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Herald Sun
12 hours ago
- Sport
- Herald Sun
West Australia left seeing red in Perth State of Origin blunder, rugby league, AFL, NSW Blues, Queensland Maroons
Don't miss out on the headlines from NRL. Followed categories will be added to My News. Oh WA media, give it a rest will you? Like it or not, rugby league is here to stay. The state's paper The West Australian did its best this week to try to make citizens forget one of the country's biggest sporting spectacles was happening in the heart of their city, State of Origin. That didn't exactly work out how they'd hoped. FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. The paper virtually refused to promote the game at all in the lead-up, with only a small story at the back-end of the sport section on Monday, and not a single mention of it at all one day out. The event was also missing from Channel 7's news bulletin. The 'State of Origin's back' header finally appeared on the front page on Wednesday, which at first glance was a nod to the game. But on closer look it appeared to poke fun at the event, promoting WA's Fremantle Dockers against Victoria's Essendon Bombers clash on Thursday night instead. Not to mention the strategic placement of their only game day story beside the ads for escort services. But not even The West Australian's blatant disregard and mockery of rugby league was enough to deter its state from churning out in numbers for Wednesday night's blockbuster. Of the 57,000 crowd in the downpour of rain at Optus stadium — which was almost a 62,000 sellout — around 47,000 were Perth locals. Ironically the next night, for The West's 'state of origin' battle between Fremantle and Essendon, the AFL could only manage 37,570 fans at the same venue. The best the paper could do? A salty response the next morning: 'One bunch of East Coasters beat another at rugby in Perth last night.' That's got to feel like a bit of egg on your face. But it seems not much will change as the state media continues to virtually deny the code exists despite growing admiration for it among fans and the announcement of new NRL franchise the Perth Bears coming in 2027. The angst is possibly the ugly ramification of a rift between Seven West media boss Kerry Stokes and the NRL's Peter V'landys, as well as the media organisation's bid to reduce any threats to stay atop the code war in an AFL dominated region. V'landys recently appointed former West editor Anthony De Ceglie as the inaugural Bears chief executive to overlook the new franchise's success in the state. That may not be as difficult a job as the newspaper wants the country to believe, with Wednesday's game bringing in almost 200,000 Perth TV viewers atop the crowd, proving broadcast interest is all on the rise. The paper's editor Chris Dore was adamant when he told The Sydney Morning Herald the appetite for rugby league was non-existent in WA. 'No one outside of rugby league writers in Sydney cares. The point is rugby league is simply not a mainstream sport in this town,' Dore said. 'Just the facts. Good on them for having a crack here. We have nothing against the game despite the carry-on from [Peter] V'landys' acolytes in the Sydney media about our coverage. 'It's just not remotely main game and never will be.' But the numbers say otherwise Chris. Don't fight it, this is happening It's time to accept WA craves rugby league. Originally published as West Australia left seeing red in State of Origin blunder
Herald Sun
2 days ago
- Sport
- Herald Sun
‘Something's not right': Laurie Daley's blunt admission as NSW rage over brutal penalty count
Blues coach Laurie Daley and captain Isaah Yeo have expressed frustration at a lopsided penalty count in NSW's 26-24 loss to Queensland in Perth. NSW were on the wrong end of a 10-2 penalty count that was eight to nil in the first half. It sparked a furious reaction from pundits who criticised referee Ashley Klein's officiating of the match. FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. Daley was blunt when asked what he thought of the penalty count. 'I can't tell you what I honestly think, so I'm not going to,' Daley said. Yeo, meanwhile, admitted the Blues were at fault for a number of penalties but believed they were on the wrong end of a host of 50/50 calls. 'There's certainly a few that we were shooting ourselves in the foot with and they were just penalties,' Yeo said. 'Other ones are 50-50. Some nights you get them, some nights you don't. So what you can't do is you can't go drop the ball early in the next set early in the tackle count when you've got the ball. 'So obviously I'd like that to be a bit more even, but we were our own worst enemy at times as well.' The Blues also disagreed with the decision to place Blues half Jarome Luai on report for a suspected eye-gouge. 'I thought it was a facial, I didn't see it up in the footage,' Yeo said. 'They put him on the report, but he didn't say why. I thought it was a face shot, so I thought there was a fair few of those in the game.' 'We saw a fair few of them in game one too,' Daley added. Yeo, however, admitted the Blues were their own worst enemy in a performance littered with ill-discipline. 'We just couldn't get out of our own way at the time, and they had all momentum,' he said. 'We probably had momentum through the middle of the field in that second half, but you can't do that to a pack like that. 'We just compounded too much. We would finally get the ball back, and we'd drop the ball early. You just can't miss the jump like this.' Isaah Yeo and Laurie Daley didn't say much, but said it all. Daley said ultimately the Blues did not deserve to win. 'It certainly was a rollercoaster, we just let ourselves down in the first half,' Daley said. 'I just think we just missed the jump with just like completion. 'Like, it really was just errors and penalties, and just compounded, and we just made it really hard for ourselves. 'We showed what we are capable of doing in the second half, but you can't play a half like that against a quality opposition and expect to be close. 'It was a good lesson. Go back to the drawing board, prepare well and go back to Sydney. It's one-all, so we will see how we go in game three. 'I think when we look at the video we will see opportunities, but I think we created, I think five tries to four, but I just get back to discipline, completions. 'We were nowhere near the mark in the first 40, so that was disappointing, but I was proud of them, obviously in the second half. 'They dug deep and showed everyone what they're capable of doing, but you've got to go two halves. You know, it's an old cliche, but it's true.' Daley also paid tribute to the Maroons and said the criticism of Queensland went too far during the week 'We knew what we were going to come against and they delivered,' Daley said. 'And the amount of criticism that they received, which was way over the top, we just knew that they were going to be better. So, we got to be better, and we will be better.' We're off to a decider. Photo byDaley, however, refused to be drawn on Billy Slater's turbulent 24 hours prior to the match. 'I'm not dodging the question, but I've just been focused on the group,' Daley said. 'I really have. I haven't really discussed anything. I just know that my energy's been channelled into the players 'I don't really know. And to be fair, when I'm in camp, I don't read papers. I don't go near them, because I just don't want to know what's going on in the world. And I don't know what's going on in rugby league as well. I wouldn't be able to tell you what's happening.' Daley also revealed Nathan Cleary was battling a groin injury which prevented him from goalkicking duties. 'He just felt a bit tight in his groin, so we wanted to limit the amount of force that he put through there,' Daley said of Cleary. 'So he's a tough kid, Nathan. We know what a quality player he is, but he's tough and his groin was tight, but he got through okay.' 'And as I said, I have got to take responsibility because we started well, but the first half wasn't great. So, I got to look at what I've done, because something's not right.' Originally published as 'Something's not right': Laurie Daley's blunt admission as NSW rage over brutal penalty count
Mercury
2 days ago
- Sport
- Mercury
Cameron Munster's X-rated victory speech as Queensland rock NSW in State of Origin Game 2 classic
Queensland has narrowly survived what would have been the biggest comeback in Origin history to tie the series up at 1-1 after an all-time classic. The Maroons strolled into halftime leading 26-6, but in appalling conditions, the Blues scored four second-half tries to make the score 26-24 with six minutes remaining. FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. But they were left to rue some missed shots on goal as they weren't able to add any more points to their total, with the Maroons sending the series to a decider in Sydney. After an unusually subdued build-up to Game 1, which NSW claimed 18-6 in Brisbane, a feud between Maroons coach Billy Slater and former Blue Aaron Woods dominated talk ahead of Game 2 in Perth. Woods called Slater a 'grub' last week, with the former fullback responding in an extraordinary press conference on Tuesday when he referenced mental health concerns and the death of former Queensland coach Paul Green. Slater, 41, then fronted another press conference on game day to apologise for those remarks in a saga that has quickly been labelled 'Grubgate'. It all created a slightly uncomfortable air ahead of Game 2, but it was all forgotten once they match got underway. After Brian To'o's sixth-minute try for the Blues, the Queenslanders caught fire, scoring four tries in 24 minutes to turn the match around. Laurie Daley's side had a mountain to climb in the second half and nearly pulled it off before falling just short in one of the better Origins in recent memory. And speaking after the match Queensland captain Cameron Munster said the whole team wanted to get the win for their coach. 'With all the pressure and criticism that Billy Slater has been getting, we're just glad we played for him tonight,' Munster said on Channel 9. 'He deserves everything, he loves Queensland and he loves this group. 'There's been a lot of speculation in the media, we needed to turn up for our coach tonight and we f-----g did.' After Game 1 was rubbished by many for lacking the usual Origin intensity, Game 2 hit all the right notes and we're now set for a huge finale as the Blues chase consecutive series wins. Recap how the night unfolded with our live updates below. Originally published as State of Origin Game 2: Maroons hang on in a classic
News.com.au
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
‘Everyone cheered when it was over': State of Origin 2 pre-match entertainment torn to shreds
Australian rock band Wolfmother wheeled out their massive hit Joker and the Thief ahead of the much-hyped State of Origin Game 2, but it went down with a whimper. Led by vocalist and guitarist Andrew Stockdale, Wolfmother has amassed a diehard worldwide fanbase throughout their career but on Wednesday night they weren't met with the adoration and cheers they are used to. FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. They played one song, Joker and the Thief, an anthem that soared up the charts in 2006 and is a wholly recognisable tune in a brief performance. But many felt the performance of the iconic anthem left a lot to be desired. You can watch Wolfmother's pre-game performance in the player at the top of the page. One fan tweeted: 'NRL is stuck in a time warp. Wolfmother? A song from 2005? Come on..' Another quipped: 'I hope Wolfmother didn't cost anything.' And a third declared 'This sounds deadset awful' while another asked 'is this Temu Wolfmother?'. While another added 'Everyone cheered when it was over' and 'What on earth was that'. There were some fans, however, who thought it was short but sweet. 'Wolfmother get it … when you get the short footy gigs … play your biggest hit and play the f**ker loud. Outstanding stuff.' Another added: 'WA bringing it.'
Courier-Mail
3 days ago
- Sport
- Courier-Mail
State of Origin Game 2 NSW Blues vs Queensland Maroons live updates, Optus Stadium Perth, kick-off time, Billy Slater, Aaron Woods, Paul Green
Welcome to live coverage of Game 2 in this year's State of Origin series. Following a dominant NSW victory in the series opener, Queensland has to win Game 2 in Perth on Wednesday night to avoid a second consecutive series defeat. FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. After an unusually subdued build-up to Game 1, which NSW claimed 18-6 in Brisbane, a feud between Maroons coach Billy Slater and former Blue Aaron Woods has dominated talk ahead of Game 2 in Perth. Woods called Slater a 'grub' last week, with the former fullback responding in an extraordinary press conference on Tuesday when he referenced mental health concerns and the death of former Queensland coach Paul Green. Slater, 41, then fronted another press conference on game day to apologise for those remarks in a saga that has quickly been labelled 'Grubgate'. It has all created a strange and slightly uncomfortable air ahead of Game 2, which will be held in front of a bumper crowd at Perth's Optus Stadium. The match kicks off at 8.05pm AEST and we'll have all the big hits and major talking points for you right here. Originally published as State of Origin Game 2 NSW vs Queensland live: Paul Green's family responds to Billy Slater
