Shelton livid after match suspended
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Perth Now
3 hours ago
- Perth Now
Fiji have midfield missile aimed at Wallabies' Suaalii
Playing more than 160 VFL games before taking on roles with the Wallabies, All Blacks and now coach of Fiji, Mick Byrne has seen some talented athletes in his time. But the memory of Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii sticks in his mind as Byrne plots a way to shut down the Wallabies superstar in Sunday's Test in Newcastle. He recalled meeting Suaalii when he was an assistant to Wallabies coach Michael Cheika, with the schoolboy making an immediate impression on the pair. "I remember when 'Cheik' and I first met him when I was at the Wallabies and a young schoolboy came in, before he signed with rugby league, and we knew then that he was a tremendous athlete," Byrne said of the NRL recruit, who will line up for his fourth Test. "I think he offers a dimension to the game that not many athletes can .... it's a bit like Izzy (Israel Folau) in his day as well, that aerial skill set as well as being really well balanced across the ground. "Like a lot of international players we come up against, we've got to keep our eye on him, but I think as a player he just offers another sort of dimension, being that aerial skill set that we'll have to be aware of as well." Byrne named a strong line-up to try to contain Suaalii and the Wallabies, who are looking to make amends after losing their last clash against Fiji at the 2023 Rugby World Cup. Byrne has since replaced Simon Raiwalui as coach, but has been able to include 13 players who were part of that historic match in France, posting their first win over Australia in 69 years. That includes the entire forward pack apart from flanker Elia Canakaivata. Fiji have their own midfield weapon in Josua Tuisova, who was key to their success in Saint Etienne, with Byrne looking to get some punch from the inside centre. Weighing 113kg, Tuisova's nicknames are "Human Bulldozer" and "The Bus". "Josh shifts the ball well and he's got great feet and he's a big, strong player," Byrne said of Tuisova, who plays for Racing 92 in France's Top 14. "We've got the opportunity to use him to get across the gain line early ...so being able to have Josh there is awesome for us because he does give us pretty good go-forward." While the World Cup win has bolstered belief, Byrne said the changes to the Wallabies since then presented a different challenge as his team looked to notch a third win in Australia, with the last in 1954. "The last start was two years ago, so different coaching regime, different players on the field, and I like the way (Australia coach Joe Schmidt) has got the Wallabies playing and now they're playing great footy," Byrne said. "So they're a completely different proposition to previous and we've got to be ready for that as they've got threats across the field. "I think it'd be great to beat Australia in Australia, to get a victory on Australian soil."
Herald Sun
4 hours ago
- Herald Sun
Paddy Dow, Tess Lavey, Brendan McCartney among Swan Hill's greatest
Don't miss out on the headlines from Bendigo. Followed categories will be added to My News. It might only be a small community in northern Victoria but Swan Hill has a rich history of creating national sporting stars. Here are some of Swan Hill's greatest sporting heroes. Emma Berg Berg is a five-time national shot put champion and recently set a new personal best earlier this year. Ian Borchard A West Adelaide great who captained the Bloods to the 1983 SANFL grand final and won the best player on the ground. Borchard played 145 games for the club and is in their hall of fame. He also guided the team to finals in 2001 and 2002 as coach. Kevin Coombs One of Australia's greatest Paralympians. Coombs was the first Indigenous Australian to compete at the Paralympics and represented Australia in basketball at five Games. He captained the team at the 1972 and 1984 games. Coombs is part of the Paralympics and Australian basketball hall of fame and is also an Order of Australia Merit holder after being recognised for his services to sport and Indigenous Australia health. He died earlier this year. Paddy Dow Dow has carved out a solid AFL career for himself after being taken with pick 3 in the 2017 national draft. He started with Carlton before joining St Kilda in 2024. Fred Flanagan A centre-half forward who was one of the best players ever for Geelong. He played and captained in two premierships for the Cats, in 1951 and 1952, and won one best-and-fairest in 1949. Flanagan also played 21 games for Victoria in State of Origin. He is part of the Australian Hall of Fame and Geelong's team of the century. Tessa Lavey Lavey has played at the national level in two sports, basketball and AFL. The Swan Hill native has played 25 games for the Tigers since being recruited to Richmond in 2020. In basketball, she's played in the WNBL for multiple teams, winning a championship in 2014 and also representing Australia. She was part of the Opals gold medal team at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and has played for Australia at two Olympics in 2016 and 2020. Dale Lewis While most of Lewis' career happened in Ballarat, he was born in Swan Hill before moving to the gold rush city at the age of eight. Lewis played 182 games for Sydney during his career and was influential in helping the Swans rise up the ladder. After his career he became part of the media. Margie Masters Was the first Australian to join the Ladies PGA in 1965 after winning an Australian Amateur title in 1958 and multiple Victorian Amateur titles. In 1967, she won her only PGA title and also finished second at a major in 1966. Masters was a pioneer for golf in the country and is in Victoria Golf's hall of fame. Brendan McCartney A coach in AFL and local footy for more than 30 years. In the 90s he guided Ocean Grove to four straight flags in the Bellarine league. McCartney then went into the AFL and was an assistant at Richmond, Geelong and Essendon before coaching the Western Bulldogs for three seasons. He is now Port Melbourne's VFL coach. Glenn O'Shea A multiple Australian and World Champion in track cycling. O'Shea has won three world titles, two in the team pursuit and one in the Omnium in Melbourne in 2012. He st has won 14 national titles and also won a gold medal in the team pursuit at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and a silver in the same event at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Geoff Raines A VFL champion who played over 254 games for four different clubs, most notably spending 134 with Richmond. He won a premiership with the Tigers in 1980, winning the best-and-fairest in the same year. He is part of the club's hall of fame and team of the century. Colin Rice Played 97 VFL games for the Cates and in that time had a big impact in the club. He won Geelong's best-and-fairest in 1959 and captained the club for part of 1960. His last game at the level was in the 1963 grand final victory. He then moved to the SANFL to play with Glenelg before returning to Victoria with South Bendigo where he won the Michelsen Medal. Ross Smith One of Australia's best badminton players. Smith has competed at two Olympic Games and four Commonwealth Games. At one stage he was on the fringes of the top-30 in the world in the men's doubles. He is also an eight-time Oceania champion in three disciplines.
Courier-Mail
4 hours ago
- Courier-Mail
Wallabies name Joseph Suaalii to face Fiji after broken jaw injury
Don't miss out on the headlines from Sport. Followed categories will be added to My News. Australian rugby's $5 million man Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii has been given the all-clear to play his first Test on home soil when the injury-hit Wallabies take on Fiji at Newcastle on Sunday in a warm-up for the British & Irish Lions series. Suaalii has been sidelined since mid-May when he broke his jaw playing for New South Wales against Queensland but the 21-year-old NRL convert has made a quick recovery and been named for the Wallabies at outside centre. His return will come as a massive boost to an Australian side, already weakened by the absence of several senior players, including two-time John Eales medallist Rob Valetini, halfback Jake Gordon and giant lock Will Skelton, who captained the Wallabies at the last World Cup. All three are carrying injuries and hopeful of being fit for the first Test against the Lions, kicking off July 19. Australia's centre Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii has been picked to face Fiji. Picture: AFP Queensland Reds backrower Harry Wilson retains the captaincy, at least for the match against Fiji, after head coach Joe Schmidt appointed him as skipper last year. Langi Gleeson replaced Valetini at blindside flanker with Carlo Tizzano named on the bench as the reserve loose forward. With Nick Frost and Jeremy Williams retained as the starting locks, Tom Hooper comes into the side as the backup second row in the absence of Skelton. Livewire Queensland halfback Tate McDermott will feed the scrum with Nic White on the bench. Elsewhere, electric winger Max Jorgensen returned from an ankle injury to earn a spot in the starting side in the left wing, with Harry Potter on the other side. Former skipper Dave Porecki was named as the starting hooker in his first match in the gold jersey since the World Cup. The biggest surprise was the selection of veteran prop James Slipper as the starting loose-head. Angus Bell has been the preferred starter because he's such a powerful ball runner but will come off the bench against Fiji. Despite the injuries, Schmidt said his reshuffled side had gelled well ahead of what is expected to be a highly physical clash with the Pacific Islanders. 'The whole squad has worked hard on and off the field and reconnected well with a short runway from our assembly through to the Test on Sunday against Fiji.' 'I think the players and the wider management are keen to get underway, especially in front of a big crowd here in Newcastle, as we kick off an exciting but incredibly demanding 2025 Test match schedule.' Originally published as Wallabies announced XV to face Fiji, with star Joseph Suaalii set to return from broken jaw
