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Stirling Coates started out as an AFL crowd contributor, and now is in charge of The Roar's esports section.
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Controversially sacked Matildas coach Alen Stajcic has found a temporary new job in Australian football, after the last-placed Central Coast Mariners appointed him caretaker coach for the rest of the A-League season.
Officials details of the proposed Nations Championship have today been revealed by World Rugby, with a complex two-conference, six-division structure to be used.
A new standard year of competitive Hearthstone will soon be underway, with Blizzard today unveiling the early machinations of the Year of the Dragon – and dropping a massive bombshell in the process.
The Australian Rugby League Commission (ARLC) and NRL have today announced a new policy that will see players charged with serious crimes subject to a “no-fault stand down” with pay pending the outcome of their legal proceedings.
Rife speculation about the future of Ethan Lowe has finally come to a head, with the North Queensland Cowboys today announcing they’d granted the wantaway forward an immediate release from his contract to join South Sydney.
The Waratahs have had a serious spanner thrown in the works after first-choice hooker Tolu Latu was handed a hefty six-week suspension for an incident in last week’s one-point win over the Sunwolves.
The 23 women who’ll represent Australia at the upcoming Cup of Nations have today been unveiled, as new Matildas coach Ante Milicic faced the media for the first time since his controversial replacement of Alen Stajcic.
Fox Sports is this morning reporting that Michael O’Connor will be appointed to the newly-created independent selector role for Rugby Australia.
Dario Falcao-Rassohka is just 17 years old, but is already making a name for himself as one of Australia’s most promising esports stars.
The ACT Brumbies have today announced a two-year contract extension for head coach Dan McKellar, rewarding the coach for a strong debut season in 2018.
With the 2019 Overwatch League season getting underway tomorrow, there’s no better time to cast our eye over all 20 teams and see where they’ll end up come season’s end.
UPDATE: Risdon’s upcoming move to Western Melbourne has been made official, with the club and Risdon himself both releasing statements confirming the news.
The second season of the Overwatch League is very fast approaching. As successful as the first season was, the rapid expansion from 12 to 20 teams has caught some analysts by surprise.
Sublime Sheffield Shield and Big Bash form has again gone unrewarded for Matthew Wade, with the wicketkeeper-turned-batsman left off the sheet for Australia’s upcoming ODI tour of India.
Australia’s ODI World Cup and Ashes preparations have been rocked by a surprise move, after Cricket Australia announced the immediate resignation of fast bowling coach David Saker.
Andrew Forrest’s Rapid Rugby initiative has hit a small road bump, with the “tight time frame and intricacies of a World Cup year” forcing them to move their debut season back to 2020.
Socceroos head coach Graham Arnold has today rebuked rumours he was considering ditching the national side for a gig with Scottish Premier League side Hibernian.
The fixtures for the upcoming Twenty20 world cup in 2020 have been confirmed, with the big news being the men’s and women’s tournaments will take place far apart from one another.
New South Wales have received some much-needed good news ahead of the Super Rugby season, with the club today confirming Adam Ashley-Cooper will line up for the side in 2019.
Billy Stanlake and Adam Zampa have been included in Australia’s XI for the third ODI against India, with Jason Behrendorff and Nathan Lyon the exclusions.
“From what I understand of this charge” – that’s irrelevant. The stand down policy applies when the police decide there is enough evidence to charge someone – not investigate, not interrogate, not question, but to charge someone.
You simply can’t stroll into a police station, say ‘this person [committed crime x]’ and expect a charge to be laid. Sure, police might knock on their door, do some investigating and ask them some questions, but they will not charge someone unless they themselves are satisfied there is enough evidence to proceed. The NRL have based application of the stand down policy entirely on whether police are of the opinion a charge is warranted.
You don’t know as much about this case as the police do, and you certainly don’t know more than they do. I don’t mean to be blunt or rude, but your personal assessment of the De Belin evidence means very little.
When sport attacks civil liberties: The NRL’s no-fault stand down
“If such compelling evidence exists, which would be sufficient to merit an arrest and the player being charged, then the NRL should be empowered to act and stand a player down during this period.”
Not sure what point you’re trying to make here, as the NRL’s stand down policy only applies when a player is charged by police. It doesn’t apply to heresay or allegations, it only comes into effect when the police decide there is enough evidence for the player in question to be charged.
When sport attacks civil liberties: The NRL’s no-fault stand down
Didn’t North finish ninth last year with a slightly inferior team?
2019 AFL season preview: North Melbourne Kangaroos
I would say it is more a case of him being satisfied the allegations just aren’t obviously bogus.
Jack de Belin stood down as new policy confirmed for NRL players charged with serious crimes
Actually, having just checked attendances over the last decade or so, it might not be so hard at all. The Blues averaged 53,212 fans per game in 2011, a season that saw them finish fifth.
That’s roughly 4,000 more than what the Pies got this year, and only 2,000 less than what Richmond averaged in 2017.
Who knows what numbers they could hit if they actually became a top four side?
Why I'm getting around the good old Navy Blues
You’ve got to wonder what it will take to get things back to that level though. I started watching football as an eight-year-old in 2002 which means, for the overwhelming majority of my football-watching life, the Blues have been a basket case.
How much irreparable damage does that do to a club? That’s more or less a generation of fans lost.
Why I'm getting around the good old Navy Blues
Agree with you on Vancouver’s skins being hideous, but they got their jerseys right.
Atlanta and Toronto’s uniforms don’t look bad, but I think they’ve got them wrong in that they don’t really match their skins.
Forget stats and rosters; which new Overwatch League team looks the sleekest?
Need to express my displeasure/get your thoughts on some of the changes existing teams have made.
Very unhappy with Philadelphia and San Francisco ditching the orange for black and grey, respectively.
LA Valiant’s new green is nice though.
Forget stats and rosters; which new Overwatch League team looks the sleekest?
On fire today Dane, great read.
Rugby league pre-season article template: Updated 2019 version
At the moment, top-level players a running a tank-heavy composition comprising D.Va, Reinhardt, Zarya, Brigitte, Lucio and Moira.
Reaper is in the process of having a buff trialled that might help him break this composition up though.
Just about everyone gets a run at the competitive level in certain scenarios – I often find it’s the lightning-quick adjustments mid-match that separate the pros from the rest of us. That said, Symmetra, Torbjorn and Mei are about as niche as it gets.
Everything you missed from the first season of the Overwatch League
I think Sydney’s best 22 is still top tier, but they are perilously thin on depth. I was surprised to see them delist a lot of fringe players.
I’ve got them sneaking into the eight, but not doing much beyond that.
Sydney 2019 season preview: Best 22 and predicted finish
Certainly one of the wildest (and worst) moments I’ve witnessed in competitive Overwatch.
The worst part is it proves in the mind of certain folk that women are treated too nicely in esports when, in fact, it proves the direct opposite.
A dark day for women in esports
They’ve finished in the top four at some Asia-Pacific tournaments – an achievement that can’t be understated – but they’re as much of a victim of Australia’s lack of esports investment as anyone else when it comes to global tournaments.
They have had players poached by top US teams, however.
"Like the All Blacks, Man City and Patriots combined"; The Aussie esports team that can't stop winning
My tip has always been to tell your opponent what you’re going to play in advance, you’d be surprised how often they outthink themselves and your honesty pays off!
English referee suspended after using scissor-paper-rock instead of coin toss
At this stage I think the Swans have their eye on making a big splash next year.
AFL Trade Wrap Day 8: Tom Scully, Steven May, Tim Kelly and more
100% Wayne.
As someone else in the office just suggested, what’s to stop a superior ruckman just grabbing the ball and holding onto it when their team is up by less than a goal with a minute to go?
Flies in the face of the concept of prior opportunity, as well as the third spirit of the law (in that the ball shall be kept in motion).
AFL unveils rule changes for 2019
Going to respectfully disagree with you on this one.
The 6-6-6 set-up is going to see lesser teams get flogged more regularly, the removal of the requirement to kick the ball is totally unnecessary (although I am in favour of the mark being moved to ten metres), the 50-metre penalty and set shot after the siren changes are a complete mess, and the ruck rule change will add to congestion and totally distorts the definition of prior opportunity.
Relaxing hands in the back, and the nine-metres-from-the-boundary mark laws, however, are pretty good.
AFL unveils rule changes for 2019
Thanks for the correction Greg – we’ll amend accordingly.
Billy Slater shoulder charge FAQs: Your complete guide to tonight's judiciary hearing
Aubusson at halfback?! Surely that’s a big ole’ typo Scotty!
NRL team list Tuesday live blog: grand final, State Challenge, NRLW - all teams named
Don’t worry mate, we’ll have a piece up soon helping you all make sense of this. I appreciate your ongoing interest.
World of Warcraft's Jeramy McIntyre explains how the esport has grown
Too true Onside. The lengths to which our players have to go to just to get practice in is outrageous.
How can we use our Overwatch World Cup success to push esports forward in Australia?
It almost defies belief doesn’t it! I can run rings around AI opponents and… that’s about it.
Find esports confusing? Rocket League could be your ticket in
Hope you’re right Alister!
Who will progress to the semi-finals at the FACEIT CS:GO London Major?
Hi Onside,
If this is something at interests you, I’m more than happy to pen a piece like that.
Just promise me you’ll give that one a read too!
The greatest achievement by an Australian national team this year has been in esports - and it happened yesterday
I have to give credit to a Crowd writer (whose name escapes me) for unearthing this stat; since 2014, the runner-up from the previous season has failed to win a single final every year bar one.
Not good news if you’re a superstitious Pies fan.
2019 AFL season preview: Collingwood Magpies