out to Australia with Great Britain at the end of next week.

"With those two games under his belt, he will be firing on all cylinders against the Kangaroos,'' said his coach at Saints, Ian Millward.

Queensland have retained the State of Origin series in Australia after coming from behind to draw the third and deciding match against New South Wales in Sydney 18-18. Dane Carlaw's try in the last minute tied the scores and the series after Queensland had been pegged back twice in a match that showed the quality Great Britain will face on 12 July.

They led through tries from Lote Tuqiri and Shaun Berrigan, but converted tries from Steve Menzies and Jason Moodie gave the home side the lead at half-time.

Shane Webcke put Queensland back in front and they would surely have won if Darren Lockyer had not had a try controversially disallowed by the video referee. Moodie's second try gave NSW the edge, but Carlaw gave his team a deserved draw.

"I'm feeling empty," the NSW captain, Andrew Johns, said. "We had it won and then we lost the match and the series. We worked so hard – I just can't describe how I feel."

The best amateur side in England, West Hull, have been relegated from the Premier Division of the National Conference after failing to fulfil a fixture. Premier Division clubs have voted to send West Hull, grand final winners last month, and champions for the past four seasons, down to the First Division after they breached the competition's rules.