AFL Round 18 live updates: Demons vs Kangaroos, Saints vs Swans, Power vs Eagles blog, scores and stats
The spotlight then switches to Docklands, where the Sydney Swans will try to keep their flickering finals hopes alive with a win on the road against St Kilda.
The round will wrap up at Adelaide Oval, with Port Adelaide hosting West Coast.
Follow the live blog below, keep up to date with all the latest stats in our ScoreCentre, and tune in to our live radio coverage.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Age
26 minutes ago
- The Age
‘There's been a lot of talk': Suaalii on round two with Lions rival, and lessons from Origin send off
'It's all about us. I always focus on myself first before I put my energy into someone else. 'Obviously, the fans and you [media] want to see a rivalry and all that, but at the end of the day, it's a team sport. I just want to do the best for the team.' Tuipulotu has been asked to recount the confrontation several times on podcasts, but told the Kick Ons and Kick Offs pod that he had to stop, on the advice of a shared acquaintance. 'I don't want to put any targets on my back,' Tuipulotu said on the podcast. 'I know Eoin Toolan, who is the analyst at the Wallabies, and he used to be our analyst at Melbourne. He's told me to stop talking on these podcasts about Joey, cause he says he's raring to go. I don't want to put any targets on my back from big Joey.' Suaalii confirmed he'd heard a few things about the Edinburgh episode. 'There's been a lot of recounting of that day,' he said. 'I feel like there's been a lot of talk around that moment. At the end of the day, like I said, it's a game of footy. Whatever's still on the field stays on the field.' Sitting next to Suaalii with a grin, Wallabies lock Will Skelton said he'd enjoy a rematch. 'That's what you want, no?' Skelton said. 'You want our 12s going against the 12s; you want our 13s going against the 13s. I think no matter what, it's going to be a physical battle ...' The odds of a fired-up Suaalii aiming for round two with Tuipulotu may not be as high as fans would hope, however, after the five-Test centre also spoke about learning from his Origin experience to keep his cool before big games. Playing for NSW in State of Origin last year, Suaalii was sent off for a high tackle on Reece Walsh. He said he'd grown from the moment. 'The biggest thing I learned was my off-field [approach]; the way I was leading into that week,' he said. 'It taught me a lot about myself leading into these big games. 'It's just about being neutral, not being too high or too low, or not playing the game before playing it. I think that was my biggest lesson from that game. Obviously, these games are going to be big, but we're just focused on today's training session leading into the game on Saturday.' Loading Skelton, who missed the Wallabies' clash with Fiji in Newcastle with a calf injury, said he was hopeful he would play against the Lions on Saturday. 'It felt a bit tight leading into that Fiji game, so we didn't want to take any risks,' he said. 'But, no, I trained with the team on Saturday and we're rearing to go.' He said Rob Valetini was on track, after also missing the Fiji Test with a calf injury.
Sydney Morning Herald
27 minutes ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘There's been a lot of talk': Suaalii on round two with Lions rival, and lessons from Origin send off
'It's all about us. I always focus on myself first before I put my energy into someone else. 'Obviously, the fans and you [media] want to see a rivalry and all that, but at the end of the day, it's a team sport. I just want to do the best for the team.' Tuipulotu has been asked to recount the confrontation several times on podcasts, but told the Kick Ons and Kick Offs pod that he had to stop, on the advice of a shared acquaintance. 'I don't want to put any targets on my back,' Tuipulotu said on the podcast. 'I know Eoin Toolan, who is the analyst at the Wallabies, and he used to be our analyst at Melbourne. He's told me to stop talking on these podcasts about Joey, cause he says he's raring to go. I don't want to put any targets on my back from big Joey.' Suaalii confirmed he'd heard a few things about the Edinburgh episode. 'There's been a lot of recounting of that day,' he said. 'I feel like there's been a lot of talk around that moment. At the end of the day, like I said, it's a game of footy. Whatever's still on the field stays on the field.' Sitting next to Suaalii with a grin, Wallabies lock Will Skelton said he'd enjoy a rematch. 'That's what you want, no?' Skelton said. 'You want our 12s going against the 12s; you want our 13s going against the 13s. I think no matter what, it's going to be a physical battle ...' The odds of a fired-up Suaalii aiming for round two with Tuipulotu may not be as high as fans would hope, however, after the five-Test centre also spoke about learning from his Origin experience to keep his cool before big games. Playing for NSW in State of Origin last year, Suaalii was sent off for a high tackle on Reece Walsh. He said he'd grown from the moment. 'The biggest thing I learned was my off-field [approach]; the way I was leading into that week,' he said. 'It taught me a lot about myself leading into these big games. 'It's just about being neutral, not being too high or too low, or not playing the game before playing it. I think that was my biggest lesson from that game. Obviously, these games are going to be big, but we're just focused on today's training session leading into the game on Saturday.' Loading Skelton, who missed the Wallabies' clash with Fiji in Newcastle with a calf injury, said he was hopeful he would play against the Lions on Saturday. 'It felt a bit tight leading into that Fiji game, so we didn't want to take any risks,' he said. 'But, no, I trained with the team on Saturday and we're rearing to go.' He said Rob Valetini was on track, after also missing the Fiji Test with a calf injury.
News.com.au
29 minutes ago
- News.com.au
‘He's the best man for it': Rabbitohs players defend Wayne Bennett as club prepares for season-defining few weeks
South Sydney players haven't given up hope of playing finals footy this year and insist master coach Wayne Bennett is the best man to help get them there as the club prepares for a season-defining few weeks. Bennett's return had people talking up a potential premiership tilt after they won four of their first five matches, but they've added just two more victories since then and have lost six on the trot to sit above only the Titans on the ladder, while their NSW Cup side is last. It's been a spectacular fall from grace for a team that has been rocked by long-term injuries to key personnel, but senior players are adamant the blame lies with the squad and not with the veteran coach who returned to the club this year. 'He's the best man for it. I know he is,' experienced forward Jai Arrow told the NewsWire. 'I've been in crappy situations many times in my career (so I know he's the right man for this). 'Wayne's not out with us on the field, so we need to be better as players and take pride in our performances. 'Wayne is just one of those blokes that you respect so much. If he is talking to you and letting you know that you've done something wrong, it means that he cares about you, and he says that openly. 'We're grown men, so we should be able to know when we're in the wrong and take accountability for it. If Wayne lets us know that, it's not personal. He just wants us to be better. 'He's the best man in situations like this, and we'll keep chipping away to find a way to win.' While some coaches can be accused of mixed messaging, Keaon Koloamatangi praised Bennett for being consistent throughout their tough run and for not being afraid to spray the senior leaders when necessary. 'We've lost six games in a row, but he's kept it the same every week,' he said. 'He's not panicking or putting any stress on us; he's actually finding plenty of positives in what we're doing well. It's just moments in games where we're switching off and teams are putting on 10 or 20 points. You can't do that. 'He gives plenty of sprays. I've copped a few. You've got to keep your players accountable, and what stands out is that he sprays the higher-paid players, and that's what you want. 'If you're a younger player coming through, you see the big dogs getting sprayed and that makes you want to pull your finger out and impress Wayne and the other boys. 'He hasn't even been back for a year yet, so he's still instilling that into the younger players.' The Rabbitohs are locked in a battle to avoid the wooden spoon but remain just six points outside the top eight with eight rounds remaining. Their recent record suggests they're no chance of playing finals footy, but Koloamatangi pointed to the Panthers who were last after 12 rounds but are now in the mix for the top four thanks to five-straight wins. Souths have already beaten Penrith this year and play them again on Friday night ahead of matches against the Sharks and Broncos. 'I think the positive thing is that the ladder is somewhat close,' Koloamatangi said. 'The top four is almost cemented, but outside of that, two or three good weeks can change your season. 'A good team to look at is Penrith. They were last a couple of months ago but they've turned their season around. 'We've made it hard for ourselves to make the top eight, but it's doable and we're confident that we can do it. 'That starts this Friday, and then we've got a bye coming up a bit later as well which helps. 'We're taking it game by game and can take some confidence from when we played Penrith at the start of the year and got the two points.'
