How Cats have flipped midfield script
AFL: Nathan Buckley has explained how the Cats unsung heroes have changed the midfield makeup for Geelong in 2025
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
12 minutes ago
- News.com.au
‘I absolutely hate it': Karl Lawton cops ban for tackle that injured Siua Wong, Eels duo in hot water for dangerous throws
Cowboys hooker Karl Lawton is one of three players facing multi-week suspensions after he was charged for a tackle that will likely sideline Roosters young gun Siua Wong for at least a month and left Immortal Andrew Johns incensed. Lawton was hit with a grade 3 dangerous contact charge for the first-half incident that forced Wong from the field with a suspected MCL injury to his left knee. Wong was held upright by two defenders before Lawton came in and collected him directly on the knee. 'I hate that third man in, I absolutely hate it,' Johns said in commentary. The Bunker looked at the incident but didn't advise the referee to award the Roosters a penalty, with Wong the latest player from the club to suffer an MCL injury. Teammate Nat Butcher suffered a similar injury earlier this year as a result of foul play that wasn't penalised on the field but resulted in a two-game ban for Penrith's Mitch Kenny. 'I don't know about that one. I looked at it quickly and moved on,' Roosters coach Trent Robinson said after the game. 'We've had some MCLs this year, I think that's our fifth. We've had lots of six-week (injuries), with MCLs taking out five of them, which has been really difficult. 'That's up for someone else (to judge the penalty), but it's been a tough one for MCLs for us this year.' Lawton will miss two games if he takes the early guilty plea but risks an extra match if he fights the charge and loses. The Eels are also counting the cost of Sunday's win over the Titans with two players facing bans for dangerous throws. Centre Will Penisini is looking at 3-4 weeks on the sidelines after he was hit with a grade 2 dangerous throw charge for a lifting tackle on Beau Fermor in the final few plays that led to a stint in the sin bin. Teammate Ryley Smith can accept a two-match ban for a tackle that landed Phil Sami in an ugly position.
News.com.au
30 minutes ago
- News.com.au
‘Victorians want to play in the NRL': Sua Fa'alogo inspiring next generation of locals to play for Melbourne Storm
As the Storm celebrated their thrilling golden point victory over the Rabbitohs on Saturday night, children flooded the Accor Stadium tunnel to get selfies with their favourite players while begging for jerseys, boots and socks. Harry Grant and Ryan Papenhuyzen were in high demand, but the player that the kids really wanted to see was Sua Fa'alogo as he feasted on a bucket of chips and answered questions about Melbourne's pledge to improve pathways programs for Victorians wanting to play in the NRL. Only a few nights earlier, Fa'alogo was at a training session in Broadmeadows to help out some of the record-breaking 6000 Victorians who have registered to play the 2025 season, with the club's Jersey Flegg side now second on the table. It's all part of the club's Road to AAMI Park program that acknowledged the lack of locals who have represented the club, with the Storm now providing a clear pathway for youngsters to one day represent their city in the NRL. Fa'alogo is one of five Victorians to play for the Storm in the NRL, and he's confident that number will rise thanks to the club's efforts on and off the field to produce the next Dean Ieremia or Young Tonumaipea. 'I'm very grateful to have more Victorians coming up playing rugby league,' he said. 'What the Melbourne Storm is doing with their program down there is pretty massive now, and it's great to see so many Victorians coming up to play. Hopefully, we see more playing in the NRL soon. 'We go to schools sometimes and help out the little kids with the pathways. 'It's so good to see the Storm take their time to go out and help those young Victorian kids who are coming up. 'I'm very grateful for the opportunity to play for the Storm and to see so many young Victorians want to play in the NRL.' The Samoan star is still relatively new to the game but has shown off his incredible skills for the Storm despite only starting his rugby league journey less than a decade ago. 'I stopped playing AFL and started playing rugby league when I was 13,' he said. 'One of my mates from school told me to come and play for the Northern Thunder. It was pretty hard to learn at first coming from a union background, but I learnt the rules and it's been good.' Footy fans are glad he made the switch, with Fa'alogo dazzling on debut with two tries against the Broncos in 2023, while he came up with a stunning solo play on Saturday to save the Storm. The young gun was found out defensively a few times but stood tall when it mattered most as he held onto a towering Latrell Mitchell bomb, tore through the defence and set up Tyran Wishart for a crucial try. Tyran Wishart finishes off a brilliant run from Faalogo! ðŸ'° Watch #NRLSouthsStorm on ch.502 or stream on Kayo: âœ�ï¸� BLOG ðŸ'¢ MATCH CENTRE — Fox League (@FOXNRL) June 21, 2025 'There are a few things I need to work on, especially in defence,' he conceded. 'It was really special (to come up with that play). I wasn't expecting that, but it was cool to take that bomb from Latrell.' Storm coach Craig Bellamy can see the talent and is excited about what Fa'alogo can do after he signed a five-year extension in 2024. 'He's only a small kid, but he's very talented, especially with his speed and his footwork,' he said. 'He wouldn't be the most knowledgeable rugby league player in the game because he grew up playing AFL, but that's part of the skill for that kick that he caught that led to the try. 'That was one of the toughest kicks on the night, and he took it. 'I just think he's going to get better and better as time goes on as he learns more about the game and learns more about himself.'
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Stadium slayers AC/DC to carve up Aussie stadiums in November and December
The world's greatest hard rock band AC/DC has confirmed they are coming home to Australian stadiums for their first shows in a decade in November and December. The good news is the legendary stadium rock kings will open the Power Up concerts at the MCG on November 12 before heading to Sydney's Accor Stadium on November 21, the bp Adelaide Grand Final on November 30, Perth's Optus Stadium on December 4 and Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium on December 14. The bad news is the online battle for tickets to their five shows will be a virtual highway to hell. Demand will be off the charts. The rock legends sold 1.7 million tickets in one day for the opening European leg of the tour. It's been 10 years since they tore up our biggest stages and their Aussie fanbase now stretches across five generations. There's also an international AC/DC army of European, South American and North American fans who follow the tour around the globe. Because Angus Young is a fans-first, no-nonsense kind of rocker, unlike every other stadium act there are no pre-sales, so there is an equal playing ground for tickets which are priced from $132.45 including booking fee. 'They want everyone to have an equal opportunity to get tickets. AC/DC are extremely fan focused, always have been, so no pre-sales, accessible ticket prices and an unbelievable show,' their Australian promoter Christo Van Egmond said. While it takes a few days to transport and erect the giant Power Up staging and lighting, it appears there are gaps in the Australian tour schedule to add extra shows. The band sold more than 520,000 tickets when they last toured Australia on the Rock or Bust run in 2015. The promoter, who took the reins of TEG Van Egmond built by his late father Garry who toured AC/DC in Australia for 40 years, said the rockers have been in searing form during their runs in Europe and America over the past year. Christo has seen more than 60 AC/DC shows since he started going with his father when he was nine years old. 'They sound unbelievable; Brian sounds incredible, Angus is absolutely shredding it up and they're on fire at the moment,' he said. The Australian summer stadium concert season is shaping up to Rockember, with Metallica and Oasis also bringing their huge world tours here in late 2025. The Power Up album debuted at No.1 when it was released in 2020, making them the first band to have an Australian chart-topping record in five consecutive decades. Tickets to the tour, which will feature Aussie rock stars Amyl and the Sniffers as the support act, go on sale via on June 26 at staggered local times - Sydney from 9am, Adelaide from 10am, Brisbane from 11am and Melbourne and Perth from 1pm. All tickets are available via Ticketek except the bp Adelaide Grand Final concert which is sold by Ticketmaster. Ticketek advises fans to disable VPNs or IP-masking tools as your unique IP helps the site to confirm you're a real person, not a bot. The Ticketek Lounge will open one hour before the on sale time and fans are advised to not refresh or close browsers as the page will automatically refresh A spokesman also stressed fans should only attempt to buy tickets with one device as multiple devices or browsers at once may trigger bot protection and could remove you from the queue. All ticket and show details via AC/DC Power Up tour setlist at Huntington Bank Field, Cleveland, Ohio on May 28, 2025. 1. If You Want Blood (You've Got It) 2. Back in Black 3. Demon Fire 4. Shot Down in Flames 5. Thunderstruck 6. Have a Drink on Me 7. Hells Bells 8. Shot in the Dark 9. Stiff Upper Lip 10. Highway to Hell 11. Shoot to Thrill 12. Sin City 13. Rock 'n' Roll Train 14. Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap 15. High Voltage 16. Riff Raff 17. You Shook Me All Night Long 18. Whole Lotta Rosie 19. Let There Be Rock (with Angus guitar solo) Encore: 20. T.N.T. 21. For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)
