Latest news with #AdamGoodes
Daily Mail
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Footy legend Gorden Tallis is slammed for comparing AFL great Adam Goodes to NRL star who put a little girl in hospital in drug-driving crash
Footy legend Gorden Tallis has been slammed by fans online after comparing scandal-hit NRL star Ezra Mam to Adam Goodes. In what one supporter labelled 'one of the worst takes', the Queensland cult hero likened the hostile treatment Mam has received in recent weeks to the ugly booing storm that saw Swans champion Adam Goodes walk away from his football career prematurely in 2015. Mam was taunted by fired-up Bulldogs fans last Friday at Accor Stadium - but he silenced the knockers to orchestrate a comeback 22-18 win for the Broncos. The 22-year-old has been targeted by away crowds after serving a nine-match suspension handed down by the NRL. It followed Mam pleading guilty to driving under the influence of illicit drugs without a licence following a car crash that injured three people - including a four-year-old girl - in October last year in Brisbane. Footy fans were seething when Mam was fined $850 and disqualified from driving for nine months by the Brisbane Magistrates Court. No conviction was recorded. While many believe Mam should have been suspended for the entire 2025 NRL season, Tallis has raised eyebrows after his extraordinary take on the pivot's return to the game. 'Ezra Mam is getting an Adam Goodes-style treatment,' Tallis said on Triple M's Sunday Sin Bin. 'No matter what ground he went at, Adam Goodes was targeted for a while and Ezra Mam is getting that now. 'It was coming loud and clear through the television the other night when he played the Dogs. It was every time he touched the ball.' Many footy fans were in disbelief after hearing Tallis's views. 'One of the worst takes you've ever seen,' posted one on X. 'Batsh*t from Gorden Tallis,' said another. 'Tallis is in fact, out of touch with reality,' a third commented. Another pointed out that there's a huge gulf between what Mam did and why Goodes was driven out of the game A third supporter felt Tallis was 'out of touch with reality' In 2015, Goodes famously performed his iconic Indigenous war dance in a match versus Carlton - and was then a constant crowd target at Swans' away games. Two years earlier, Goodes was targeted by a teenage Collingwood supporter who called him an ape - and chaos followed. As the saga intensified, Goodes - a two-time Brownlow Medallist and dual premiership winner - felt the game didn't support him. Goodes then retired in 2015, and has chosen to distance himself from the sport ever since. 'He's living his best life. We miss him, we love him and hopefully at some point we will get to see him again,' former teammate and Swans board member Michael O'Loughlin said recently. 'He loved the game... Adam should have walked out a hero and the fact he didn't is a real indictment on us.'
News.com.au
07-07-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Australia's next ‘Adam Goodes' saga' is already happening
Australia's next 'Adam Goodes' saga may have already begun, Broncos icon Gorden Tallis has suggested. The Queensland cult hero has likened the hostile treatment Ezra Mam has received in recent weeks to the ugly booing storm that forced Swans champion Adam Goodes to walk away from his football career. The Broncos playmaker on Friday night experienced his most brutal reception from a crowd yet when he was booed every time he touched the Steeden during Brisbane's 22-18 win over Canterbury at Accor Stadium. 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 22-year-old has been targeted by crowds since his return to the game in May after serving a nine-match suspension. His return to the field with the Broncos sparked outrage across all corners of rugby league after he pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of illicit drugs without a licence following a car crash that injured three people in October, 2024. The 2023 Dally M Five-Eighth of the Year was fined $850 and disqualified from driving for a period of nine months by the Brisbane Magistrates Court after his high-profile incident. No conviction was recorded. The NRL and Broncos served Mam with breach of contract notices and he was fined a total of $120,000 by the club and league. Mam was booed by NRL fans before he even stepped back on the football field with spectators booing loudly when Mam was shown on the big screen inside Suncorp Stadium during Magic Round. Tallis has noted the booing has gotten louder each match Mam has played since coming back for the Broncos. 'Ezra Mam is getting an Adam Goodes style treatment,' Tallis said on Triple M's Sunday Sin Bin. 'No matter what ground he went at, Adam Goodes was targeted for a while and Ezra Mam is getting that now. 'It was coming loud and clear through the television the other night when he played the Dogs. It was every time he touched the ball.' The booing did not appear to impact Mam's playing ability as he orchestrated a thrilling comeback win. Mam produced three moments of magic as Brisbane scored four tries in the final 20 minutes to shock the Dogs. Mam roared towards sections of the crowd as he celebrated his teammates' tries. Leading NRL reporter Brent Read said the booing of Mam is not something he can remember seeing before. 'He loved it. I was sideline (reporting) and watched him and you could see his reaction when he set up those two tries, he just gave it to them. Gave it to the crowd,' Read said on Triple M's Saturday Scrum. 'We've seen players booed over the years, but I don't think we've seen a player booed as relentlessly as he was. 'It actually got louder as the game went on.' Eels legend Nathan Hindmarsh said booing is just something Mam will have to get used to. 'That's just part of playing rugby league,' he told Triple M. 'Some people are disliked... people are just going to keep booing him. As a professional sportsperson you've just got to get it out of your head.' Last month Mam was called into Queensland's extended State of Origin squad before Game 2 in Perth. That selection was met with a barrage of criticism. Mam was not selected by coach Billy Slater for the series decider on Wednesday night in Sydney. Mam has been further criticised for appearing to be unaware of why he was being taunted and jeered by crowds. He told The Sydney Morning Herald he first thought he was being booed for calling out the racist slur used against him by NSW forward Spencer Leniu during the Las Vegas season opener in 2024. The reality appears to be very different. Veteran rugby league reporter Phil Rothfield last month suggested Slater's decision to select Mam in his extended squad was an 'up yours' to fans. 'Ben Ikin, the CEO of the Queensland Rugby League and Billy Slater have not read the room under these circumstances,'' Rothfield said on NRL 360. 'You saw Mam run onto Brookvale Oval and the entire crowd booed him. He is very, very lucky to be playing NRL football this year. I'm not going to go through the crime again. 'I think we've had to wear him coming back to play NRL this year. The NRL made the mistake there and so did the Broncos. 'But to put him on the highest stage of our game — extended bench or not — is going to the fans 'up yours'.' Mam appears to have a long career ahead of him, unlike Goodes when he left the AFL in 2015. The two-time Brownlow medallist played 372 games for the Swans, a club record, but the closing years of his career were mired in controversy stemming from his move to call out a young Collingwood fan who had called him an 'ape' during a game in 2013. The AFL failed to take action to protect Goodes as the hostility followed him to every ground he played at. The AFL four years' later made a formal apology to the 2014 Australian of the Year.
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'A rabble': Crows player's scathing swipe of Swans amid Adam Goodes appearance
Sydney Swans legend Adam Goodes lifted spirits at the SCG on Saturday night with the premiership winning team of 2005 celebrating their 20th reunion, but it didn't help their former side improve after a dismal showing. The Adelaide Crows were far superior to the Swans on Saturday night having kicked 12 unanswered goals on their way to a 21.5 (131) to 5.11 (41) victory. The Swans were expected to make a contest of the clash having celebrated the famed Bloods team of 2005, but the the Crows battered last year's beaten grand finalists without mercy. Adelaide now move to third (8-4) on the ladder with the Swans' finals hopes hanging by a thread. Swans coach Dean Cox described the performance as "unacceptable and embarrassing" on a night a group of legends were in attendance. "I didn't expect that on such a massive night for the footy club, when you have a 20-year reunion for a team that played desperate, uncompromising, ruthless football," Cox said. "That was far from it." The 2005 winning team did a lap of honour at halftime to mark the 20th anniversary of their breakthrough premiership. the '05 Swans caused me more heartbreak than I've ever experienced in my entire life.. but ngl it's good to see Adam Goodes at an AFL game with a smile on his face — BRZY (@outbreezyWC) May 31, 2025 And fans were thrilled to see legend Goodes among the group. Goodes is an Australian of the Year and two-time Brownlow Medallist, and is still close with the Sydney Swans. However, his relationship with the AFL isn't as strong. Goodes was mercilessly booed by opposition crowds before he eventually retired in 2015, and the AFL later admitted it should have done more to stop the booing. He has been eligible for induction into the AFL Hall of Fame for several years, but appears no closer to accepting the honour. And he hasn't attended any official AFL functions since walking away from the game after calling out racism. However, Goodes was in attendance on Saturday night and the crowd adored the legend's appearance with the 2005 group in great spirits. it's 2025 and adam goodes is SMILING while on the SCG field for a lap of honour with the 2005 premiership team — jess 🫂 (@hopeurokayyyy) May 31, 2025 Adam Goodes joining the rest of the 2005 team in the walk to the SCG is so wonderful to see 🥺❤️ — Imo (@imogenrq) May 31, 2025 While the Swans were left embarrassed after the loss in front of club legelds, Crows star Wayne Milera took a dig at the side when they were down. The Swans made the final last year, before going down to the Brisbane Lions in a one-sided contest. With John Longmire leaving at the end of the season, Cox has stepped in and struggled as injuries have hampered Sydney's season. But after the Swans were left chasing the shadows as seats emptied at the SCG, Milera took a post-match dig at Sydney. Milera told ABC Sport the Crows could feel the Swans were rudderless at home after the 90-point drubbing "You could sort of feel it as a group," Milera said after the match. "They were sort of a bit of a rabble, just hearing them on the ground." Speaking on the thumping, AFL great Matthew Lloyd was scathing of his assessment. "Sydney have just fallen apart. They are all at sea," Matthew Lloyd said on Channel 9 in his breakdown of the game. "They just didn't adjust, they didn't look dishevelled as a coaching team. Right throughout." The comment will be a dagger for the Swans who now face 16th-placed Richmond next week. Josh Rachele and Ben Keays both kicked three goals, while Alex Neal-Bullen (25 disposals) and Josh Worrell (24) dominated possession. For the Crows, coach Matthews Nicks hailed his group for a dominant performance. "In my short time as a coach, we haven't had a lot of fun up here - we've often gone away disappointed," former Swans player Nicks said. "We knew Sydney would come out hard, and we had to match that. I'm trying to think through who our standouts were and from a coaching point of view, that's the most pleasing part of the performance - everyone contributed. The first key (takeaway) is we don't start talking about the second half of the season because we've still got a couple of games before the bye, so we just lock in now."
News.com.au
01-06-2025
- General
- News.com.au
‘Embarrassing': Rival player labels Swans ‘a rabble' after SCG horror show
The Sydney Swans are bracing for the fallout of a humiliating 90-point loss to Adelaide on Saturday night as a Crows player labelled them 'a rabble'. Adelaide demolished the Swans to claim a 21.5 (131) to 5.11 (41) victory at the SCG, cementing their position in the top four as they push for a first finals berth since 2017. 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. The Swans were celebrating the 20-year anniversary of their droughtbreaking 2005 premiership, with Adam Goodes, Barry Hall and Leo Barry among the former players who did a lap of honour with ex-coach Paul Roos. But what was supposed to be a landmark night for the club turned into a football massacre and a black eye for the club. The 90-point defeat was Sydney's heaviest loss at the SCG since 2000. Haydn McLean kicked the first goal of the game, before Adelaide kicked five goals to one in the first quarter. The Crows piled on seven unanswered goals in the second term as the Swans completely fell apart. The SCG crowd gave Bronx cheers when the Swans kicked two behinds just before halftime, such was Sydney's difficulty in hitting the scoreboard. Apart from a 10-minute period to start the third quarter, Sydney continued to get hammered in the second half and in a humiliating sign, thousands of Swans flans left the SCG at three-quarter time. It meant the SCG seats were empty mostly by the time the final siren sounded as Swans supporters couldn't bare to watch. Fox Footy commentator Anthony Hudson described the result as a 'humiliation' for the Swans. Speaking post-game Crows defender Wayne Milera described the Swans as a 'rabble', adding he was pleased with his side's contested ball work and even contribution across the ground. 'You could sort of feel it as a group … they were sort of a bit of a rabble, just hearing them on the ground,' Milera told ABC Sport radio. That remark pricked the ears of Fox Footy's Super Saturday panel, who debated whether it went too far or was simply a fair description of a hapless Swans outfit. 'It's going to reverberate through two footy clubs, too, I think,' Fox Footy reporter Jay Clark said. 'It's the most damning post-match assessment of the season, and it's come from Adelaide's Wayne Milera ... That is a damning assessment from an opposition player — 'they were a rabble'. 'This is one of the proudest clubs in the competition. We know the history of the Sydney Football Club over the past two decades, and the champions that have played. They've been so consistent, and they've just been branded 'a rabble' by an opposition player from what he could hear them talk about on the field. 'Now, that is a big question mark. I think that'll send shockwaves through the Swans, and I'd be interested — how do the Adelaide Crows handle a comment from (one of their players). Is it disrespectful? Is it just honest?' 'One hundred per cent that's disrespectful (from Milera). Yeah, calling an opposition team 'a bit of a rabble' in a media sense,' Riewoldt stated. 'We've just come off the conversation with Matthew Nicks about they dropped Josh Rachele (last year) for 'values'. I'd love to know where a comment like that sits in the values of the Adelaide Football Club. 'So, there's clearly some big questions on that going forward, too.' Premiership Kangaroo David King questioned whether Milera meant his comment to sound as damning as it came across. 'He's a guy that doesn't have a history in this space. I can't remember hearing him speak. I can't remember hearing an interview from Wayne,' King said. 'I'd love to know what he was trying to say, whether he got his words wrong … I think it's something you can fix with a phone call. I'd be surprised if Matty Nicks didn't get on the phone and say 'look, we were out of line here, we made a mistake, can we step through this and move on?' 'It's just a simple error. I think he's got his words wrong, and I hope this doesn't become the story that maybe you think it will.' The result leaves Sydney languishing at 14th on the ladder with no hope of making finals, based on their current form. 'It was unacceptable and embarrassing,' Swans coach Dean Cox said of the result. 'Massive night for the footy club when you have a 20-year reunion. 'For a team that played desperate, uncompromising, ruthless football, and that (Saturday's performance) was far from it, so we need to strip it back and get to work real quick. 'We are going to fight our way through this, everyone that's involved at the footy club, and there's going to be no easy way through it. 'I said to them 'expect some tough sessions'. That'll happen.' 'I've got huge confidence in this playing group, but we need to make sure we spend time where we need to and to turn it around as quickly as possible.' The Swans take on Richmond next week before their mid-season bye.
Daily Mail
31-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Footy's biggest recluse Adam Goodes makes return to SCG for the Sydney Swans' 20-year AFL premiership reunion
AFL legend Adam Goodes made a triumphant return to the SCG on Saturday night as the Swans celebrated their 2005 premiership victory. The code's most decorated Indigenous player joined his premiership teammates in marching from Swans HQ to the SCG ahead of the club's match with Adelaide. The Swans were looking to bounce back from a dismal 53-point loss to Melbourne but instead endured a horror show. Kept to one goal in the opening half, Sydney conceded 12-straight majors on the way to a 21.5 (131) to 5.11 (41) loss. Former players, including Barry Hall, Michael O'Loughlin and Jude Bolton attended the match - but Goodes was the star that fans were most excited to see. The two-time Brownlow Medallist has refused to have anything to do with the game after his retirement, which came after he was subjected to racist taunts and prolonged booing from the crowd during his last three seasons - especially his final year. Goodes was called an 'ape' by a young Collingwood fan in an infamous 2013 incident. Days later, then-Magpies boss Eddie McGuire suggested promoters of a King Kong musical in Melbourne ask the footy star to promote the show. In 2015 he celebrated a goal against Carlton with an Indigenous-themed war cry that saw spectators target him heavily. That year he refused to participate in a grand final motorcade for retired players, and has declined invitations to AFL events ever since - even declining an invitation to be inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2021. AFL chairman Richard Goyder acknowledged that the AFL should have done better by Goodes after he rejected the 2021 invitation. 'The treatment of Adam in his final years at AFL level drove him from football,' Goyder said at the time. 'The AFL and our game did not do enough to stand with him at the time, and call it out. 'The unreserved apology that the game provided him in 2019 was too late, but, on behalf of our commission and the AFL, I apologise unreservedly again for our failures during this period. 'Failure to call out racism and not standing up for Adam let down all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players, past and present. 'We hope that there will be a time in the future when Adam will want to be connected to the game again.' Fans were surprised and overjoyed to see a smiling Goodes watching on during Saturday's match. 'Sensational! So pleased to see all of them but particularly Goodesy,' posted one fan to social media. 'An absolute joy to see Adam Goodes,' replied another.
