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Draws galore in Shield opening round as Aussie stars strike form and Test recall candidate putting hand up

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Star allrounder Mitch Marsh has fallen just short of a century as the Sheffield Shield match between Western Australia and Queensland fizzled out to a draw.

Chasing 362 for victory in a minimum of 62 overs, Queensland finished at 1-120 off 35 before the captain’s shook hands at 4.22pm local time at the WACA Ground on Friday.

Bulls veteran Usman Khawaja scored 64 not out and Marnus Labuschagne 35no, but opener Matt Renshaw (15) was caught behind off the bowling of Matt Kelly.

It followed Renshaw’s dismissal for six in the first innings, dealing a blow to his hopes of earning a Test recall.

WA opener Cameron Bancroft also harmed his Test chances with a pair of ducks.

The news was better for Marsh, who produced a solid knock in WA’s second innings total of 6-263 declared in a strong warm-up for the five-Test series against India.

Marsh (94 off 142 balls) struck 14 fours and one six to put himself within one mighty blow of three figures.

But his attempted pull for six off the Jack Wildermuth (3-38) skied into the air, with wicketkeeper Jimmy Peirson taking an easy catch.

Marsh started walking off as soon as he made contact, and flipped his bat into the air in frustration.

The 32-year-old, who experienced soreness during Australia’s recent white-ball tour of the UK, was playing the Shield match as a batter only to protect his body.

“It was nice for him to get some runs, and he looked really good at the crease,” WA captain Sam Whiteman said.

“He would have loved a 100, and we would have loved to have seen it. But he batted really well.”

WA wicketkeeper Josh Inglis is behind Alex Carey in the Test pecking order, but he enhanced his reputation with scores of 122 and 48 against Queensland.

Bulls bowling allrounder Michael Neser snared 5-68 in the Warriors’ first-innings total of 465.

Queensland replied with 367, before WA’s declaration shortly after lunch on day four left the Bulls in a fight to survive for a draw.

Bulls captain Labuschagne was surprised WA waited so long before declaring.

“Once they sort of got through that safe period, I thought they may have tried to push the game forward a little bit quicker and then tried to let us have a bat for longer,” Labuschagne said. 

“But it’s also round one. I don’t know what’s happening backroom for them with their fast bowlers. 

“They’re all things you need to consider when you are making a declaration.”

Whiteman felt the pitch was holding up too well to declare earlier.

“The feedback was that it was a pretty good wicket, and that if you got in, the ball runs away pretty quickly,” Whiteman said.

“We played it on the safe side. They’ve got a pretty dangerous batting order and our bowlers did a lot of work yesterday, so we were mindful of that.”

Carey ‘very excited’ for India after blasting century

Test wicketkeeper Alex Carey has fired a warning shot ahead of this summer’s tour by India, notching a superb century in South Australia’s Sheffield Shield draw with NSW.

After posting a rapid-fire 90 in the first innings at Cricket Central, Carey pulled South Australia back from the brink with 111 runs from 158 deliveries in the second on day four.

The two knocks combined to mark his most successful start to a Sheffield Shield season since his Test debut in 2021.

Carey’s efforts came after he finished last summer with an unbeaten 98 against New Zealand, and will be reassuring for an Australian side preparing to lose Cameron Green for at least part of the summer through his back injury.

“There’s some positive signs there,” said Carey of his first match since returning from the white-ball tour of the UK.

“I felt good with the bat, felt good over in England so it’s nice to bring some of that form home.

“I’m very excited (for India). They’re right up there with the best team in the world at the moment across all conditions. It’ll be a great opportunity for us.”

On Friday, Carey steadied the ship after Test teammate Nathan Lyon (3-94) showed his own form by sparking a collapse of 4-9 as the visitors chased 389 for victory.

Lyon tickled the off-stump of Travis Head (10) in the most significant of three early wickets, with nightwatchman Nathan McAndrew (2) and Conor McInerney (0) joining the superstar batter in the dugout courtesy of the spinner.

Carey came to the crease just as South Australia needed a hero at 4-23 and forged a 182-run partnership with captain Nathan McSweeney (127no from 283 balls), who carved out a brilliant century of his own.

The gloveman struck a blow in his tit-for-tat with Lyon by sweeping the veteran past deep mid-wicket for his ninth four of the innings to reach his half-century, which guided South Australia into triple figures and relative stability.

Just after lunch, Carey notched a seventh first-class century with a single to deep cover off Liam Hatcher (0-62).

Ollie Davies dropped Carey at point on 110 but Blues captain Moises Henriques helped the 23-year-old save face by catching Carey in the cordon from Tanveer Sangha’s bowling after he added only one more run.

McSweeney picked up where Carey left off but with their tail unlikely to wag, South Australia looked reluctant to take the game on late, despite having five wickets in hand.

Carey said the target of 389 was “probably just a little bit out of our reach”.

“I guess if you go a little bit harder early, you open the door to a Test spinner and a good attack, then things could have gone against us,” he said.

Lyon could not repeat his early heroics as Henriques threw batter Nic Maddinson the ball late on when it was clear no result would eventuate.

“It definitely feels like one that got away when you only take one wicket in the last 90 overs of the day on day four,” Henriques said.

“It’s a hard one to cop, when you’re so far in front of the game and have them 4-23.

“It feels a lot more than the one that got away, to be honest.”

Harris shines as Vics and Tasmania end in stalemate

Marcus Harris has pushed his case for a Test recall by winning player of the match in Victoria’s first Sheffield Shield match of the summer, a draw with Tasmania at Junction Oval.

Captains Jordan Silk and Peter Handscomb called the match half an hour before tea on the final day after it had become clear neither side had a realistic chance of victory.

The Victorians had earlier chased down Tasmania’s 99-run first innings lead with nine wickets in hand but fewer than two sessions to play in the game.

Wickets had been hard to come by all game on the traditionally batter-friendly Junction Oval deck, with the Vics (9d-428 and 2-120) 21 runs ahead of the visitors (9d-527) when the sides pulled up stumps.

it was Harris (52 from 70 deliveries) who shone brightest on Friday as Australia deliberates changes to the batting order amid Cameron Green’s back injury.

Harris would be an option at the top for the five-Test India series if selectors chose to move Steve Smith to No.4 as a replacement for Green, who is set to miss at least part of the summer.

The 32-year-old raised his half century by sweeping Matthew Kuhnemann to fine leg, continuing a promising start to the summer after scoring 143 in the first innings. 

But the Tasmanians removed him two overs later when Harris edged Kieran Elliott to wicketkeeper Jake Doran.

On day three, Beau Webster announced himself as a possible like-for-like replacement for Green as a lanky allrounder but later had limited chances to showcase his capabilities with the ball.

After blasting 113 with the bat, Webster finished the second innings on figures of 0-3 from his four overs of off-spin and bowled the last over before the match was called.

Tasmanian captain Silk would have been left to consider what might have been had he made a sporting declaration on day three.

But Silk kept the Tasmanians at the crease as Bradley Hope charged his way to a second first-class century late on Thursday, making it difficult to envisage a result with a day to play.

© AAP



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COMMENT: It’s time for the AFL to decide whether they actually care about AFLW

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Let’s not beat around the bush: Melbourne’s two-point win over Adelaide on Wednesday night was one of the worst AFLW matches I have seen.

Certainly, it’s the ugliest of the 2024 season so far, and in more ways than just the 2.4 (16) to 2.2 (14) scoreboard: a gritty, brutally tough to watch affair in which performance was partially but not totally impacted by a sodden, oft slippery Norwood Oval surface, in which skills were rarely more than abject and highlights rare as goals.

All, of course, made even more disheartening by the fact it was contested between two of the league’s perennial powerhouses, first and second after the 2023 home-and-away season and both on course to be part of finals action again in 2024.

It was the sort of match, in short, which would leave all the many detractors of the women’s game with a sense of vindication in their belief that the AFLW is a product unfit for public broadcast and deserves to be resigned to the dustbin of history, given up as a bad job by the league that bankrolls it for no other reason than to please the PC brigade.

Thankfully, games as turgid as this are rare in the women’s game, rarer than said detractors would admit or even notice, given I’m yet to meet someone with this view whose knowledge of the code exceeds the superficial level.

But it is also worth acknowledging, in the faint but everpresent hope that a solution might be forthcoming, the underlying reasons behind Wednesday night’s slop – that the AFLW is at the moment a product hamstrung significantly by the league’s powers that be, to the point where the long-term health of the women’s game is fast approaching a critical flashpoint.

And yes, before we begin, the AFL has indeed increased average player wages substantially over the last few years, with the average hitting $60,000 and set to rise to $82,000 by 2027. It is now theoretically possible for the competition’s elite to make a living out of an AFLW income alone – though it’s worth noting that the short-term shelf life of an athlete’s career limits what making an average wage in modern society can do for your present and future.

But money is one thing the AFL does not lack, and can gleefully throw towards the AFLW (in considerably smaller amounts than they throw at the men’s game, mind you) to give the impression they care both about women’s football in its present form and about building it into the future.

It is another thing entirely to invest the other things a flegling competition needs to grow and thrive, things that money alone cannot achieve. Time, for instance, and space; patience and persistence in what will be, if the league has the stomach for it, a long and slow period of growth.

The elephant in the room behind the Crows’ sloppy skills, tired kicks and abysmal decision-making is the farcical fixture they have been forced to contend with. Their clash with the Demons was Adelaide’s third game out of four in a 14-day stretch that ends on Sunday with a trip to Sydney’s Henson Park to battle GWS.

The AFL’s decision to organise the AFLW fixture in this way, with matches being played on, at the time of writing, 23 of the last 28 days (Mondays are football-free, as was AFLM grand final day) may have had many reasons behind it, but the welfare of the players and the quality of the product were most assuredly not among them.

The obvious comparison is to the 2020 men’s season’s famous mid-year ‘Footy Frenzy’, which saw games played on 22 consecutive days, helping to condense the season and aided by the shortened quarters imposed by the league pre-year.

The highest amount of games played by anyone during this period was four, and the shortest break in between matches four days – both a far cry to what AFLW teams this year, particularly Adelaide, have endured. Add to that lack of travel – 20 of 33 games played across those 22 days were in Brisbane or on the Gold Coast, with teams travelling to Perth largely doing so in ‘hubs’ and playing multiple matches in the state before returning, and the differences become even clearer.

The AFLW is not a product at the stage where it can achieve what having men’s games on every night did in that 2020 season, where those enduring tough lockdowns around the country, especially Victoria, could look forward to the footy every evening. The COVID-19 pandemic is over, people have things they can do on weekend evenings, and as the crowds show, they do not involve heading out to a team’s home ground (or in one North Melbourne game’s case, the Whitten Oval for some unfathomable reason) to watch a game.

The AFL will claim that this is to align with school holidays, in order to maximise attendance and allow an eleven-match fixture (up from 10 in 2023); a flimsy excuse when you consider that those kids would need to be driven to the ground by parents who most certainly would be working the next day and may not fancy a late night mid-week. And it seems to me a far uglier, less elegant solution than simply… having the AFLW season start a week earlier?

It’s not only recently that the AFL has begun letting the women’s game down: even AFLW backers by and large admit that the expansion of the competition from eight to 18 teams at a rapid rate was not done with the best interests of growing the game, even if giving every men’s footy fan a women’s equivalent to cheer for was a reasonable pursuit.

It’s worth noting that the NRLW, the gold standard for women’s sporting competitions in Australia (with an extremely honourable mention to the WBBL), has resisted this temptation to expand; they have at present ten teams, enough for every match in their season to be played in the typical Thursday-Sunday sports slot, as well as allow in a home-and-away season every team to play each other once.

As a result, the competition has become an excellent spectacle; in the eyes of this author, the Sydney Roosters’ rollicking 32-28 triumph over the Cronulla Sharks was the superior rugby league grand final played on that Sunday.

Where the NRLW also succeeds is in aligning the women’s game more closely with the latter stages of the men’s season, still giving the competition its own space and airtime but at a time when people are still deeply invested in rugby league.

Channel 9 have regularly showed women’s games in the slot before their afternoon men’s match, and then again immediately after; the league’s season opener was in prime time on a Thursday night, with no men’s game scheduled alongside it. Through the finals, with men’s games drying up, the women’s game had Saturday and Sunday afternoons to themselves, giving priceless exposure.

As a cherry on top, NRL grand final day featured the women’s grand final as a quasi-curtain-raiser to the men’s game that evening; 40,000 people filled the Accor Stadium stands in the afternoon, helped by its close proximity to that evening’s Panthers-Storm decider but ensuring it was given its own space and standing, plus quality coverage from both Nine and Foxtel.

By the time the AFLW grand final is played, in contrast, the cricket Test summer against India will already have begun, while the A-League Men’s and Women’s seasons will be in full swing. In short, Australian Rules football will be vying for airtime in heartland states that, from March until October, it dominates.

The cherry on top of the list of crippling problems the AFL has foisted on the women’s game is in its setting of crowd number targets for the women’s game to hit, while fixturing the competition in such as way as to effectively reduce their chances of hitting it to zero.

As AFLW expert Marnie Vinall points out, most of the suburban grounds women’s fixtures are scheduled at don’t even have a capacity of 6,000, and the league’s willingness to consider said games as effectively 6,000 if they are filled to 90 per cent capacity doesn’t help the average in the slightest.

All this makes even less sense when you remember that the AFL’s financial stake in the AFLW is considerable: it is, after all, bankrolling the entire operation, even while it remains a considerable loss leader.

(As an aside: my view is that sport should be considered a community good and a pursuit to be encouraged, whether at amateur and professional level, and that no competition should be judged by how much money it can make as if it’s a normal business.)

There is a path forward for women’s football to become a profitable venture for the league in ways beyond satisfying advertisers and keeping the woke mob off their backs.

But for that to hapen, the league would need to add the money it is pouring in to something any child with rich, distant parents knows is often even more difficult to offer than wealth: love and care.

It could begin by scheduling more games for its bigger venues, in particular Marvel Stadium, which it owns – 12,000 rocked up to Essendon’s first AFLW match against Hawthorn back in 2022, and was only played there amid enormous demand when tickets for its original venue sold out within hours.

It could also fix its ridiculous fixturing and allow a standard Thursday-Sunday match round, allowing players the time a athlete needs to recover and affording them the same rights and privileges granted to the men.

It could remove the gatekeeping over expanding the season by either reducing the requirements it sets for more games or by affording the AFLW a greater chance to meet them via the ideas expressed above. Then, if it does so, expand the season further backwards into winter alongside the men’s competition rather than condensing or moving it further into the summer, the domain of other code and in heat not suitable for such a high-octane sport.

In short, it could start to show that it actually cares about the AFLW as more than a white elephant to throw money at without heed, and begin treating it as the vital part of the future of the sport that it most assuredly is.



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REACTION: Arteta hails ‘incredible’ Kai, Foden sparks into action in City rout, Celtic smashed by Dortmund

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Arsenal secured their first win in the new Champions League format as they overcame Paris St-Germain at Emirates Stadium while fellow Premier League high-fliers Manchester City cruised on the road.

There was a sobering trip to Germany for Celtic, the Scottish side thumped 7-1 by Dortmund, who lead the Champions League league table after two matches.

A new era of the UEFA Champions League is here, only on Stan Sport.

In London Mikel Arteta’s side followed up their opening match draw with Atalanta by winning 2-0 thanks to two first-half goals from Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka.

“They were absolutely phenomenal in that first half,” Mark Bosnich said on Stan Sport.

“They’ve been threatening this type of performance all season, a complete performance – and that’s what you’ve seen in the first half.

“Wonderful from an attacking perspective, also from a defending perspective as well.”

After the break, Gabriel Martinelli should have put the game well beyond the French side only to thump a volley straight at PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma from close range.

From there PSG threatened against Arsenal’s defensive block with Joao Neves hitting the cross bar from a corner.

PSG looked a shadow of the attacking force they were with Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Neymar in the frontline, while manager Luis Enrique sat out Ousmane Dembele for disciplinary reasons.

Arsenal were well on top in the opening 45 minutes and went ahead through Havertz’s header after a cross from Leandro Trossard, while Saka scored from out on the touch line when his curling free kick evaded a cluster of players in the box and snuck past Donnarumma.

“Really, really happy with the performance. We played an opponent that has a lot of personality, is really difficult to deal with when you don’t have the ball,” said Arteta. “The first half was very dominant and we created a lot of chances and then the second half was a different story.

“We suffered much more than we should have done. The Champions League brings different demands but I think we handled it really well.”

Havertz was named player of the match after another huge shift.

“He has been unbelievable. His football brain, the way he understands space, his timing, he brings people together,” said Arteta. “His work ethic is incredible and now he is a real threat around the box. He is one of our main players at the moment.”

City slickers

Phil Foden kick started his season with a goal and an assist as Manchester City cruised to a 4-0 win away at Slovan Bratislava.

The England midfielder has had limited time this season but but he made the most of only his second start this term.

After Ilkay Gundogan’s first goal since his return to City came with a deflected strike in the eighth minute, Foden scored his first of this season in the 14th minute.

City hit the frame of the goal three times before adding a third through Erling Haaland while substitute James McAtee scored his first Manchester City goal in the 74th minute.

“Great result, great atmosphere as well. It’s nice to play in the Champions League again,” said Foden.

“Very happy with the performance, I know there’s still things I can work on and get better, I’m still a little bit rusty. Like I said I’m happy with my performance and the team performance.

“I love it, the atmosphere is very good, it was a great experience.”

Pep Guardiola said he expects the performance to reignite Foden.

“Yeah he still is not his best, make a fantastic goal, pass the ball to the post no shoot he had more chances. Step by step he’s coming back,” said Guardiola.

Dortmund thrash Celtic

Karim Adeyemi scored a first-half hat trick as last season’s losing finalists Borussia Dortmund hammered Celtic 7-1 in the Champions League , with five goals in the opening 42 minutes.

The 80,000-strong crowd started the celebrations early at the Westfalenstadion, with Emre Can scoring from the spot in the seventh minute after Celtic goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel upended Jamie Gittens and was booked.

Celtic momentarily hushed the deafening Yellow Wall two minutes later when Daizen Maeda bundled in a cross from Arne Engels but Adeyemi restored the lead with a shot deflected in off Auston Trusty in the 11th.

The Germany winger made it 3-1 in the 29th when he lashed a shot into the top corner past a diving Schmeichel, then won a 39th minute penalty for Serhou Guirassy to tuck away and completed his hat trick three minutes later.

Guirassy grabbed his second of the night in the 66th and second-half substitute Felix Nmecha completed the rout in the 79th, with Celtic having Schmeichel to thank for keeping the scoreline to seven.

“A sore one, for sure. We were punished with every mistake we made. Before we knew it, we were 5-1 down. A sobering night,”said Celtic skipper Callum McGregor.

“If you make mistakes like that, you get punished. Credit to Dortmund. We’ve been sobered a little, but we need to take that and bounce back in the next game.

“You get yourself back into the game. The quick goal killed us and rattled us a little bit. When you give good players time on the ball, they will kill you. And that’s what they did.

“I think the game plan was to be in between the two. We understand when you play against good players, you have to suffer a little without the ball. We have to learn from it. We’ve got a lot to think about after that.”

Barca rout Young Boys, AC Milan beaten

Robert Lewandowski got Barcelona off the mark as the Spanish giants eased to a 5-0 home win over Swiss team Young Boys.

Inter Milan defeated Red Star Belgrade 4-0, and Bayer Leverkusen defeated AC Milan 1-0 in Germany. 

Daniel Braganca scored late to earn Sporting Lisbon a 1-1 draw at PSV Eindhoven.

Stade Brest had never played in the Champions League before this season. On Tuesday, the French team routed Salzburg 4-0 away for their second win in as many games in Europe’s premier competition.

Senegalese forward Abdallah Sima netted twice to take his tally to three goals in two games after he scored in Brest’s tournament-opening 2-1 win over Austrian champions Sturm Graz.

Mahdi Camara and Mathias Pereira Lage got the other goals, ensuring Salzburg conceded seven goals in their opening two games, after losing 3-0 at Sparta Prague in their opener.

Kaan Kairinen’s brilliant free kick was enough for Prague to draw 1-1 at Stuttgart in Tuesday’s other early game.

Stuttgart fans displayed a huge sign saying “Back in Europe” behind one of the goals. It was the team’s first Champions League match at home since a 1-1 draw with Barcelona in February 2010, when Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored for the visitors.

The Stuttgart fans didn’t have to wait long on Tuesday before Enzo Millot headed in the team’s first real chance in the seventh minute, but Kairinen equalised with a free kick in off the top of the right post in the 32nd minute.

Stuttgart, who lost their opening game 2-0 at defending champions Real Madrid, needed goalkeeper Alexander Nubel at his best.



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There’s more than just a flag at stake – legacy is on the line for Longmire and Fagan

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There’s something particularly special about the 2024 grand final being contested between the last two runners-up, with coaches at the helm who are desperate for the vindication that success brings.

For both John Longmire and Chris Fagan, this match is legacy-defining, one way or another.

In 2024, the Swans were clear for much of the season, but perhaps in the final third, more questions arose than answers provided. Sure, they were the minor premiers, but the early-season dominance faded to the point of Sydney being perceived as outsiders more often than not.

At times they’ve looked complacent as the season has gone on, they’ve also felt a little tactically inflexible. Callum Mills’ absence continues to be big, even though he missed most of the wins this season. We know they’re undersized a bit defensively and while the skipper isn’t tall, he positions himself as intelligently as the rest of Sydney’s defenders. He was always their wildcard this year.

Longmire’s always had pretty decent control of things at the Swans, one would suppose that comes with being in charge of one club for 14 years and counting.

The 53-year-old is already established as a Sydney legend. He’s the most tenured coach of the club by far, he has coached the most finals by a long stretch and is one of the most successful leaders the club has ever had.

The Swans have always run a professional organisation, stability is the baseline of the club – they’ve only had three coaches since the turn of the century, all legendary figures within the game.

Perception counts for a lot in our game, perhaps too much, and for every bit of deserved adulation Longmire receives and for as settled as his legacy is within the Swans’ camp, the 2024 grand final is massive for him.

Heading into this season, the Swans had played finals in 11 of Longmire’s 13 seasons and only in the other two seasons had they finished with a losing record. Despite this, they entered 2024 with a losing finals record under Longmire.

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With this Saturday’s game, the Swans’ coach moves past Leigh Matthews into 11th place for all-time finals coached, but his winning percentage is only better than Jock McHale, who astonishingly coached in 58 finals and won seven flags, and Chris Scott, who has a couple of flags next to his name.

Before this upcoming game, he has coached in four grand finals and won one, a record matched by former South Melbourne coach Jack Bisset. Ross Lyon is zero from four, one being a grand final replay – the history books have an asterisk next to his name for that, but it sort of shields Longmire.

Should the Swans lose this weekend, Longmire will be the only coach to have led his team to five grand finals and not won multiple flags. It shouldn’t matter because it’s an outstanding accomplishment to be in the mix so many times, but history tends to be a numbers game as time goes on and legacy relies on it.

When the Swans were annihilated in the 2022 grand final, they lost to a team so utterly dominant that season that it was hard to take much from that disappointment.

Longmire hasn’t really changed much in terms of Sydney’s style of play over the last few years, but rather, the club has tried to add personnel that suit the way they want to approach the game.

Sure, they’re a little less reliant on winning the contested ball and lean a little more into taking the game on with running when appropriate. They’re averaging more marks than they did a couple of seasons ago and retain possession a bit better. All of these small shifts are pretty negligible on competition-wide statistics, but they’ve shifted Sydney’s identity a little.

Really though, they are amongst the best teams in transitioning out of the back half and scoring off the turnover just as they were two seasons ago. The main change has been structural, rather than forward 50 pressure creating turnovers.

By and large though, with subtle variations in how to get there, Longmire has his team playing as they always have in recent times and it’s got them to a second grand final in three years and their fifth under his tutelage.

For the Lions, 2024 had a terrible start, an enormous winning streak that seemed all-conquering, then returning to the mean. They’ve been pretty leaky defensively all year, but Fagan deserves credit for mid-match tweaks that have helped improve the team on the run.

There were issues last season too throughout the year, largely created from a level of inflexibility that appeared to be detrimental to their overall approach, but as we know, the Lions were a kick away from winning the flag last year.

They’ve been worse defensively this season once their defensive 50 has been penetrated, particularly this finals series where their second-half resurgence against Geelong and GWS masked first halves that would’ve made the worst teams in the league shudder.

That’s why, for as critical as we may have been of Fagan throughout our coverage over the last two years, having been the biggest supporters of Brisbane’s resurgence since 2018, we have to embrace the variability and flexibility that he has adopted in key moments that has put the Lions in a great spot.

Perhaps that’s the best trait a coach can have in these games, where really, the numbers don’t matter as much; the analytics sort of become a passenger to the tactical chess game between the coaches and what cards they have left up their sleeves.

Fagan’s has shown more this finals series, but Longmire’s got options. It’s fascinating.

And on the Lions’ coach, Fagan and his club have largely been embraced by the neutral as their preferred team to win, having fallen so agonisingly short against everyone’s favourite enemy last season.

It’s been a while though, hasn’t it?

This marks six consecutive years of playing finals. They’ve had a double chance on four occasions, the same number of times they’ve had a home final to kick things off.

The Lions have been arguably the biggest attacking threat for each of the last four seasons and in some people’s estimations, have had the best key defender in the league guarding them.

Brisbane’s story isn’t one of this weekend’s success being the culmination of an eventual rise to the top in Fagan’s eighth season in charge – it’ll be sweet, sweet success should they win, but they’ve been here for longer than most other clubs, all of whom would be put under the microscope with some of the finals performances they’ve dished up.

Now, there’s no disputing Fagan is a good coach and the argument against it is pretty silly, in much the same way Port fans criticising Ken Hinkley is too, who has clearly continued to get the most out of a list that isn’t up to it.

Of course, Brisbane’s list is quite the opposite to Port’s and instead, it’s the expectation that Fagan must fight because that’s what has driven the Lions to be treated as such a high-level contender year-on-year.

Fagan has a list that has obviously been up to winning a flag for a long time now and to be completely honest, they probably should’ve done so by this point.

It’s what makes this Saturday so important for his own legacy and probably, what will most define Fagan’s time in charge of Brisbane.

If they win, it’ll have been a well-deserved victory and again, while not necessarily the culmination of years of development, there’ll certainly be an undertone of “finally” to it.

Yet, if it’s another loss for the Lions, in back-to-back GFs no less, it’d mark six years of contention in the upper echelon of the competition, six whole seasons under Fagan as arguably the most potent offensive unit, with no ultimate success to show for it. A loss this season completely shifts the narrative on the Lions next season and not in a good way.

It’s why this weekend’s big dance, between two clubs travelling to the MCG, both of whom will have an abundance of club and neutral support from Victorian fans frothing at the notion of this “interstate” contest, is so big.

We know we’ll be entertained, we know that these teams are capable of playing fast, frenetic and fun footy on a perfect spring day and we know both coaches will give it their all.

But the added layer of narrative that could define the legacies of John Longmire and Chris Fagan, for better or for worse, is just another fascination that we’ll be monitoring closely on Saturday.

Longmire and Fagan have done a wonderful job at their respective clubs but having lost the last couple of grand finals, neither can afford to be the coach that loses twice in quick succession.



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Every grand final of the 2000s, ranked first to 25th: Which classic is ‘the most underrated decider in footy history’?

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What is the greatest grand final of all time?

It’s a question that will lead to broad discussion and controversial opinions at every footy gathering under the sun – and is the perfect fodder for a pre-gran final barbecue chat this Saturday.

So to help you out, I’ve gone through all 25 deciders played in the 2000s (including the 2010 draw), and ranked them from best to worst.

Will you agree with me? Almost certainly not! Should it matter? Hell, no! Let’s begin.

Unwatchable

25. 2019, Richmond 17.12 (144) defeated GWS 3.7 (25) by 89 points

Good Lord, was this a tough watch.

From the moment the quarter time siren sounded with Daniel Rioli driving through a long goal to put Richmond, after a slow start, seven points ahead, this game felt over as a contest – and so it proved.

There were some nice moments – Marlion Pickett’s first goal and the subsequent pandemonium was iconic, and Trent Cotchin’s late major really should get more fanfare (but by then, I assume nearly everyone had tuned out) – but this was putrid.

The worst grand final of my lifetime, and very few Richmond fan I’ve spoken to have this as their favourite of the three Tiger premierships – though it must be said, plenty have come out with this view since I claimed the count was at 0 in the original post of this article in 2023.

24. 2022, Geelong 20.13 (133) defeated Sydney 8.4 (52) by 81 points

In a lot of ways, 2022’s mind-numbing big dance was even more excruciating than the Tigers lamping the Giants three years earlier: the match was over as a contest before quarter time, with the Cats six goals to one up by the first break, and the entire second half was effectively party time.

Gets a bonus point – and off the bottom – for mending Joel Selwood’s reputation at a stroke: from his heartwarming interactions with Levi Ablett, Sam Morfoot and Auskicker Archie Stockdale, to putting the exclamation mark on his career with a wonderful goal in the dying minutes, everyone fell in love with Joel that day.

23. 2000, Essendon 19.21 (135) defeated Melbourne 11.9 (75) by 60 points

The only grand final I’ve not seen in its entirety – I got bored and turned off a replay halfway through the third quarter – this was another one-sided outing that was over before half time.

Really, it was over before it started – the Bombers were as short-priced a favourite as we’ve seen in a generation, and really the game just served as a prolonged victory lap to complete the greatest individual season ever.

Watch if you’re a Bombers fan yearning for nostalgia, but otherwise, just take solace from the fact it was the beginning of the end for the Dons.

22. 2014, Hawthorn 21.11 (137) defeated Sydney 11.8 (74) by 63 points

“The captain kicks the tenth! He can feel that cup in his hands, I reckon!”

When Luke Hodge cut off a kick-in and goalled to put the Hawks 47 points ahead after a quarter and 12 minutes, this game was done.

Yet another grand final snooze-fest – except if your heart bleeds brown and gold – this is basically the unloved middle child of the Hawks’ three-peat. It only gets up to 21st on this list because Alastair Clarkson’s men were absolutely sensational that day, for what was perfectly summed up by Bruce McAvaney after the siren as their ‘masterpiece’.

Bad

21. 2015, Hawthorn 16.11 (107) defeated West Coast 8.13 (61) by 46 points

Another year, another Hawthorn massacre in a grand final. The mid-2010s were a tough slog if you followed anyone else.

This gets elevated out of ‘unwatchable’ mostly for how spectacular Cyril Rioli was, particularly early: among the most compelling players of his generation, his crowning jewel was a delight to witness, especially when his Norm Smith win was so secure that Hawks fans were chanting ‘Cyril’ as it was being announced. (And Andrew McLeod presenting it – the script couldn’t have been written any more perfectly.)

Other than that, this was one-sided from start to finish barring a period to start the third term where the Eagles brought the margin back to 25 points… only for Jack Darling to land on the podium for grand final comedy moments with a dropped sitter to snuff out all their momentum.

20. 2007, Geelong 24.19 (163) defeated Port Adelaide 6.8 (44) by 119 points

Yep, the most one-sided grand final in history isn’t even in the lowest tier!

Why? Two reasons: the first is that, while the bottom four were all only watchable for the winning club’s supporters in the last quarter, 2007 was at least compelling out of a morbid curiosity to see just how bad the pummelling would get. It’s the first and only 100-point decider in history, and with the margin at 90 at three-quarter time it was actually quite interesting for my nine-year old self to witness the extent of the humiliation.

The other is that the Cats played the perfect grand final: honestly, it’s worth watching for neutral supporters just for how stone cold brilliant they were. Ferociously fast, brutal in defence and with the most exquisite skills, no team in my footy-watching lifetime would have got close to the Cats that day. Port were just unlucky to be the ones who drew the short straw.

19. 2010 replay, Collingwood 16.12 (108) defeated St Kilda 7.10 (52) by 56 points

Every one-sided grand final has a moment where you know, in your heart of hearts, that it’s over: this one was at least memorable. You surely know what moment I’m talking about.

Aside from that famous moment, though, this was grim, especially if you were raised on a diet of Collingwood hatred like I was. 12 years old at the time, I distinctly remember my dad coming home in a filthy mood having spent the afternoon in the MCC Members surrounded by jubilant Magpies fans – he’s dreading a repeat this Saturday.

3.6 roentgen (not great, not terrible)

18. 2017, Richmond 16.12 (108) defeated Adelaide 8.12 (60) by 48 points

Bonus points for being a drought-breaking premiership AND an underdog story, but that and the second quarter in which the Tigers turned the tide are about the only memorable things about this grand final.

The day that a great Crows team was sent spinning into utter disarray – remember the power stance? The camp? The bus where they played the Richmond theme song over and over? – this day will always hold a special place in Tigers fans’ hearts. For the rest of us, though, just skip to the bit where Jack Riewoldt sings Mr Brightside with The Killers.

17. 2003, Brisbane 20.14 (134) defeated Collingwood 12.12 (84) by 50 points

On the plus side – a Collingwood grand final loss is always good fun for us neutrals!

On the minus – this was more a Hawthorn-esque crowning jewel on an all time great team, the Lions seldom troubled, 42 points up at half time and getting to enjoy the last 15 minutes with no fear of a comeback. Worth watching just to see Jason Akermanis utterly light it up with the best non-Norm Smith-winning performance I’ve ever seen.

16. 2005, Sydney 8.10 (58) defeated West Coast 7.12 (54) by 4 points

Just because a game is close doesn’t mean it’s any good – and if I needed to defend that point, the 2005 grand final would be the first slide of my PowerPoint presentation.

The tight finish – plus, of course, “LEO BARRY YOU STAR!” – means just about every footy fan has watched at least a bit of this one, but a combination of dour Swans defence and some abysmal foot skills made this the lowest-quality grand final I’ve watched.

I’ll also die on the hill that Chris Judd’s Norm Smith Medal was every bit as unearned as Jason Johannisen’s 11 years on; no, I will not be taking questions.

15. 2021, Melbourne 21.14 (140) defeated Western Bulldogs 10.6 (66) by 74 points

For three quarters and 25 minutes, this was a great grand final: sure, it went to hell, especially for us Bulldogs fans, but you can’t tell me that up until then it wasn’t compelling.

A red-hot start from the Demons, matched by a sizzling Bulldogs comeback to turn a 21-point quarter time deficit into a 19-point lead halfway through the third, and the turnaround was staggering. Plus, of course, the ‘Mad Minute’ to end that term was utterly spectacular for everyone – I’ve even watched it again a few times, just to convince myself it really happened.

If you’ve only got time to watch the first three quarters of any grand final, this might be the one to pick.

14. 2013, Hawthorn 11.11 (77) defeated Fremantle 8.14 (62) by 15 points

The best of the Hawks’ threepeat of flags… but I’m still not sure it was properly good.

The final margin is deceptive – this game was over halfway through the last and the Hawks never trailed – but while Freo were never put away, Ross Lyon’s commitment to dour defence made this one a hard slog at times to get through.

The dictionary definition of a ‘meh’ grand final: much like Birds of Tokyo’s pre-match performance that day, certainly not putrid enough to be unforgettable and I wouldn’t blame you for not remembering a minute of it either.

Good

13. 2004, Port Adelaide 17.11 (113) defeated Brisbane 10.13 (73) by 40 points

Like 2021 but on a smaller scale, the first two and a half quarters of this game, before Port and Gavin Wanganeen kicked it to bed, were great.

From there, though, the last term was just a victory lap with the tension removed; an unlike other grand finals of its like further up this list, the skill level wasn’t quite good enough to merit a higher place than mid-table.

Bonus points for Alastair Lynch trying to kill Darryl Wakelin in the last proper grand final punch-on we’ll probably ever see.

12. 2020, Richmond 12.9 (81) defeated Geelong 7.8 (50) by 31 points

More than any other grand final, this one really bugs me, because it really should have been a classic.

Yet Tigers-Cats games of this era tended to follow a similar path: evenly fought or even in Geelong’s advantage for the first half, and then turning on a dime.

It’s why, despite some compelling drama – Dustin Martin’s third, and greatest, Norm Smith the pick of the bunch – I can’t have it any higher than 11th. From the moment Jack Riewoldt goalled in the first minute of the third quarter, it felt like the Tigers had it despite still being nine points down – and the Cats from there offered scant resistance as the match slowly but inevitably was ripped from them.

11. 2001, Brisbane 15.18 (108) defeated Essendon 12.10 (82) by 26 points

This was actually a pretty fun grand final – but I also think it’s the most widely forgotten one of the 21st century.

It serves as just ‘the one that started it all’ for the Lions’ hat-trick of flags, and while it’s better than that, I think it also suffers from having no proper iconic moments like so many others on this list – even the floggings.

Still, for the Lions to be 14 points down at half time and come storming over the top of the year’s best team was spectacular, so it’s definitely worth a rewatch.

Great

10. 2006, West Coast 12.13 (85) defeated Sydney 12.12 (84) by 1 point

“Who would have thought the sequel would be just as good as the original?” was Anthony Hudson’s famous proclamation at the final siren – sorry, Huddo, but this was a million miles better than 2005.

Higher-scoring, with better skills from start to finish and a slashing performance from Andrew Embley to claim the Norm Smith, this was a perfectly good grand final until a hectic final minutes to push this up until the second-top tier.

Daniel Chick’ smother, Adam Hunter’s goal, the closeness of the final margin… and fittingly, the Eagles and the Swans, the two greatest rivals of the mid-2000s, would end with one flag apiece. Can’t say fairer than that!

9. 2016, Western Bulldogs 13.11 (89) defeated Sydney 10.7 (67) by 22 points

“BOYD’S KICKED A GOAL! FROM INSIDE THE CENTRE SQUARE! F–K!”

Any Bulldogs fan worth their salt has spam-replayed the final 15 minutes to infinity – but even if the final margin doesn’t reflect it, this was a properly excellent grand final between two evenly-matched teams.

Was the umpiring great? No (and of course no one will take me seriously if I say it wasn’t as bad as it seemed – so maybe just take Has the Umpire Made a Bad Decison’s Twitter summary for proof), but if you’re not a Sydney fan and your first assessment of a day that was wildly entertaining – and close – throughout, plus so meaningful to so many people, is to claim it was ruined by the umps I don’t think you’re enjoying footy fandom as much as you could be.

That it’s down in ninth is mostly because the top seven are of such high quality – as much as we complain about grand finals being fizzers more often than not, we’ve also been lucky enough to see some truly terrific encounters!

8. 2002, Brisbane 10.15 (75) defeated Collingwood 9.12 (66) by 9 points

The second-toughest grand final of the 21st century – more on the first later – this was as hard-fought a game of footy as you will ever see.

At no point did the margin reach double figures for either side, and with the advent of the five-minute warning for the first time thanks to the dawn of Ten’s coverage, fans watching on TV could claim to still have doubts over the result right up until the final siren.

Jason Akermanis’ last-quarter match-sealer might be the defining moment out of this one, but the conditions and the brutality of both sides just made this game a more difficult watching experience than some of the ones higher up this list, hence its spot here.

7. 2008, Hawthorn 18.7 (115) defeated Geelong 11.23 (89) by 26 points

The quintessential grand final upset, I don’t think this game gets the respect it deserves.

I’d argue 2008 was the most entertaining footy season of all time – scores were high, the footy was breathtaking and the top teams played with an aggression and gusto never to be repeated as everyone tried to mimic Geelong – and the decider certainly lived up to that.

There was drama – Cam Mooney missing on the half time siren for a Cats scoreline of 6.12, Brent Guerra changing the rushed behind rule overnight with an orgy of handballs back over the line – and of course no Hawthorn fan will ever forget THOSE five minutes from the ‘unlikely, bulky hero’ Stuart Dew late in the third.

My core memory, though, is Cyril Rioli’s incredible effort to win a three-on-one late in the third quarter on the wing: the first, but certainly not the last, time he’d pull off what seemed to be impossible at the MCG.

6. 2010 draw, Collingwood 9.14 (68) drew with St Kilda 9.14 (68)

The last quarter of the first 2010 grand final is the greatest, tensest, and most compelling I’ve ever watched live, and more than makes up for the first three being decent but far from spectacular.

That final term, though… Nick Maxwell getting a touch to Nick Riewoldt’s snap right on the line, Brendon Goddard’s iconic hanger that would have been remembered forever had the Saints got up, and of course, the bounce of fates that left Stephen Milne the ultimate AFL embodiment of ‘what might have been’.

5. 2011, Geelong 18.11 (119) defeated Collingwood 12.9 (81) by 38 points

It’s a great shame the Cats kicked five goals to none in the last quarter to blow the margin out, because the first three quarters of this one were some of the greatest any grand final has ever seen.

I’ve never seen a grand final, live or replay, with a higher skill level: the Cats and Pies were at the top of their game, and it showed. Tom Hawkins came of age and marked everything (you’ll always be MY Norm Smith, Tom), and with twists and turns, momentum swings, purple patches and even a score review controversy, this was a joy to watch.

Even the last quarter was compelling: from Travis Varcoe running end to end to kick an iconic grand final goal to start the rot in the last, to Cameron Ling icing his career in just as sweet fashion as Selwood would manage 11 years later with a final-term captain’s goal, it’s certainly worth a watch.

If you could combine the first three quarters of this game with the last of the 2010 draw, you’d have one of the greatest matches of all time.

Stone cold classic

4. 2009, Geelong 12.8 (80) defeated St Kilda 9.14 (68) by 12 points

Remember when I said the 2002 grand final was the second-most brutal ever? This one is on top.

Perhaps the hardest, most gruelling game of footy ever played, this was an arm-wrestle from start to finish; at time on in the last quarter, the scores were even tied, before a Matthew Scarlett toe-poke started a famous chain of events that led to Paul Chapman’s game-winner.

There was drama to boot as well – Darren Milburn giving up a double-goal by sticking two fingers up at umpire Steve McBurney nicely cancelling out Hawkins’ goal that hit the post – and with the margin only getting to 12 points thanks to a Max Rooke goal after the siren, I’m quite comfortable calling this a six-point game.

3. 2024, Collingwood 12.18 (90) defeated Brisbane 13.8 (86) by 4 points

You basically couldn’t ask for more out of a grand final than what we got last year.

The highest-scoring first half of a decider in 34 years, the footy was electrifying and the moments iconic – Zac Bailey’s goal! Bobby Hill’s mark! – and with 13 points the biggest lead either the Pies or Lions had all afternoon, it’s as tightly fought a grand final as we’ve ever seen, with the match not decided until literally the final seconds.

There was late controversy in the form of THAT Brisbane advantage call as an offering to the content gods, and with exquisite skill, incredible drama and one of the clutchest sequences of play you’ll see in the final quarter that ended with Jordan De Goey slotting the go-ahead goal with five minutes left, this goes right to the pantheon of great grand finals.

So why does it sit third? Well, it’s the ultimate nit-pick, but for me this game was almost TOO close. The margins were so tight and the game so up in the air from start to finish that there was no possibility for the match to feature the one element the two grand finals above it on this list had: an epic comeback.

One and two both featured moments, and several of them, where the eventual premiers appeared gone for all money only to lift themselves off the canvas. But you’d be well within your rights – especially if you barrack for Collingwood – to have 2023’s classic as numero uno.

2. 2018, West Coast 11.13 (79) defeated Collingwood 11.8 (74) by 5 points

A lot of people have this classic up the very top of their lists – and it’s hard to disagree.

The ultimate grand final thriller, Dom Sheed’s winning goal – and the end-to-end play that led to it – will be replayed forever and a day. As will Collingwood kicking the first five goals of a grand final and losing, perhaps the greatest ‘Colliwobble’ of all, if 28 years after they’d put that curse to bed.

With iconic moments – Liam Ryan flattening Brayden Maynard, the Magpies runner blocking Jaidyn Stephenson and leading to an Eagles goal in the third quarter, Jordan De Goey putting the Pies in front in the first 20 seconds of the last – everywhere you looked and an utterly thrilling finish, this was truly one of the greats.

Just not the greatest.

1. 2012, Sydney 14.7 (91) defeated Hawthorn 11.15 (81) by 10 points

The most underrated decider in footy history, I’m pleased to see this game start to get some more love in recent years.

One of my few regrets as a neutral footy fan is that this is the only grand final since 2005 I didn’t see live – I was coming home from a school trip to China, and while I did my best to avoid spoilers, a glimpse of red and white on a TV screen in the airport and a classmate telling me the score and Norm Smith winner while pretending he was joking gave the game away. Max, if you’re reading this, you’re still a prick.

So why do I rate this game so highly? Simple – it had absolutely everything.

A thrilling finish? Yep – the game was only decided with Nick Malceski’s left-foot snap with 40 seconds to go.

A tight tussle? Yep – with one point between them at three-quarter time, this match ebbed and flowed like no game I’ve seen before or since.

Momentum swings? Yep – the Hawks were 19 points up at quarter time, before the Swans kicked the next eight goals to dominate the next term and a half, only to see the Hawks bang on five goals in 15 minutes with some of the best footy they played in their golden era to lead again.

Then, two goals behind in the last term, the Swans kicked the last four of the game to take the points. Unreal.

Magic moments? Everywhere. Cyril Rioli chasing Lewis Jetta down the wing in the first term (“It’s a main event in any stadium in the world!” – Dennis Cometti). Dan Hannebery’s courageous mark while getting poleaxed by David Hale. Kieren Jack snatching the ball from a falling-over Clint Young in the goalsquare to tie the scores halfway through the last. Adam Goodes defying a torn PCL to play through the pain and snap the go-ahead goal late.

There was even drama; from Lance Franklin’s wayward goalkicking spoiling one of his most brilliant games, to Sam Mitchell giving away a 50m penalty with a sloppy return of the footy to gift the Swans a goal and the lead on the troke of thee quarter time, to Jack Gunston, a dead-eye all season, hitting the post with three minutes to go that would have put the Hawks in front.

In fact, I think this game a better one, if not quite as high-skilled, as the famous 2009 home-and-away clash between Geelong and St Kilda, regarded as the greatest match ever played.

Don’t believe me? Check it out for yourself. I promise you won’t regret it.



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Insane double save secures point as ‘very risky’ Arsenal struggle, 10-man Barca beaten, Leverkusen go boom

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Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya made a superb double save to secure an away point in their opening Champions League fixture at Atalanta, while 10-man Barcelona were off to a shaky start with defeat by Monaco.

The Gunners found their opening match sandwiched between the North London derby, where they beat Tottenham last weekend, and a visit to Manchester City on Monday (AEST). City also seemed to have one eye on that Premier League blockbuster when they drew their opening match of this year’s UCL a day earlier against Inter Milan.

Much like in the 1-0 win over Spurs, Arsenal were defensive and restrained, and it took some brilliance from their keeper Raya to keep the final score to 0-0.

After Thomas Partey was ruled to have brought down Ederson in the second half, Raya spoke to the team’s goalkeeping coach Inaki Cana during a lengthy VAR delay to determine if the foul was in or outside the box.

Raya returned and dived low to keep out Mateo Retegui’s penalty and the striker had a perfect chance to make amends. His header was on target but Raya sprung up and kept it from going over the line.

“It’s just a penalty, I was lucky to go the right way,” Raya told TNT Sports.

“I was unlucky to give the rebound straight to him but I was lucky to get up and save it. It’s great to keep the clean sheet and help the team get a point.

“The decision to go to the sideline was because it was a long time to decide if it was a pen or not.

“I went to the goalkeeper coach and asked where to go and where not to go, what to do and what not to do. He helps me with everything and helped me make the save.”

They were the only two saves required from Raya while Arsenal had just two on target and no shots between the 18th and 75th minute when the out-of-form Gabriel Martinelli spurned their best chance by firing well over the bar.

A new era of the UEFA Champions League is here, only on Stan Sport.

“Atalanta can be very proud of their efforts and they should have won the game,”said former Socceroo goalkeeper Mark Bosnich on Stan Sport.

“They know that. Only a fantastic double save by David Raya prevented it.

“It was a little bit of a head-scratcher, yes, for me, from the Arsenal perspective.”

Bozza said he understood if Arsenal had an eye on the big clash against City at the Etihad, and that they are having to play without their injured chief creative player Martin Odegaard.

“I still think it’s a very risky policy for them. I understand that they want to add another arrow to their bag, so to speak, being able to play in a defensive way. 

“But if you get stuck in that mode… I think it’s actually more risky to be stuck in that defensive mode than it is to play what their natural game is. 

“I think it’s an admission that without Odegaard they’re not the same team.

“They know that keeping clean sheets at the moment, they’ve got four out of five thus far, has been their forte. But it’s very dangerous. 

“I’ve been in the team before when you’ve got into that mode, thinking that you can basically win something by always just keeping clean sheets. The game is about goals. And for me, tonight, they did not look like scoring at all.”

Atalanta, last season’s Europa League champions, have struggled so far this season, winning two Serie A games, but also losing to Torino and flattened 4-0 by Inter at San Siro.

“Of course there are regrets, a penalty is always a big opportunity and going 1-0 up at that moment would’ve been important,” their manager Gian Piero  Gasperini told Sky Sport Italia.

“However, we should be happy with the performance, which was of a high level to match our opponents. Seeing the rebound, it was an exceptional save, but also the header was too close to him. It’s a pity, as that was perhaps the best performance Retegui had since he’s been here and he worked so hard tonight, he deserved a goal.

“I admire Arsenal a great deal and tonight they didn’t do a lot in attack, but confirmed they are solid and difficult to break down.”

Barcelona beaten, Leverkusen romp

Two of the world’s most exciting young players shone on club football’s biggest stage with mixed fortunes.

Teenager Lamine Yamal’s goal couldn’t prevent 10-man Barcelona from falling to a 2-1 defeat at Monaco at the Stade Louis II, ending the Spanish club’s perfect start to the season.

At De Kuip, it took Florian Wirtz less than five minutes to score his first Champions League goal on his debut in Europe’s elite club competition.

Wirtz also netted another as Bayer Leverkusen romped to a 4-0 win at hosts Feyenoord.

Leverkusen lost in the Europa League final in May, their only defeat in a remarkable season that saw them win the Bundesliga and German Cup.

Atlético Madrid beat Leipzig 2-1 and Benfica topped Red Star Belgrade 2-1, while Brest’s first-ever appearance in European competition ended in a 2-1 win over Sturm Graz.

It was the third evening of the new Champions League format which replaces the traditional group stage.

Now, 36 teams each play eight different opponents through January and are ranked in a single league table to decide which teams advance to the knockout phase.

Wirtz have had a great start to the season, with three goals in as many Bundesliga games.

And the 21-year-old continued that streak on Thursday in Rotterdam. Robert Andrich intercepted a poor Feyenoord pass and slipped the ball through to Wirtz, who surged forward before firing into the bottom right corner.

Leverkusen doubled their lead on the half-hour mark as Victor Boniface’s clever pass from the edge of the penalty area released Jeremie Frimpong on the right and his cross was slotted in by Alejandro Grimaldo at the far post.

Another Frimpong cross was volleyed in by Wirtz six minutes later.

Leverkusen hardly needed any help but were given it on the stroke of half-time when a howler by Feyenoord’s German goalkeeper Timon Wellenreuther saw him turn the ball over the line following Edmond Tapsoba’s header.

New Benfica coach Bruno Lage made it two wins out of two thanks to goals from Turkey internationals Kerem Aktürkoğlu and Orkun Kökçü.

(With agencies)



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Five and a Kick: Cotter’s bizarre try brings Knights to their knees as Cowboys advance despite Ponga’s near-perfect display

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The Cowboys are through to the second week of the NRL finals after surviving a Kalyn Ponga masterclass to eliminate the Knights 28-16 on Saturday night. 

They started slowly to trail 12-4 at half-time but surged back in the second half and will take off to Sydney next week to face the Sharks for the right to play Penrith in the Preliminary Final.

Ponga was magnificent with the Dally M Medal winner almost singlehandedly getting his team across the line but they paid the price for a sluggish start to the second half and a bombed try-scoring chance 10 minutes from full-time when the scores were level.

1. Cotter steps up in time of kneed

Reuben Cotter became the accidental hero for North Queensland with a bizarre try to lift his team to victory over Newcastle.

With the scores locked at 16-16 with seven minutes left, he touched down after a Jake Clifford bomb was batted back by Kyle Feldt, gets a slight touch from Daniel Saifiti and Cotter looked to have fumbled as he tried to gather the ball.

But the replay showed it missed his hands and ricocheted off his knee and the Maroons forward had the presence of mind to reach out and touch down just before Ponga could get to the Steeden.

“It was a brave call at the start of the season – Reuben Cotter named as captain alongside Tom Dearden but it’s for moments like that,” former NSW hooker Michael Ennis said on Fox League.

“Reuben Cotter just continues to put himself in positions when others just start to hesitate. He continues to find ways in games when his side needs him most.”

Cowboys coach Todd Payten was not surprised by Cotter coming up with an effort play so late in the game.

“I think that’s a great example of someone that keeps competing until the play has stopped,” he said.

“Reubs has done that his whole career. Some of the tries in these bigger games are going to be around kick defence and there were a couple tonight. We gave them one and we got one back, so shapes and plays are probably not going to be that potent against a good defensive team. 

“We’ve got to scrap and fight and scramble and that’s what we did.”

2. Pendulum swings like crazy in the tropics

Neither side ever had anything more than a tenuous grip on the Elimination Final at QCB Stadium with the sudden-death scenario bringing out the desperation from both teams.

North Queensland opened the scoring against the run of play when Kyle Feldt plucked a long-range intercept try in the 13th minute. 

Ponga burnt Reece Robson on the right edge for Jayden Brailey to score and Fletcher Sharpe pounced on a Scott Drinkwater fumble as the visitors surged to a well-deserved 12-4 halftime lead. 

But the Knights left their momentum in the sheds, along with their tackling ability. 

Murray Taulagi touched down from a Valentine Holmes tap-on and veteran prop Jordan McLean ran off Drinkwater to make it 16-12 by the 52nd minute and the Cowboys were suddenly riding high in the saddle. 

But the scores were level 10 minutes later when Dylan Lucas, deputising for injured NSW centre Bradman Best, plunged over out wide after Phoenix Crossland created space but Ponga’s conversion from out wide bounced clear off the post.

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Ponga was left kicking himself again in the 70th minute when he again broke free down the right and with support either side as he came to Drinkwater as the last line of defence, he fired a pass to Dane Gagai which was too low for the veteran centre, who coughed up the pill with the line wide open.

And when Cotter scored a few minutes later up the other end of the field, that 12-point swing meant the Cowboys lived to fight another day and the Knights’ final charge would go no further.

“I would’ve like that moment back for sure,” Ponga said in the post-match media conference.

Kiwi prop Leo Thompson finished the match in the sin bin for a high shot on Kyle Feldt as Tom Dearden dummied his way over to stretch the final margin to 12 and kick-start victory celebrations in the dying stages.

Thompson, who was on the receiving end of a humungous tackle from Jason Taumalolo in the second half, will likely cop a ban for his high shot which could put his New Zealand selection in jeopardy for the Pacific Championships next month.

3. Greats in awe of Ponga  

Ponga could not have done much more for his team – brilliant in attack, leading from the front and it was a shame that his dud pass to Gagai ended up costing his side victory.

His brilliance in stepping past defenders with ease left some all-time greats of the game in awe as he racked up two try assists, a couple of line breaks, nine tackle busts and 171 metres from his 17 runs. 

Immortal halfback Andrew Johns on Nine commentary described Ponga’s fancy footwork as being as potent as Benji Marshall in his prime. 

“He’s on a whole other planet with his footwork and agility,” Johns gushed. “You’ve got to remember he’s playing against some of the best players in the world and he’s making them look silly.”

Maroons icon Darren Lockyer empathised with the plight of opponents trying to bring him to ground. 

“Defenders can’t pick which way he’s going to go,” he said. “He’s incredible to watch.”

Knights coach Adam O’Brien was proud of the way his side defied the critics by nearly stealing the result.

“I don’t think the scoreboard is a reflection of the fight that’s in this footy team,” O’Brien said. “I just feel like we’ve turned the corner a fair bit in terms of our DNA.”

4. Smith not up to the challenge  

There was controversy this week when last year’s Grand Final referee Adam Gee couldn’t get a start in the four playoff matches. 

Todd Smith has been a big improver this year but he made a few blunders in this game. 

He had three calls overturned by Newcastle via the captain’s challenge – a knock-on from Viliame Vailea which he missed early, a Dane Gagai fumble which was actually a strip and a missed high shot on Ponga. 

He will be lucky to survive the cull when two refs get the nod for next week’s semifinals. 

5. All the feels for quiet achiever Feldt

Cowboys winger Kyle Feldt is one of only 17 players in premiership history with 150 tries. 

His 32-year-old legs are not as quick as they used to be but they were fast enough to get him 85 metres to the try line at QCB Stadium on Saturday night. 

Feldt’s 151st career four-pointer gave him 23 for the season, breaking the club record set by star fullback Matt Bowen in 2007. 

In his final home game for the Cowboys, Feldt – who is off to the Super League next year to finish his career with St Helens – only played two Origin matches for Queensland, both in 2021, and was probably unlucky not to get more Maroons jerseys. 

“He’s an important part of our team, he’s going great,” Payten said.

The Kick: O’Brien under the pump

Both coaches came into this match with question marks over their long-term future if their team did not advance. 

O’Brien is now the one who will enter 2025 under pressure to perform after the Knights couldn’t kick on after a promising start in their Elimination Final after hardly setting the world on fire as they flopped into eighth spot. 

He has had five years at the club for three shortlived playoff tilts alternating with two losing campaigns. 

The roster is decent although there is too much of a reliance on Ponga, who is chewing up a large chunk of their salary cap, as they lack of a top-shelf playmaker who can do the organising work so the fullback can pick and choose his moments. 

O’Brien will have the first half of next season to keep the wolves from the door otherwise he could be running out of time to prove he can break the club’s premiership drought which goes way back to 2001.

“There’s a few things that play a part in what happens to your season,” O’Brien said, pointing to the fact that Ponga missed 11 weeks with a foot injury.

“We didn’t cave in, we kept fighting.

“We’re not content with one week of finals. We’d love to win a premiership. It takes time, a lot of effort and you’ve got to stick with it. We’re on the path, we’ve just got to stay on it and hopefully we can get there.”



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NRL Finals Week 1 Team Lists: HUGE blow for Knights, Cleary cleared, Foxx stands down, Turbo back, Papi OK

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The NRL finals are finally here with eight clubs still in the hunt for the trophy – here is how each team is shaping up.

Finals Week 1  teams

All times AEST

Qualifying Final: 2 Panthers vs 3 Roosters at BlueBet Stadium: 7.50pm, Friday September 13

Panthers: 1. Dylan Edwards 2. Sunia Turuva 3. Izack Tago 4. Paul Alamoti 5. Brian To’o 6. Jarome Luai 7. Nathan Cleary 8. Moses Leota 9. Mitch Kenny 10. James Fisher-Harris 11. Scott Sorensen 12. Liam Martin 13. Isaah Yeo 14. Trent Toelau 15. Lindsay Smith 16. Liam Henry 17. Luke Garner 18. Matt Eisenhuth 19. Brad Schneider 20. Casey McLean 21. Daine Laurie 22. Luke Sommerton

Major news for the premiers with star halfback Nathan Cleary cleared to return from his shoulder injury. 

Cleary got the final tick of approval on his left shoulder on Wednesday, almost a month after going down against Melbourne in round 24.

The 28-year-old has been subjected to contact training at Penrith for more than a week, and in recent days had NSW Cup players testing out the joint.

The three-time premiership-winning halfback is not expected to require pain-killing needles to play, after he first suffered shoulder instability in the pre-season.

Penrith coach Ivan Cleary said on Wednesday the club had never considered holding their No.7 back any longer, until their first knockout game of the finals.

A win on Friday night would send the Panthers through to the preliminary finals, potentially giving Cleary another fortnight off if he was kept on ice.

“He’s fit, and this was always the plan to play him this week,” coach Cleary said.

“The stakes have moved up, and we always want to pick our best team and he is ready this week.”

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Roosters: 1. James Tedesco 2. Daniel Tupou 3. Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii 4. Joseph Manu 5. Dominic Young 6. Luke Keary 7. Sandon Smith 8. Spencer Leniu 9. Connor Watson 10. Lindsay Collins 11. Angus Crichton 12. Sitili Tupouniua 13. Nat Butcher 14. Zach Dockar-Clay 15. Naufahu Whyte 16. Siua Wong 17. Terrell May 18. Michael Jennings 19. Blake Steep 20. Mark Nawaqanitawase 21. Jake Elliott 22. Salesi Foketi

Trent Robinson has named Daniel Tupou and Dominic Young to return after getting a rest in the final round with Mark Nawaqanitawase making his way back to the reserves list despite his impressive debut. 

Back-rower Nat Butcher and Lindsay Collins will suit up in the forward pack after sitting out the win over Souths. But Jared Waerea-Hargreaves (suspension), Brandon Smith (knee), Sam Walker (knee) and Victor Radley (shoulder) will be watching from the sidelines.

Qualifying Final: 1 Melbourne vs 4 Cronulla at AAMI Park: 4.05pm, Saturday September 14

Storm: 1. Ryan Papenhuyzen 2. William Warbrick 3. Jack Howarth 4. Nick Meaney 5. Xavier Coates 6. Cameron Munster 7. Jahrome Hughes 8. Nelson Asofa-Solomona 9. Harry Grant 10. Josh King 11. Shawn Blore 12. Eliesa Katoa 13. Trent Loiero 14. Tyran Wishart 15. Christian Welch 16. Tui Kamikamica 17. Alec MacDonald 18. Grant Anderson 19. Lazarus Vaalepu 20. Kane Bradley 21. Joe Chan 22. Ativalu Lisati

Ryan Papenhuyzen will return at fullback after a week off to test his injured leg, replacing rookie Sua Fa’alogo who strained his hamstring in the win over Brisbane. Christian Welch also returns from illness.

Second-rower Eliesa Katoa is free to play after only being fined for a hit on Tristan Sailor, while speedy winger Grant Anderson is 18th man.

Sharks: 1. Will Kennedy 2. Sione Katoa 3. Jesse Ramien 4. Kayal Iro 5. Ronaldo Mulitalo 6. Braydon Trindall 7. Nicho Hynes 8. Toby Rudolf 9. Blayke Brailey 10. Oregon Kaufusi 11. Briton Nikora 12. Teig Wilton 13. Cameron McInnes 14. Daniel Atkinson 15. Jack Williams 16. Royce Hunt 17. Siosifa Talakai 18. Braden Hamlin-Uele 19. Chris Veaila 20. Jayden Berrell 21. Samuel Stonestreet 22. Thomas Hazelton

Jesse Ramien was placed on report in the 46th minute of Sunday’s win over Manly for a high shot on Karl Lawton. He was not sin-binned as the referee deemed the first point of contact for the heavy hit was on his opponent’s chest. The centre failed to finish the match with an ankle complaint.

Ramien was not charged by the match reviewers but second-rower Teig Wilton was pinged with dangerous contact for a hip-drop tackle but only faces a $1000 fine with an early guilty plea.

Oregon Kaufusi was rested from the win over Manly so he returns to the starting side to face the Storm and Tom Hazleton has been squeezed out of the squad, and has been named on the extended reserves list.

Elimination Final: 5 North Qld vs 8 Newcastle at QCB Stadium: 7.50pm, Saturday September 14

Cowboys: 1. Scott Drinkwater 2. Kyle Feldt 3. Valentine Holmes 4. Viliami Vailea 5. Murray Taulagi 6. Tom Dearden 7. Jake Clifford 8. Jordan McLean 9. Reece Robson 10. Jason Taumalolo 11. Heilum Luki 12. Jeremiah Nanai 13. Reuben Cotter 14. Sam McIntyre 15. Harrison Edwards 16. Kulikefu Finefeuiaki 17. Griffin Neame 18. Jaxon Purdue 19. Chad Townsend 20. Thomas Mikaele 21. Marly Bitungane 22. Tomas Chester

Veteran prop Jordan McLean returns after a few weeks out with a hamstring problem with Harrison Edwards pushed onto the bench.

Knights: 1. Kalyn Ponga 2. Fletcher Sharpe 3. Dane Gagai 12. Dylan Lucas 5. Greg Marzhew 6. Jack Cogger 7. Phoenix Crossland 8. Daniel Saifiti 9. Jayden Brailey 10. Leo Thompson 11. Tyson Frizell 17. Brodie Jones 13. Adam Elliott 14. Tyson Gamble 15. Mathew Croker 16. Jack Hetherington 18. Thomas Cant 19. Will Pryce 20. Jackson Hastings 21. Kyle McCarthy 22. Kai Pearce-Paul

In a massive blow for the Knights, star centre Bradman Best will miss the match due to his troublesome hamstring flaring up again. Club officials are confident he can play next week if the team makes it through but their chances of advancing have taken a huge hit.

Knights officials confirmed Best would not play in the do-or-die clash, only two weeks after returning from another hamstring issue.

Newcastle travelled to Townsville on Thursday for Saturday’s clash, with back-rower Dylan Lucas expected to again revert to the centres.

Jacob Saifiti (calf) has again been left out of the squad, but Kai Pearce-Paul (shin) is close to making a return and has been named as a reserve, giving Adam O’Brien a few more days to decide on his fitness.

Elimination Final: 6 Canterbury vs 7 Manly at ANZ Stadium: 4.05pm, Sunday  September 15

Bulldogs: 1. Connor Tracey 2. Jacob Kiraz 3. Bronson Xerri 4. Stephen Crichton 5. Jeral Skelton 6. Matt Burton 7. Toby Sexton 8. Max King 9. Reed Mahoney 10. Samuel Hughes 11. Viliame Kikau 12. Jacob Preston 13. Jaeman Salmon 14. Bailey Hayward 15. Kurtis Morrin 16. Harry Hayes 17. Josh Curran 19. Blake Taaffe 20. Lipoi Hopoi 21. Jonathan Sua 22. Drew Hutchison 23. Chris Patolo

Bronson Xerri will return from a one-game ban for a hip-drop tackle that injured Manly flyer Jason Saab a fortnight ago. Jeral Skelton (leg) will come back into the starting side, while Jacob Kiraz has been named on the wing despite some doubt over his shoulder problem. 

Five-eighth Matt Burton (concussion) will replace Drew Hutchison in his usual role as five-eighth. 

Veteran winger Josh Addo-Carr has stood himself down on the eve of the NRL finals after allegedly returning a positive roadside test for cocaine. The Bulldogs’ general manager of football Phil Gould announced the star player’s decision at a snap press conference on Tuesday morning after meeting with club bosses.

The winger will miss at least Sunday’s elimination final against Manly, the Dogs’ first finals appearance since 2016. Addo-Carr has told Canterbury officials he did not consume illicit drugs last week, but stood himself down after it was explained to him by Gould that his presence in the team would likely create a media circus.

Sea Eagles: 1. Tom Trbojevic 2. Tommy Talau 3. Tolutau Koula 4. Reuben Garrick 5. Lehi Hopoate 6. Luke Brooks 7. Daly Cherry-Evans 8. Taniela Paseka 9. Lachlan Croker 10. Matthew Lodge 11. Haumole Olakau’atu 12. Karl Lawton 13. Jake Trbojevic 14. Ben Trbojevic 15. Josh Aloiai 16. Ethan Bullemor 17. Nathan Brown 18. Clayton Faulalo 19. Jamie Humphreys 20. Toafofoa Sipley 21. Gordon Chan Kum Tong 22. Corey Waddell

Tom Trbojevic (shoulder) will be back as starting fullback but Jason Saab (ankle) is out for at least another week. 

Manly coach Anthony Seibold said Trbojevic could have played in the final round against Cronulla but they kept him out of action as a precautionary measure.

Bench forward Corey Waddell could still return after serving a two-game ban for a high shot. He’s been named on the extended reserves list.

with AAP



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NRL Finals Week 1 Team Lists: Panthers make decision on Cleary return, Foxx stands down, Turbo back, Papi OK

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The NRL finals are finally here with eight clubs still in the hunt for the trophy – here is how each team is shaping up.

Finals Week 1  teams

All times AEST

Qualifying Final: 2 Panthers vs 3 Roosters at BlueBet Stadium: 7.50pm, Friday September 13

Panthers: 1. Dylan Edwards 2. Sunia Turuva 3. Izack Tago 4. Paul Alamoti 5. Brian To’o 6. Jarome Luai 7. Nathan Cleary 8. Moses Leota 9. Mitch Kenny 10. James Fisher-Harris 11. Scott Sorensen 12. Liam Martin 13. Isaah Yeo 14. Trent Toelau 15. Lindsay Smith 16. Liam Henry 17. Luke Garner 18. Matt Eisenhuth 19. Brad Schneider 20. Casey McLean 21. Daine Laurie 22. Luke Sommerton

Major news for the premiers with star halfback Nathan Cleary cleared to return from his shoulder injury. 

Cleary on Monday got through the most physical testing on his left shoulder since injuring it three-and-a-half weeks ago, with several NSW Cup forwards running at the star No.7. Cleary will complete another opposed session later in the week, but has been named in the starting side to face the Sydney Roosters in Friday night’s qualifying final.

“If there’s any guy in the game that’s going to get back and be in good form, I think it’s him,” halves partner Jarome Luai said.

“We’re all backing him in.

“He’s ticking all the right boxes. You know what he’s like, he’ll do whatever he can to make sure he’s fit and ready. He hasn’t missed a beat so I’m backing him in.”

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Roosters: 1. James Tedesco 2. Daniel Tupou 3. Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii 4. Joseph Manu 5. Dominic Young 6. Luke Keary 7. Sandon Smith 8. Spencer Leniu 9. Connor Watson 10. Lindsay Collins 11. Angus Crichton 12. Sitili Tupouniua 13. Nat Butcher 14. Zach Dockar-Clay 15. Naufahu Whyte 16. Siua Wong 17. Terrell May 18. Michael Jennings 19. Blake Steep 20. Mark Nawaqanitawase 21. Jake Elliott 22. Salesi Foketi

Trent Robinson has named Daniel Tupou and Dominic Young to return after getting a rest in the final round with Mark Nawaqanitawase making his way back to the reserves list despite his impressive debut. 

Back-rower Nat Butcher and Lindsay Collins will suit up in the forward pack after sitting out the win over Souths. But Jared Waerea-Hargreaves (suspension), Brandon Smith (knee), Sam Walker (knee) and Victor Radley (shoulder) will be watching from the sidelines.

Qualifying Final: 1 Melbourne vs 4 Cronulla at AAMI Park: 4.05pm, Saturday September 14

Storm: 1. Ryan Papenhuyzen 2. William Warbrick 3. Jack Howarth 4. Nick Meaney 5. Xavier Coates 6. Cameron Munster 7. Jahrome Hughes 8. Nelson Asofa-Solomona 9. Harry Grant 10. Josh King 11. Shawn Blore 12. Eliesa Katoa 13. Trent Loiero 14. Tyran Wishart 15. Christian Welch 16. Tui Kamikamica 17. Alec MacDonald 18. Grant Anderson 19. Lazarus Vaalepu 20. Kane Bradley 21. Joe Chan 22. Ativalu Lisati

Ryan Papenhuyzen will return at fullback after a week off to test his injured leg, replacing rookie Sua Fa’alogo who strained his hamstring in the win over Brisbane. Christian Welch also returns from illness.

Second-rower Eliesa Katoa is free to play after only being fined for a hit on Tristan Sailor, while speedy winger Grant Anderson is 18th man.

Sharks: 1. Will Kennedy 2. Sione Katoa 3. Jesse Ramien 4. Kayal Iro 5. Ronaldo Mulitalo 6. Braydon Trindall 7. Nicho Hynes 8. Toby Rudolf 9. Blayke Brailey 10. Oregon Kaufusi 11. Briton Nikora 12. Teig Wilton 13. Cameron McInnes 14. Daniel Atkinson 15. Jack Williams 16. Royce Hunt 17. Siosifa Talakai 18. Braden Hamlin-Uele 19. Chris Veaila 20. Jayden Berrell 21. Samuel Stonestreet 22. Thomas Hazelton

Jesse Ramien was placed on report in the 46th minute of Sunday’s win over Manly for a high shot on Karl Lawton. He was not sin-binned as the referee deemed the first point of contact for the heavy hit was on his opponent’s chest. The centre failed to finish the match with an ankle complaint.

Ramien was not charged by the match reviewers but second-rower Teig Wilton was pinged with dangerous contact for a hip-drop tackle but only faces a $1000 fine with an early guilty plea.

Oregon Kaufusi was rested from the win over Manly so he returns to the starting side to face the Storm and Tom Hazleton has been squeezed out of the squad, and has been named on the extended reserves list.

Elimination Final: 5 North Qld vs 8 Newcastle at QCB Stadium: 7.50pm, Saturday September 14

Cowboys: 1. Scott Drinkwater 2. Kyle Feldt 3. Valentine Holmes 4. Viliami Vailea 5. Murray Taulagi 6. Tom Dearden 7. Jake Clifford 8. Jordan McLean 9. Reece Robson 10. Jason Taumalolo 11. Heilum Luki 12. Jeremiah Nanai 13. Reuben Cotter 14. Sam McIntyre 15. Harrison Edwards 16. Kulikefu Finefeuiaki 17. Griffin Neame 18. Jaxon Purdue 19. Chad Townsend 20. Thomas Mikaele 21. Marly Bitungane 22. Tomas Chester

Veteran prop Jordan McLean returns after a few weeks out with a hamstring problem with Harrison Edwards pushed onto the bench.

Knights: 1. Kalyn Ponga 2. Fletcher Sharpe 3. Dane Gagai 4. Bradman Best 5. Greg Marzhew 6. Jack Cogger 7. Phoenix Crossland 8. Daniel Saifiti 9. Jayden Brailey 10. Leo Thompson 11. Tyson Frizell 12. Dylan Lucas 13. Adam Elliott 14. Tyson Gamble 15. Mathew Croker 16. Jack Hetherington 17. Brodie Jones 18. Thomas Cant 19. Will Pryce 20. Jackson Hastings 21. Kyle McCarthy 22. Kai Pearce-Paul

Jacob Saifiti (calf) has again been left out of the squad, but Kai Pearce-Paul (shin) is close to making a return and has been named as a reserve, giving Adam O’Brien a few more days to decide on his fitness. Otherwise, the Knights coach has named the same 1-17 that defeated the Dolphins in the final round.

Elimination Final: 6 Canterbury vs 7 Manly at ANZ Stadium: 4.05pm, Sunday  September 15

Bulldogs: 1. Connor Tracey 2. Jacob Kiraz 3. Bronson Xerri 4. Stephen Crichton 5. Jeral Skelton 6. Matt Burton 7. Toby Sexton 8. Max King 9. Reed Mahoney 10. Samuel Hughes 11. Viliame Kikau 12. Jacob Preston 13. Jaeman Salmon 14. Bailey Hayward 15. Kurtis Morrin 16. Harry Hayes 17. Josh Curran 19. Blake Taaffe 20. Lipoi Hopoi 21. Jonathan Sua 22. Drew Hutchison 23. Chris Patolo

Bronson Xerri will return from a one-game ban for a hip-drop tackle that injured Manly flyer Jason Saab a fortnight ago. Jeral Skelton (leg) will come back into the starting side, while Jacob Kiraz has been named on the wing despite some doubt over his shoulder problem. 

Five-eighth Matt Burton (concussion) will replace Drew Hutchison in his usual role as five-eighth. 

Veteran winger Josh Addo-Carr has stood himself down on the eve of the NRL finals after allegedly returning a positive roadside test for cocaine. The Bulldogs’ general manager of football Phil Gould announced the star player’s decision at a snap press conference on Tuesday morning after meeting with club bosses.

The winger will miss at least Sunday’s elimination final against Manly, the Dogs’ first finals appearance since 2016. Addo-Carr has told Canterbury officials he did not consume illicit drugs last week, but stood himself down after it was explained to him by Gould that his presence in the team would likely create a media circus.

Sea Eagles: 1. Tom Trbojevic 2. Tommy Talau 3. Tolutau Koula 4. Reuben Garrick 5. Lehi Hopoate 6. Luke Brooks 7. Daly Cherry-Evans 8. Taniela Paseka 9. Lachlan Croker 10. Matthew Lodge 11. Haumole Olakau’atu 12. Karl Lawton 13. Jake Trbojevic 14. Ben Trbojevic 15. Josh Aloiai 16. Ethan Bullemor 17. Nathan Brown 18. Clayton Faulalo 19. Jamie Humphreys 20. Toafofoa Sipley 21. Gordon Chan Kum Tong 22. Corey Waddell

Tom Trbojevic (shoulder) will be back as starting fullback but Jason Saab (ankle) is out for at least another week. 

Manly coach Anthony Seibold said Trbojevic could have played in the final round against Cronulla but they kept him out of action as a precautionary measure.

Bench forward Corey Waddell could still return after serving a two-game ban for a high shot. He’s been named on the extended reserves list.

with AAP



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Finals Fix: The Lions are their own worst enemies – and at some point, it’ll cost them big time

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Of the six remaining teams in premiership contention in 2024, none come close to the amount of imponderables that Brisbane do.

So enigmatic are the Lions, so random, so polarising and fluctuating, that it’s entirely possible to watch them become the first finalist in 50 years to keep their opponents scoreless to quarter time, storm to a 60-0 lead, never get headed, win comfortably and come out of an elimination final as bruise free as it’s possible to be, and still feel less confident about their premiership chances.

The Lions, at their best, are spectacular – but we already knew that. Slicing up the corridor from half-back to inside 50 with a succession of spectacular kicks from Dayne Zorko or Darcy Wilmot, through to Hugh McCluggage or Lachie Neale or Will Ashcroft, and then on to a Zac Bailey or a Cam Rayner or a Kai Lohmann, maybe with a bit of Joe Daniher thrown in for good measure.

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The midfielders are beasts at stoppages, particularly centre bounces; when Oscar McInerney is giving them first use, which is most of the time in this career-best year for the gangly ruckman, there’s little stopping Neale, Josh Dunkley, McCluggage and co. from whisking the ball away from the coalface and to the outside in the blink of an eye, where there is a surfeit of fast-running overlappers about to make life miserable for the opposition backs.

In their own defence, Harris Andrews racks up intercept marks, the criminally underrated Ryan Lester takes another scalp playing either talls too large for him or small too quick and yet somehow rarely get the best of him, and Brandon Starcevich takes the best goalsneak and hides him in either his left pocket or under his right fingernail, whichever he prefers. Then, once they get the footy back, it’s over to Zorko, Wilmot and Conor McKenna to whisk it away and begin the cycle of devastation anew.

When Brisbane play like they did against Carlton in the first quarter and a half of their elimination final, or to quarter time against GWS and Collingwood in the latter rounds of the home-and-away season, they look superior to every team left remaining in the finals race. Even Hawthorn. Even the minor premiers Sydney.

The problem is that this devastating level of play, one that basically no one in the AFL could hope to match on all bases, is now starting to resemble a video game power-up. Like a rocket boost in Mario Kart; it’s a speed no team playing normally can get near, but that only pops up when you’re lucky, and when it’s around is merely fleeting.

For one and a half quarters at the Gabba, the Lions powered up; then for the rest, they did their best to make a 60-0 lead look thoroughly, and almost incredulously, shaky.

Yes, the Blues never got closer than 29 points in arrears while the game was still up for grabs – you can basically discount the junk time goals that came after Brisbane steadied to reduce the margin to 28.

But had the visitors not been so totally not up for the fight from the opening bounce, had they not made a swathe of glaring tactical errors in everything from starting Tom De Koning as sub to trying to tag Lachie Neale with Adam Cerra instead of George Hewett – had they only been bad enough to be six goals down instead of ten – then there is just no telling how tense things would have become for them.

Of course, if the Blues were capable of better than any of that they wouldn’t have collapsed from second after the byes through to scraping into the finals with half the best team in the casualty ward.

Charlie Curnow’s absence left a gaping hole in attack – try as he might, Andrews never had to worry about him the way he’d have had to for Curnow – and of those brought back from injury as a last roll of the dice, none performed like they were worth replacing the eager, desperate youngsters that filled in for them late in the season. (Alex Cincotta would have been rather handy tagging Zorko, wouldn’t he?)

But the Lions have significantly bigger fish to fry this finals series than Carlton, and a team capable of taking it as deep as it wants to go in September.

If and when they fall, it will not be through lack of talent, nor, you’d suspect, from an inadequate supply of scoring chances. It will be because the gap between their best and worst not just from game to game, but almost minute to minute, is a chasm big enough to fit three Oscar McInerneys stretched out toe to fingertip.

The contrast in pressure between the first half and the third quarter perfectly encapsulates the problem: having utterly, overwhelmingly obliterated the Blues up to the main break, the Lions stopped. Not slowed to a crawl, not hit a roadblock, but just flat out stopped dead in their tracks.

In the first quarter, when they racked up a 5.5 (35) to 0 lead and afforded the Blues an (unwanted) place in the history books, Brisbane laid 25 tackles – their most in a single term since Round 9. At the main break, their pressure factor was a sizeable 194 – good numbers for any team, but especially for them, the worst team in that regard in the league all season.

The finals had arrived, and it looked like the Lions were ready for the forthcoming upping of intensity.

They hunted the Blues whenever they won possession, restricting them to 62.7 per cent disposal efficiency to quarter time despite having nearly as many kicks as handballs; they won all four centre bounces as McInerney dominated Pittonet; they had six fewer turnovers despite having fewer disposals with which to inflict them; and most impressive of all, led tackles inside 50 9-2.

When the Lions harass like this, good luck beating them.

And then, after half time… it was as if a switch had been flicked. Suddenly, from the heights of 194, their pressure factor sat at 161 for the third term, and was as low as 151 until halfway through it.

Taking glee in the mysterious collapse of their rivals, the Blues pounced, kicking three quick goals to start the term and threaten the most miraculous of comebacks before the Lions, by virtue of the huge lead they’d already built up, were able to steady the ship.

Look how easily Sam Walsh exits this boundary throw-in stoppage in the third term, with only the most token resistance from the Lions on-ballers, if you need evidence.

The inside 50 count, hitherto dominated by the Lions? 11-19 in the third term. A centre bounce domination suddenly leant 3-2 in favour of the visitors, having been 9-2 at the main break. And as for disposals, the Lions suddenly found themselves, courtesy of a 103-71 disadvantage for the quarter, behind in the stat.

Tackles inside 50? Just one in the third term, the Blues suddenly able to rebound with far greater ease and fluency. And with little pressure on the ball carrier, kicks previously scrubbed into attack or sent long and high for the Hail Mary were suddenly lacing out teammates.

It’s doubly alarming, because it’s almost identical to what happened to the Lions against GWS and Collingwood. An opponent far lesser than them on talent, blown off the canvas early, then slowly but surely wresting back control until finally taking the lead midway through the last quarter.

The sole difference in those cases was that the Lions had extra time and margin on its side; the Blues were never going to reel in a 60-point deficit in the way the Giants did 30 and the Magpies did 31.

Had those first two fadeouts not happened, it might be possible to give Brisbane the benefit of the doubt that the size of the margin gave them a justified feeling that the game was done, and that playing out the rest of it came second to self-preservation.

But because it happened twice in the last month to cost them a top-two and then a top-four berth, stakes almost as high as they were for this cutthroat final, it’s clear that something is going seriously awry at the Lions, for all their brilliance at their best.

It can’t be lack of fitness, can it? Is it possible that it’s psychological, that once an opponent starts a run of goals they’re powerless to stop their momentum?

The Blues sneaked into finals with the walking wounded, and have been dispatched. But the Lions would be kidding themselves to think GWS next week, and then should they win that Geelong in a preliminary final, won’t be putting up twice the resistance, especially early.

Right now, their five remaining rivals will know that the Lions can be felled, especially if you deny them the hot start they have become accustomed to; indeed, even if you give it to them, surely the Giants and (possibly) the Cats will know that this is a side vulnerable to a counterattack if timed right.

The problem is deeper than the Lions’ horrid kicking for goal, or their key defensive issues. It’s a team-wide malaise that arrives unexpectedly, leaves just as briefly, and leaves both fans and pundits alike with no idea of the characters representing them.

Brisbane truly are their own worst enemy. And unless he can find a way to stop it against better opposition than Carlton, it’s all but impossible to see them win a flag off the back of more one-and-a-half-quarter surges.



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