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Please note that as of 2/10/2022 I am no longer active on The Roar. I covered AFL, AFL Women's, NRL, the Supercars and tennis.
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A new chapter in the rivalry between Port Adelaide and the Adelaide Crows will be opened when they face off in the first ever…
All you need to know for Sunday's big games.
Joel Selwood has completed his graduation from being a premiership rookie in 2007 to a premiership captain in 2022, leading his beloved Geelong Cats…
And then there were two. After 198 regular season matches, 1,188 Brownlow Medal votes, 4,781 regular season goals (and a further 194 goals in…
Only four teams remain in the race for this year’s NRL premiership, with the Eels, Panthers and Rabbitohs to carry the hopes of the…
Only four teams remain in the race for the NRLW premiership in the fifth season, with defending premiers the Sydney Roosters looking to make…
World sport has been rocked by the sudden news on Thursday that Roger Federer is to retire from tennis after next week's Laver Cup…
For over 17 years, the Dreamtime at the G has been a highlight on the AFL calendar. First held on a Saturday afternoon during…
Going into the final round of the fifth NRL Women's season, all teams are still in contention for a finals berth, including the last-placed…
Only four teams remain in the race for this year's AFL premiership, with the Geelong Cats and Collingwood to carry the hopes of the…
After week one of the finals, the Melbourne Storm and Sydney Roosters have had their premiership dreams dashed, while the Penrith Panthers and North…
Men's tennis has a brand new Grand Slam champion - and a brand new world number one. His name? 19-year-old Spanish teenage sensation Carlos…
After suffering through a form slump following her French Open victory in June, many questioned whether Iga Swiatek still had the hunger and desire…
And then there were two. The 2022 US Open will reach its climax when Casper Ruud and Carlos Alcaraz square off for not just…
And then there were two. World number one Iga Swiatek will shoot for her second Major title this year when she comes up against…
With only two rounds remaining before the finals, the clash between the Sydney Roosters and Newcastle Knights shapes as a potential grand final preview,…
Carlos Alcaraz's chances of claiming his maiden grand slam title and becoming the youngest men's world No. 1 in history remain alive after he…
Australian involvement in both the men's and women's singles draws are over, with Nick Kyrgios and Ajla Tomljanovic both bowing out of the US…
A new men's Grand Slam champion is guaranteed after Rafael Nadal and Marin Cilic both bowed out of the US Open, leaving Casper Ruud…
For forty years between 1982 and 2011, the Sydney Swans were the only AFL club in town, which naturally meant that Sydneysiders would have…
I reckon this Mark Neeld mess at Melbourne would not have happened had they not lost to the Geelong Cats by 186 points in late-2011 – it was of course that result which cost the late Dean Bailey his job.
The Dees were still in contention for the finals prior to that catastrophic result at Kardinia Park and what it did was send the club backwards for years.
What North Melbourne can learn from Melbourne's rebuild a decade ago
Even more controversial at the time was the decision by Mark Neeld to remove Brad Green (then the club’s most experienced player) as captain, in an indication that he was looking to stamp his authority on the club, which, as we all knew, backfired.
After Green retired at the end of 2012, their next-most experienced player Brent Moloney left the club for the Brisbane Lions but played only 21 games there before retiring.
It was only when Paul Roos arrived that common sense prevailed and Nathan Jones was appointed co-captain, and later sole captain. It was clear to him that he loved the club and while success was still far off, he still led by example through the tough times.
Which leads me to the next question – who will take over from Jack Ziebell as North captain when he retires, with the likelihood that Todd Goldstein will retire at the end of this season if not the next?
What North Melbourne can learn from Melbourne's rebuild a decade ago
It won’t be. There has not been a triple bagel in a men’s Grand Slam main draw match since 1993.
Nick Kyrgios vs Stefanos Tsitsipas: A Wimbledon blockbuster awaits
I remember when the Suns played Collingwood in round 18, 2011 (their first ever meeting), the match was sold out two months in advance. While the match set an attendance of 23,302, about a third of them were Pies fans that had made the trip from Melbourne to watch it.
Don’t think the Suns have had an attendance of more than 20K since the round 16, 2014 match against the Pies in which the Suns won by less than a kick, though it was soured by the season-ending shoulder injury suffered by captain Gary Ablett Jr. that ultimately derailed their season.
The match will be shown nationally on Channel Seven, giving the Suns the incentive to perform in a prime-time slot.
2022 AFL season: Round 16 preview
UPDATE: Ryan Papenhuyzen has been ruled out of the clash against the Broncos after testing positive to COVID-19.
Broncos' NRL finals credentials to be tested against the Storm
This is actually a Collingwood home game meaning the takings from the gate receipts will go to them.
Melbourne’s home game will be the return clash in round 21.
After two years, Queen's Birthday football is back at the MCG
I can recall Freo beating Melbourne at the MCG early in the 2005 season; that came just a fortnight after they suffered a horrible loss to the previous year’s wooden spooners Richmond at the same ground.
They also had a good win against the Geelong Cats at Kardinia Park six days after being hammered by Hawthorn at home.
2022 AFL season: Round 11 preview
I was going to note the dismal crowd at the game yesterday as well but didn’t have the time (I submitted my article just before midnight). Goes to show just how badly the Giants are going on the field at the moment and that things will get worse before they get better.
Even more disappointing given there were no NRL games on in metro Sydney as well, but at the same time West Coast are not a high drawing club outside of its own state.
Giant win proves GWS are not a broken club and there's still a pulse in their season
Also worth noting that the Melbourne Storm were an instant success when they entered the NRL in 1998, winning their first premiership in just their second year of existence.
The difference back then was that most of the Storm’s 1998 squad were made up of mostly experienced players, while there were only a few experienced heads at GWS in their first season and it was no surprise they regularly copped some heavy defeats early on.
Love him or hate him, Leon Cameron has left a Giant legacy
I’ll always say that Steve Johnson’s absence from that prelim due to suspension cost them that year. His experience in big games could’ve been vital in those last few minutes…
Love him or hate him, Leon Cameron has left a Giant legacy
Personally, I will be excited to see the Summer Olympics back in our own backyard, with Brisbane getting its chance to shine.
I’ll always say this – the Gold Coast’s successful staging of the Commonwealth Games four years ago was a major factor, while the 2026 event to be staged across Victoria might give us a gauge of how we’ll fare in Brisbane in 2032.
As far as the short term is concerned, I’ll be hoping to get to some Matildas matches at next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Get set for a huge decade of world sport in our own backyard
Last vs first tend to produce some surprises though – look no further than round 9, 2005 when bottom-placed Collingwood handed West Coast their first loss that season.
Same goes in 2012 when Melbourne won their first game that season at the expense of an Essendon side that was second with its sole defeat to that point of the season being by a solitary point.
Proves that anything can happen. Though as far as Sunday is concerned, I would like to think that Melbourne will win by a lot.
Mismatch of the season? Demons return to premiership Perth to take on grounded Eagles
I was talking more about the decade ahead not the past. But it’s good that you mentioned the 2015 Asian Cup which to date remains the Socceroos’ most significant achievement in modern history.
Get set for a huge decade of world sport in our own backyard
Only reason why Nine is producing a Saturday night match this weekend is because there’s no Thursday night match, and Nine normally televises three matches every round.
And from round 21 they’ll start televising Saturday night matches, but while they do have their own graphics, there are some transitions from Fox.
Storm and Panthers will sprinkle some premiership magic on Magic Round
That was the exact same case in 2016 when Billy Slater suffered a season-ending injury in round one – Cameron Munster proved serviceable at fullback as the Storm reached the decider, only to be beaten by the Sharks. Only God knows whether they could’ve won had Slater not been injured, though…
Storm and Panthers will sprinkle some premiership magic on Magic Round
There will be more teams in the coming years – with two to join in 2023 and then another two in 2024, making it a ten-team league by then.
Third time lucky for Roosters as they Bradbury their way to the NRLW premiership
What is meant by “Bradbury” is that the Roosters qualified for the semis after Parramatta fell over against Brisbane badly in the final round.
Third time lucky for Roosters as they Bradbury their way to the NRLW premiership
To clarify: Adelaide’s win over Melbourne in the preliminary final was last season (2021).
AFLW grand final preview: Who wins the ultimate prize?
Mal Michael (later to become a three-time Brisbane Lions premiership player) was the player minding Lockett when the latter booted his record-breaking 1,300th goal.
All eyes on Buddy in Sydney Swans' SCG homecoming
Wow, this is a major shock. However, this time around, she’s gone out on top of her game, and she can leave proud of what she’s achieved on the circuit – world number one, three Major titles and the respect of her peers.
History will forever tell us that the last match she played (and won) was the Australian Open final back in January.
'So happy and so ready': Ash Barty's shock retirement from tennis
After a tough couple of seasons it’s good to see the Dragons finally realising and playing to their potential.
Getting Kezie Apps, Madison Bartlett and Kodi House back from injury and suspensions respectively helped their cause against a Newcastle side that were keen to perform in front of its home fans, only to be overwhelmed by the occasion as the Dragons showed their class.
Had the Dragons been more accurate with their kicking at goal, the scoreline could’ve been even more ugly for the Novocastrians, with eight (!) missed conversions. I heard one of the commentators say that “they simply cannot afford to miss shots at goal especially if you’re coming up against the Broncos in a final”. Without all those missed conversions, the scoreline would’ve been 56-4.
Sets up an exciting final round whereby if the Dragons beat the Roosters at Kogarah Oval on Saturday, then the Broncos must beat the Eels by a larger margin to wrest back the minor premiership.
NRLW Round 4: Dragons silence Knights to take top spot from Broncos as Roosters edge out Eels
Think the emotion/history factor might play into the Dragons’ minds on Friday night. They’ll also be mindful that the last time they honoured a fallen legend (in this case, Lance Thompson), they got whacked 38-0 by the Bulldogs late in the 2018 season. I was at that match, and was disgusted by what I saw.
NRL 2022: Men's Round 2 and Women's Round 4 preview
FINAL EVENT UPDATE
* As expected, the Kookaburras defeated India 7-0 to win our 67th and final Gold Medal of the Birmingham Commonwealth Games.
* Emma McKeon has now won fourteen gold medals (not eleven as originally stated) to become our most prolific Commonwealth Games athlete.
A look back at Australia's very successful Commonwealth Games campaign