The six big agenda items for Greg Swann
Greg Swann is joining AFL headquarters and the Midweek Tackle team have identified six big agenda items for the league's new football performance executive.
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News.com.au
40 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Callum Peters impressed Gennady Golovkin in Paris – now he's taking his first steps as a pro
Aussie boxer Callum Peters was hanging out at the Olympic village in Paris last year, just hours after his brutally close split decision defeat to eventual silver medallist Nurbek Oralbay. The then 21-year-old was proud but disappointed in the loss to the highly-touted Kazakh fighter. His fight was named the best of the entire boxing tournament at the Olympics, but he thought he did enough to jag an upset victory. His day was about to become even more surreal as he was walking around the village with some teammates. 'This guy came up to me, gave me a handshake, and said something like, 'Killer performance, can't wait to see you in the pros' and gave me a good handshake and walked past me,' Peters says. 'I didn't know who it was. 'I thought it was some guy working for the Kazakh team. It was late at night, around 8 o'clock.' Thinking it was just a nice gesture from an official from the team of the fighter who'd just beaten him, Peters didn't think much of it. 'I just kept walking along,' he says. 'But then all the boys were like, 'Do you know who that was??' 'I had no idea who it was and they said, 'That's Triple G!' 'I was just like, 'What?! That's Triple G? He looks different'. 'It wasn't fight ready Triple G. You wouldn't know it was the most dangerous bloke in the world.' That's the same Triple G, aka Gennady Golovkin, who ruled over boxing's middleweight division for the better part of a decade, including a knockout win over Aussie Daniel Geale at Madison Square Garden in 2014. After retiring from fighting, Golovkin headed up the Kazakh Olympic boxing committee, and is now the chair of the World Boxing Olympic Commission. He has been credited as one of the major figures behind saving boxing from the axe at the Olympics after years of scandal. Any disappointment that his Olympics campaign had come to a premature end washed away pretty quickly. 'The whole experience was crazy,' he says. 'That night, I couldn't really sleep properly. It was beautiful. 'To get a bit of motivation from Triple G, that freaked me out a bit. It's like he was undercover.' Peters turned pro in Sydney in December and had his second paid fight on Tim Tszyu's undercard in Newcastle in April. The slick South Australian is back in action this Wednesday on the undercard to Liam Paro and Liam Wilson's double header in Cairns. The charismatic boxer still has one foot in the non-paid ranks too though, and is aiming to win an amateur world title in England later this year. Australian men have won five bronze world championship medals, but no Aussie bloke has won World Championship gold. It's something Peters wants to put right, and he's using this Wednesday's fight against Anthony Hoarao (2-0) as the start of his prep. 'This Cairns card is massive,' he says. 'To be part of it, to share the week with guys like Liam Paro and Liam Wilson – I can't wait. 'I want to test myself under pressure and keep building momentum before the Worlds. I love the challenge of juggling amateurs and pros. 'No Australian man has ever won gold at the Worlds – that's the first box I want to tick. 'Then I want to prove I can back it up in the pros. I want to hold the Aussie belt knowing I've taken on the best in the world and then come back home and come out on top too. 'This is about pushing the limits for Australian boxing. 'If I can show it's possible, to win at the top level as an amateur and then succeed in the pros, then maybe more kids will believe they can too.'
News.com.au
44 minutes ago
- News.com.au
‘What else is he meant to do?': GWS gun taken out in brutal bump
GWS Giants star Lachie Whitfield got cleaned up by a brutal bump against the Gold Coast Suns, but Suns spearhead Ben King is expected to escape punishment for the hit. The incident occurred late in the first quarter of the clash between two AFL expansion sides on Sunday afternoon in Sydney, as GWS claimed a thrilling seven-point win. FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every match of every round in the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season LIVE in 4K, with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. A bouncing ball made its way towards Whitfield, but before he could collect it, King knocked Whitfield over with a heavy hip and shoulder. Whitfield was taken down to the Giants changerooms and was ruled out of the game with concussion, replaced by substitute Jake Stringer in the second quarter. Fox Footy's Alastair Lynch said: 'Ben King comes in and certainly his left shoulder hits Lachie Whitfield in the jaw and he goes down. Watch the bump on Lachie Whitfield in the video above 'He stayed out on the ground but he was assessed by video and they got him off the ground. 'I think Ben King should be right with that one. He was looking to protect the ball with his body and he hits Lachie Whitfield at the same time.' Fox Footy Tribunal expert David Zita said: 'Ben King was contesting the ball reasonably here, I think. He was running through the line. I don't know what else he was supposed to do in that situation. 'I don't think the action was a reportable offence. I don't see him having anything to worry about. What else is he meant to do?' The bump is certainly not dead — Geelong's Tom Stewart was cleared of any wrongdoing for his crunching bump on Gold Coast's Noah Anderson earlier this month. GWS recovered from a poor first quarter to claim a thrilling comeback win over the Suns to consolidate their position in the top eight. Gold Coast kicked four goals in the first four minutes of the game to take a big early lead, posting seven goals to four in a dominant opening quarter. But the Giants fought back and took the lead midway through the final quarter, kicking eight goals to three in the final term. 'It's a classic game, everybody is lifting,' Gerard Healy said on Fox Footy. Stringer and GWS captain Toby Greene kicked two goals each as the Giants surged in front in a highscoring final quarter, holding on to win 16.10 (106) to 14.15 (99). 'This is exactly why we got him here and he'll just get better,' Greene said about Stringer post-game. The Suns have never won at ENGIE Stadium in Sydney and will slip out of the top eight, while the Giants head to the bye after recording wins over Brisbane and Gold Coast.
The Australian
an hour ago
- The Australian
Jockey Craig Williams suspended but still chasing premiership
Champion jockey Craig Williams has zeroed in on the pursuit of a 10th Melbourne premiership. Williams started a 14-day careless riding suspension on Sunday but has 58 races across seven city meetings next month to wipe an eight-win deficit on sidelined premiership leader Blake Shinn (foot). 'I want to win a championship so I'm working hard, I'll be at all the tracks,' Williams said. 'I was very saddened by that (suspension) but that's the rules of racing … I just have to work harder.' • PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet's team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW! If successful in the premiership race, Williams could join Damien Oliver on 10 premierships. Roy Higgins and Bill Duncan share the record with 11 Melbourne titles. Shinn, stranded on 67 city winners, was poised to win his second premiership in three seasons and third overall before an untimely foot injury last month. Williams moved to 59 winners last Saturday with a double at Flemington. • 'Huge team effort': Paynes revel in landmark four-timer 'It's been a great season, won five Group 1s, The Everest, I've won a Hong Kong Derby,' Williams said. 'It's been an amazing season and when we're in the position that we are, and we're only in this position because of Blake Shinn's unfortunate injury … he's very dominant. 'This is really special to us (premierships) but again it's a goal, nothing better than … having goals and challenges, you turn up, you know what you want to do. 'It doesn't matter what the weather is, what the horses are, we try and get the best out of them to hopefully be lucky enough to win 10 championships.' • 'Zachariah The Electrifier': The jockey targeting darts glory Williams has pushed back a planned humanitarian aid mission to Ukraine to pursue the premiership. 'It's important, the work we do here, 10 per cent goes to Ukraine,' Williams said. 'My wife is helping me try and win the championship and once we get the next eight (winners) we'll go to Ukraine and deliver the humanitarian aid.' Williams rode Taken and the most impressive She's An Artist to victory last Saturday at Flemington. She's An Artist, trained by Ciaron Maher, 'broke them' in slick time – fastest sectionals on the card in the last race – at only her second start and first time down the Flemington straight. 'She felt like everything we hoped she was going to be,' Williams said. 'The exciting part is she's only going to get better … all going well, like we always need, she's a really untapped, high potential filly.' She's An Artist is set for the Listed Creswick Sprint Series Final (1200m) on July 5 at Flemington. Williams is eligible to return to the saddle on July 6, with a midweek meeting at Sandown on July 9 his next opportunity to build on his metropolitan winners' tally. Gilbert Gardiner Sports reporter Gilbert Gardiner is a sports reporter for the Herald Sun and Sunday Herald Sun. @gilbertgardiner Gilbert Gardiner
