
WNBA stars unite in powerful six-word statement over CBA ahead of All-Stars clash
All players on Team Clark and Team Collier warmed up for Saturday night's WNBA All-Star Game in shirts that read 'Pay us what you owe us.'
'We get a very tiny percentage of all the money that's made through the WNBA, which obviously is made through the entertainment we provide,' Napheesa Collier said on the decision to wear the shirts.
'So we want a fair and reasonable percentage of that.'
The idea was hatched Saturday morning at a players meeting.
The demonstration comes after the players and the league failed to reach a new collective bargaining agreement at an in-person meeting Thursday. The league's players opted out of their last CBA in October, and are looking for a better revenue-sharing model, increased salaries, improved benefits and a softer salary cap.
After the failed negotiations, many players said there was a large discrepancy between what they wanted and what the league was offering.
If a new CBA is not reached by October some players, including All-Stars Collier and Angel Reese, have mentioned the potential of a walkout.
At the end of the game, chants of 'Pay them!' broke out in the arena. Some fans held signs that read 'Pay the players,' during the game.
'We had no idea that they were in solidarity with our demonstration,' said Nneka Ogwumike, president of the WNBPA.
'I've been hearing it all weekend at the fan events, supporting us and wanting us to get our fair share of the value.'
This was potentially the last time that so many players would be together in one place before the season ends — a fact not lost on the union leadership.
'This is a perfect opportunity to raise awareness for what we're doing and do it together,' Collier said.
The players aren't decided whether they'll wear the shirts on their own teams over the course of the second half of the season which begins Tuesday.
They hope that fans will wear them as the union announced on social media during the game that the shirts were on sale.
Ogwumike was unaware that the shirts were already on sale.
'You put it out there, and you stand on business,' Courtney Williams said about the shirts.
'And we're standing on business.'

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West Australian
12 hours ago
- West Australian
Fremantle Dockers forward Murphy Reid compared to Collingwood's Scott Pendlebury as Rising Star calls increase
Exciting Fremantle forward Murphy Reid has been compared to 400-game superstar Scott Pendlebury as calls grow for him to win the AFL Rising Star award following a stunning western derby performance on Saturday. Reid finished third in Glendinning-Allan Medal voting behind Hayden Young and Andrew Brayshaw after a superb game where he had 23 disposals, one goal and 15 score involvements. He was the first player to have 15 score involvements in a derby since 2012 when Matt Rosa collected 43 possessions for West Coast. Teammate Jordan Clark said Reid's ability to read the play, create time and make his teammates better reminded him of Pendlebury. 'It sounds like a bit unrealistic comparing him to Scotty Pendlebury but he is a player like that who is not blessed with super speed but he sees the game and is very sharp in his mind,' Clark told The West Australian. 'He sees the game very well and he's very clean. I think he did watch a lot of Scotty Pendlebury growing up, so he's a very classy little player. I think he's got a lovely mix that works for him. 'I don't want to use it loosely and it's probably disrespecting Scotty Pendlebury in a way because he's one of the greatest players in the game. 'But you watch him and he's in positions where you think someone shouldn't get out of that, but he does. He's not a fast bloke, he's not massively built, he's just clever and classy. I think he thinks and sees the game ahead before people see what is going to happen.' Pendlebury is on track to break Brent Harvey's all-time games record next year after playing 419 games. A dual premiership star, Norm Smith medallist, former captain, six-time All-Australian and five-time best and fairest, Pendlebury's skill, composure and ability to get himself out of trouble have made him one of the game's greats. Reid has looked perfectly at home in the AFL since kicking four goals in one quarter on debut against Geelong. He also kicked four goals against Port Adelaide. The Victorian is third favourite with bookmakers to be named the Rising Star behind Adelaide's Daniel Curtin and Brisbane's Levi Ashcroft, but Dockers coach Justin Longmuir said he'd done everything to warrant winning the award. 'If I was picking it, I'd pick him. If you looked at consistency across the course of the year, he would have been the most consistent first-year player,' Longmuir said. Curtin rocketed into favouritism after a huge month for the Crows. He was best on ground against Richmond with 26 possessions and two goals to kick start a wonderful run of form. The West Aussie also had 26 touches and one goal against the Western Bulldogs, then collected 20 possessions and kicked a goal against Gold Coast. He received AFL Coaches' Association votes in all three of those games. Curtin performed well against Port Adelaide on Saturday night too, finishing with 22 possessions and four clearances. Drafted at pick eight in 2023, Curtin had to be patient as the Crows looked for his best position. He was either subbed on or off in four of his seven games last season and played as tall defender or half-back before finding his niche on the wing this season. Ashcroft spent the majority of the season as the favourite after stepping straight into Brisbane's team during their premiership defence. He had 25 possessions on debut and was influential in the first QClash of the season with 29 disposals. Ashcroft is averaging 19.5 touches and 1.8 clearances per game while also kicking 10 goals for the season. But after making a splash on debut, it's been Reid's consistency that has been the hallmark of his game. The young Docker has had more disposals than Curtin, kicked more goals, had more score involvements and only slightly trails the Crow for tackles and clearances. Reid is on the verge of becoming the first Docker to kick 20 goals, have 20 goal assists and 100 score involvements since Matthew Pavlich in 2015. He currently has 19 goals, 17 goal assists and 106 score involvements with four home-and-away games remaining and the possibility of finals. Only Andrew Brayshaw, Shai Bolton and Caleb Serong have had more score involvements than Reid at Fremantle this season and the Dockers were thrilled when he signed a new contract until the end of 2029. The Dockers selected Reid at pick 17 in last year's national draft after watching him excelling for Sandringham Dragons. He spent time in the midfield during the pre-season but quickly showed his talent as a forward which has allowed him to become an important part of the team. While his class has shone out, Glendinning-Allan medallist Hayden Young said it was only a matter of time before Reid becomes a midfielder and plays alongside himself, Brayshaw and Serong in the centre-square rotation. 'He's got beautiful touch, he's super elusive and he's a very crafty player,' Young said. 'I thought he was outstanding for a bloke who's not that big. He's very hard to tackle. 'He's going to be a great player for us and I'm really happy with the brand of footy he's playing at the moment. Hopefully he can keep developing. I'd love to see him get through the midfield in the years to come.'

Courier-Mail
21 hours ago
- Courier-Mail
AFL 2025: David King analyses North Melbourne 101-point loss to Geelong Cats, failed draft gamble, Alastair Clarkson press conference
Don't miss out on the headlines from AFL. Followed categories will be added to My News. Questions continue to be asked of North Melbourne's on-field identity after a 'sickening' 101-point loss to Geelong on Saturday night amid more evidence of a failed draft gamble. The Kangaroos finished a staggering -41 for inside-50s, -10 for clearances, -16 for contested possessions, and -18 for marks inside 50 on a night they couldn't come close to halving the territory battle nor begin to contain the Cats' purring forward line, with superstar Jeremy Cameron running riot for 11 majors. It was North Melbourne's 14th-straight defeat at the hands of Geelong and its fifth-straight loss as it remains with a measly four wins to its name for the season. 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. 'For North Melbourne fans, that would've been a sickening watch; incredibly frustrating. You feel sorry for the Kangaroos fans, who have watched this for six years,' the Herald Sun's Jay Clark told Fox Footy's Super Saturday Live post-match coverage. X Learn More SUBSCRIBER ONLY Dual All-Australian and two-time Kangaroos premiership player David King pondered the machinations of the club's game plan and lamented its inability to adequately defend. 'This (the North Melbourne rooms) would be an awful place to be, at the moment. It's a tough one, because when you watch them play, it's kind of difficult to work out what they're trying to execute,' he began. Questions are being asked of North Melbourne after the 101-point loss (Photo by) 'Are they handballing when the options are available, and then run and gun? Or is it take territory and get numbers to drop of ball? Is it a mix of both? I don't know what they're doing defensively; that's just not working at all — 40 (Geelong) scores tonight.' The Cats scored 27 times from 58 intercepts on Saturday night, exemplifying the ease of which they were able to transition and punish the Roos on the counter. 'They just smashed them; they walked through them. The amount of times Jeremy Cameron was out the back by himself, and it'd be uncontested possession, uncontested possession, goal,' King continued. 'I'd love to ask Alastair Clarkson 'what are you trying to achieve?' Show us what it should look like, and then we can at least enjoy the ride. Because we just go from week to week and not see it. We have seen it in patches throughout the year, but we're not seeing it now. 'I know the ruckman's (Tristan Xerri) not there, I know Nick Larkey's not there, but that shouldn't have as big an effect as what it does on their ability to stop the opposition moving the ball full length of the ground.' X Learn More SUBSCRIBER ONLY Patrick Dangerfield was tactically substituted out of the game, his 200th for Geelong, and the sight of the veteran sitting on the bench munching on a kebab while the game was still going on would have rubbed salt into the wound for North fans. Patrick Dangerfield eats a kebab after getting subbed out. Photo: Fox Footy. Serious questions continue to be asked of the Roos' direction under Alastair Clarkson in the third year of the four-time premiership coach's reign, with the club benefitting from top picks for the better part of the past six years. In 55 games under Clarkson, North Melbourne is 10-44-1. The club has finished 17th on the ladder in consecutive seasons and currently sits 17th with four games left to go this season. Asked when the pressure on Clarkson genuinely gets turned up, King answered: 'It's a great question; it's hard to answer. I think you have a blind faith in the club that the decision-makers will get it right. 'Words are cheap; it's really hard to just listen to the same conversation over and over and over. It's a tough place to be, there's no doubt about that ... third year in, a penny for his thoughts, is he able to do what he once thought he could do with this group? Are there any doubts there? 'You walk off the ground tonight, you have to doubt your own plan. You've got (Jack) Darling, (Luke) Parker and (Caleb) Daniel to the club to try and stiffen up with a bit of seniority; that doesn't look like it's working as well as it probably should.' X Learn More SUBSCRIBER ONLY North Melbourne fielded eight former top-12 draft picks against Geelong, as King declared the club's issues didn't revolve around an absence of talented players. 'It's not a talent issue; it's a system problem,' he said. 'You can be really brutal and say 'it's coaching', right, but it's also performance of that system. 'Where's the disconnect? Are the players not understanding? Are they not prepared to work hard enough to ensure the system works? I think they're good enough, and I don't think they're that young that they can't compete defensively. That's not really a talent issue. 'I'm the same as all those people in the room and all those watching on, I don't understand the system, because I see so many flaws in it, so many holes in it. 'I don't see it; it's not consistent enough to say 'this is their identifiable brand'. And I think when you see 150 points against, I think even they'd say 'you wouldn't be able to see it tonight'.' X Learn More SUBSCRIBER ONLY Speaking post-game on Saturday night, Clarkson, who lamented glaringly obvious deficiencies in contest, clearance and territory, made it a point to highlight the discrepancy in experience between the sides. 'The Geelong forward line versus the North Melbourne backline, just see the void that sits there in terms of just experience and exposure,' he said. 'And I don't want to make excuses for our players, but it's where we're at, though. 'And we're giving these young players some exposure and opportunity, and in our back end in particular, we're going to be left very, very vulnerable down there against a formidable forward line if we couldn't control the middle of the ground as well as we'd like. And Geelong was too good in that space.' X Learn More SUBSCRIBER ONLY The Roos fielded the second-youngest team in the competition in Round 20, with eight-game key defender Wil Dawson among those in royal blue and white tortured by Cameron and the Cats, who licked their lips each time they entered forward 50. 'Everyone will look at win-loss and all that sort of stuff, and making progress — and even if it is just win-loss, we have made some progress,' said Clarkson in his press conference. 'But we've had three performances that were well below our best, which (were) the Carlton game in Round 6 here, the Hawthorn game about a month ago down in Tassie, and tonight. 'But outside of that, we've been much more competitive than what we were last year, winning more quarters and being in more games at three-quarter-time than we had last year.' X Learn More SUBSCRIBER ONLY But while Clarkson continues to preach that non-linear progress continues to be made at Arden Street, the Roos' list management's choice to trade away the club's first-round pick this year has come back to bite hard. Last November, North Melbourne — banking on a significant uptick this season — traded its future first-round pick to Richmond to secure the No.27 selection, key-position utility Matt Whitlock, who has played just one senior game in his debut season. That future choice is currently slated to wind up as the second overall pick. Injecting young talent isn't as urgent for the Roos as it has been in previous seasons, but given the stagnancy of this season, it's premium draft capital they'd absolutely love to have this off-season. 'I think they thought they would be further progressed, because they did trade that pick away,' Clark said on Fox Footy. 'Would they have traded that No.2 pick away if they thought they were going to finish second-last on the ladder? No way. They thought they would be up the ladder; they thought they would improve, that's why they gave that pick away. 'So, it tells you that they thought they would be better than they're at; that's really clear.' The Roos are currently slated to make their first draft choice this November at No.20, holding a pair of picks at the top of the second round. Originally published as Roos' identity crisis amid Clarko question as 'sickening' loss lays bare failed draft trade gamble


The Advertiser
a day ago
- The Advertiser
Finals beckon, but Suns keep their Witts about them
Jarrod Witts' rucking wares are being heralded as All-Australian worthy, while Gold Coast, in reach of a top-four finish, keep their feet in new AFL territory. The Suns' historic 66-point QClash victory on Saturday gave them, with five regular-season games to play, a club-best 12th win this season. Four of those games come against teams not in finals contention, leaving the Suns in the hunt for a top-four finish in what would be their maiden post-season foray. Witts, two games shy of his 200th AFL game, has been critical in that run. The 32-year-old helped turn the screws against the Brisbane Lions on Saturday as the Suns' midfield upstaged the Lions' for their biggest QClash win. Unprompted, Hardwick launched a campaign for the ruckman post-game. "Can I make a statement about Jarrod Witts? Can we start having a conversation?" he posed when asked about the performance of Witts' star on-ballers Matt Rowell and Noah Anderson. "I watched TV the other day, they had a list of ruckmen that are in the mix. Go and have a look at what our guy's done to all those guys." Before Saturday, Witts had collected the seventh-most coaches' votes of all ruckmen, his 26 dwarfed by leaders Brodie Grundy (65) and Max Gawn (59). "Have the conversation about how good this guy's become,": Hardwick said. "These guys (Suns midfielders) should be buying him coffee every day. Unbelievable. "I'd love to have him as All-Australian … I wouldn't pick another one." The Suns play Richmond, Carlton, GWS, Essendon and Port Adelaide in the run to a potential first finals campaign. Only the Giants are a shot of joining them, although emotion will be high when the Power play their final game under long-time mentor Ken Hinkley. "It is every side's challenge, isn't it," Hardwick said. "The sides we are talking about, they are going to have their moments and they are going to play well. "At various stages we haven't beaten those sides we should have beaten and that is going to be our next challenge. "If we concentrate firmly on the next shift, where our feet are right now, we are going to be OK." Jarrod Witts' rucking wares are being heralded as All-Australian worthy, while Gold Coast, in reach of a top-four finish, keep their feet in new AFL territory. The Suns' historic 66-point QClash victory on Saturday gave them, with five regular-season games to play, a club-best 12th win this season. Four of those games come against teams not in finals contention, leaving the Suns in the hunt for a top-four finish in what would be their maiden post-season foray. Witts, two games shy of his 200th AFL game, has been critical in that run. The 32-year-old helped turn the screws against the Brisbane Lions on Saturday as the Suns' midfield upstaged the Lions' for their biggest QClash win. Unprompted, Hardwick launched a campaign for the ruckman post-game. "Can I make a statement about Jarrod Witts? Can we start having a conversation?" he posed when asked about the performance of Witts' star on-ballers Matt Rowell and Noah Anderson. "I watched TV the other day, they had a list of ruckmen that are in the mix. Go and have a look at what our guy's done to all those guys." Before Saturday, Witts had collected the seventh-most coaches' votes of all ruckmen, his 26 dwarfed by leaders Brodie Grundy (65) and Max Gawn (59). "Have the conversation about how good this guy's become,": Hardwick said. "These guys (Suns midfielders) should be buying him coffee every day. Unbelievable. "I'd love to have him as All-Australian … I wouldn't pick another one." The Suns play Richmond, Carlton, GWS, Essendon and Port Adelaide in the run to a potential first finals campaign. Only the Giants are a shot of joining them, although emotion will be high when the Power play their final game under long-time mentor Ken Hinkley. "It is every side's challenge, isn't it," Hardwick said. "The sides we are talking about, they are going to have their moments and they are going to play well. "At various stages we haven't beaten those sides we should have beaten and that is going to be our next challenge. "If we concentrate firmly on the next shift, where our feet are right now, we are going to be OK." Jarrod Witts' rucking wares are being heralded as All-Australian worthy, while Gold Coast, in reach of a top-four finish, keep their feet in new AFL territory. The Suns' historic 66-point QClash victory on Saturday gave them, with five regular-season games to play, a club-best 12th win this season. Four of those games come against teams not in finals contention, leaving the Suns in the hunt for a top-four finish in what would be their maiden post-season foray. Witts, two games shy of his 200th AFL game, has been critical in that run. The 32-year-old helped turn the screws against the Brisbane Lions on Saturday as the Suns' midfield upstaged the Lions' for their biggest QClash win. Unprompted, Hardwick launched a campaign for the ruckman post-game. "Can I make a statement about Jarrod Witts? Can we start having a conversation?" he posed when asked about the performance of Witts' star on-ballers Matt Rowell and Noah Anderson. "I watched TV the other day, they had a list of ruckmen that are in the mix. Go and have a look at what our guy's done to all those guys." Before Saturday, Witts had collected the seventh-most coaches' votes of all ruckmen, his 26 dwarfed by leaders Brodie Grundy (65) and Max Gawn (59). "Have the conversation about how good this guy's become,": Hardwick said. "These guys (Suns midfielders) should be buying him coffee every day. Unbelievable. "I'd love to have him as All-Australian … I wouldn't pick another one." The Suns play Richmond, Carlton, GWS, Essendon and Port Adelaide in the run to a potential first finals campaign. Only the Giants are a shot of joining them, although emotion will be high when the Power play their final game under long-time mentor Ken Hinkley. "It is every side's challenge, isn't it," Hardwick said. "The sides we are talking about, they are going to have their moments and they are going to play well. "At various stages we haven't beaten those sides we should have beaten and that is going to be our next challenge. "If we concentrate firmly on the next shift, where our feet are right now, we are going to be OK."