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West Australian
29-06-2025
- Sport
- West Australian
Mines Rovers players brave icy plunge to raise funds for MND
Winter weather failed to deter Mines Rovers Football Club members from braving icy waters in the fight against motor neurone disease. Almost a dozen Diorites took on the Big Freeze ice dunk at Digger Daws Oval on Saturday to help raise awareness and vital research funds for FightMND — co-founded by AFL great Neale Daniher. Now in its 11th year, the annual fundraiser is a symbol of hope in the fight against MND. Mines Rovers treasurer Nicole Stevens, who co-ordinated the event, said the club had surpassed its $5000 target and raised almost $7000 as of Saturday afternoon. She said MND was an important cause to get behind. 'We've been watching the AFL do the Big Freeze for a long time now . . . so we thought we'll get involved as well,' Ms Stevens said. 'Neale Daniher is a legend in the AFL, and we all grew up watching him. 'The more people you speak to about MND, the more you find out that it is affecting family members or friends.' Some participants donned wacky outfits while taking the plunge. Sam Burge wore a Mr Incredible suit, Ben Stubbs dressed as singer Pitbull, while Brad Dick completed the plunge with a cricket bat. 'It was cold, but all for a good cause, so I'm happy to do it,' Mr Dick said. 'Our skipper, Jordan Delbridge, won the B-grade grand final for North Kalgoorlie (Cricket Club) so I just thought I'd go and honour him.' Ben Stubbs thanked the football community for supporting the cause. 'The whole community has got behind this great event, just look at the turnout today,' he said. 'It's my first time freezing myself in public, but it was heaps of fun.' A Junior Big Freeze took place on Sunday when Mines Rovers' youngsters were joined by their counterparts from Kalgoorlie City to brave the ice bath for a 'cold' coin donation.
West Australian
11-06-2025
- Business
- West Australian
Rita Saffioti: METRONET line another incredible commitment by WA Labor
1. A massive 20,000 people turned out on Sunday to celebrate the opening of the METRONET Thornlie-Cockburn line and ride the first train, which now connects people in our south-east to the city in just half an hour. Another incredible commitment delivered by WA Labor. 2. Importantly, the new METRONET Thornlie-Cockburn line provides a new direct connection to Optus Stadium from Mandurah. Perfect timing really, with a massive double header this weekend at Optus Stadium. North Melbourne play the second of their two WA home games against Fremantle on Saturday, and West Coast play Carlton on Sunday. 3. On Monday I rode the train with passengers on the first day of full service. It was great to talk to Canning Vale residents, who told me how much easier their daily commute will be as a result of this new train line. Also great to see the school kids getting on board from day one. This project is for their generation and the next. 4. Next on the METRONET list is the rest of the Armadale line. We appreciate the community's patience while we deliver this transformative program of works. Free public transport for people usually using this train line has been extended until its reopening, which we will announce in coming months. 5. Western Australia's domestic economy continues to lead the nation, growing at almost twice the pace of the rest of the country in the year to March 2025 based on the latest ABS data. WA accounts for almost a fifth of growth in the entire national domestic economy — well above our share of population or economy. 6. Premier Roger Cook and Education Minister Sabine Winton announced a massive infrastructure spend on our WA schools yesterday, with $1.67 billion committed over the next four years for the delivery of new public schools and improved infrastructure. 7. What a massive week of sport. More than 57,000 people packed out Optus Stadium on Thursday night to cheer on the Socceroos. We had tens of thousands turn out to the annual Supercars event over the weekend, followed by the historic North Melbourne and West Coast match down in Bunbury. The State's $13 million contribution to the Hands Oval redevelopment was a great investment — it looks spectacular. 8 Our government played a significant part in securing the North Melbourne and West Coast game. A massive congratulations in particular to Bunbury MP Don Punch, the City of Bunbury and the local community who made the match such a success. Bunbury truly embraced the opportunity. 9. I'm so pumped for the Socceroos — it's the first time they've qualified directly for a FIFA World Cup without a play-off since 2013. Still thinking about that last minute win last week. An incredible way to do it in front of a packed house at Optus Stadium. 10. What an inspiring person Neale Daniher is. Hard to believe it's been more than a decade since the first Big Freeze at the G event. In that time, more than $115 million has been raised to fight MND. A truly incredible effort and movement.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Magpies show just why they're AFL flag favourites after scraping past Demons
With a point in it and half a minute to go in the King's birthday clash, Scott Pendlebury stood at centre half forward, pointing like Babe Ruth. He had no intention of taking the shot of course. He dinked it sideways, and bought a little bit more time. A few precious seconds later, Max Gawn completely shanked his kick and Melbourne's final chance had been extinguished. The final moments, and indeed the entire game, was an example of quality over quantity. The Pies managed their moments, they kept their heads, and they deserved their 11.6 (72) to 10.11 (71) win. Melbourne tried their hearts out but will rue several moments in the final term. Kozzie Pickett plonked the ball on the ground, handing a needless 50-metre penalty to Nick Daicos, not the sort of man you want to give an inch, let alone 50 metres. Bayley Fritsch ran into an open goal but sprayed it. Clayton Oliver sent a 9-iron sailing out on the full. There were countless other moments throughout the game, moments where they failed to lower their eyes, moments where they bombed on the heads of their forwards, moments where they failed to man the mark properly. Advertisement Related: Neale Daniher's no-nonsense nature keeps Big Freeze from slipping into cliche Collingwood just scraped in, and they were miles from their best, but it was a good example of why they keep winning and why they're premiership favourites. There's nothing cookie cutter about them. They come in all different shapes, different roles, different heights, different skillsets, different countries, even different generations. And no team is better at adapting its modes according to the patterns of the game and the needs of the moment. Whatever the game calls for – to stem a tide, to release the shackles, to slow the game down, to turn it into a slog, or to make it a shootout – the bench staff will raise their placards, Pendlebury will start pointing more than usual and the team will adjust accordingly. In the crazy final seconds on Monday, as the ball pinged around the MCC wing, they were the more mature and smarter team. Nick Daicos had a torrid afternoon. Ed Langdon has spent the best part of his career in acres of space as a roaming wingman but played a very different role on Monday. As their best endurance runner, he had the legs to go with Daicos and he completely blanketed him. The Dees collectively targeted him any way they could, even a sly little bump when he was tying a shoelace. The problem is that once you put that much focus into one opposition player, other problems will invariably bob up, even other members of the Daicos family. Josh Daicos played a slashing game, weaving in and out of trouble, while Nick himself snuck away for some telling touches in the final term. The older Daicos had some stiff competition for best afield honours. Jeremy Howe is 34 years old and surely on track for his first All Australian blazer. His judgement, closing speed and ability to impact and often completely destroy a contest makes him one of the most valuable defenders in the game. He's so good at reading the ball off the boot. He's not the athlete he was but he's still athletic enough. And there's so much more to his game now than taking hangers. Advertisement No one would question Melbourne's application and intensity. But it was the same problem we've seen for years with the Dees – that inability to nail the final connecting kick into the forward line. There are still too many blasters in their line-up – players who don't lower their eyes and eschew the spot-up option. Time and time again they defended stoutly and unleashed a promising possession chain, but stuffed it up with a missed handball or a tardy kick. Gawn's error at the death is probably the one that will be best remembered. He was furious at himself and his teammates. But he played a colossal game. Sometimes he'd swat it 30 metres forward. Sometimes he'd grab it out of the ruck and hoik it. And more often than not it was a deft little tap to put his midfielders into space. It's not as though he was up against a mug – Darcy Cameron has been outstanding for the Pies in recent times. But the Melbourne skipper took the honours on Monday. The football being played right now is a far cry from the ping-ponging, wildly fluctuating games of early March. The average scores of the three Saturday games was the lowest since 1989, a year where the MCG was ankle deep in mud. It's football that suits big bodies, deep lists, clean hands and wise heads. That was Collingwood when it mattered most.
The Advertiser
09-06-2025
- Sport
- The Advertiser
One down, one up as McRae lauds Daicos double-act
If one Daicos doesn't get you, the other one will. Collingwood star Nick Daicos had his usual sharp impact blunted by a tight tag from rebadged Melbourne wingman Ed Langdon in the King's Birthday thriller. But older brother Josh stepped up in a best-afield display, tallying a game-high 34 disposals from half-back in the Magpies' 11.6 (72) to 10.11 (71) victory at the MCG. "It's a nice duo, isn't it?" Collingwood coach Craig McRae said of his super siblings. "Josh has had an enormous year. He starts on the bench and he just looked like a different player to everyone else when he came on. "Everyone was fumbling, but not Josh. I'm really happy for him. "He's worked really hard on his game, he's never played backline before and he's working really hard to be the best player he can be. "Right now everyone's seeing that." Langdon wore Nick Daicos like a glove from the outset and frustrated the Pies' Brownlow Medal fancy, who had just seven touches in the first half. Daicos had another seven in the third quarter and almost had a major say in the last, when he kicked one goal from a 50 metre penalty and missed another set shot when Langdon conceded a free kick. Langdon had just four disposals himself and raised eyebrows with some of his close-checking tactics, but McRae conceded the hard-running Demon played his role well. "I thought Nick was well handled today," McRae said. "They did a great job on him and Nick fought through it, but Langdon would've had the honours." The physical battle between Langdon and Daicos sparked a series of spotfires between players from both sides in the first half. McRae felt it was a "nil-all draw" in the way his players looked after Daicos in slippery conditions that made for a hard-fought contest. "There were times when we could've done a few things different, but it's a different game right now," McRae said. Not to be outdone by his sons, Collingwood legend Peter Daicos stood out dressed as Heath Ledger's iconic Joker in the pre-match Big Freeze fundraiser. The Magpies' fifth straight win gave them an 11-2 record on top of the ladder at their mid-season bye. If one Daicos doesn't get you, the other one will. Collingwood star Nick Daicos had his usual sharp impact blunted by a tight tag from rebadged Melbourne wingman Ed Langdon in the King's Birthday thriller. But older brother Josh stepped up in a best-afield display, tallying a game-high 34 disposals from half-back in the Magpies' 11.6 (72) to 10.11 (71) victory at the MCG. "It's a nice duo, isn't it?" Collingwood coach Craig McRae said of his super siblings. "Josh has had an enormous year. He starts on the bench and he just looked like a different player to everyone else when he came on. "Everyone was fumbling, but not Josh. I'm really happy for him. "He's worked really hard on his game, he's never played backline before and he's working really hard to be the best player he can be. "Right now everyone's seeing that." Langdon wore Nick Daicos like a glove from the outset and frustrated the Pies' Brownlow Medal fancy, who had just seven touches in the first half. Daicos had another seven in the third quarter and almost had a major say in the last, when he kicked one goal from a 50 metre penalty and missed another set shot when Langdon conceded a free kick. Langdon had just four disposals himself and raised eyebrows with some of his close-checking tactics, but McRae conceded the hard-running Demon played his role well. "I thought Nick was well handled today," McRae said. "They did a great job on him and Nick fought through it, but Langdon would've had the honours." The physical battle between Langdon and Daicos sparked a series of spotfires between players from both sides in the first half. McRae felt it was a "nil-all draw" in the way his players looked after Daicos in slippery conditions that made for a hard-fought contest. "There were times when we could've done a few things different, but it's a different game right now," McRae said. Not to be outdone by his sons, Collingwood legend Peter Daicos stood out dressed as Heath Ledger's iconic Joker in the pre-match Big Freeze fundraiser. The Magpies' fifth straight win gave them an 11-2 record on top of the ladder at their mid-season bye. If one Daicos doesn't get you, the other one will. Collingwood star Nick Daicos had his usual sharp impact blunted by a tight tag from rebadged Melbourne wingman Ed Langdon in the King's Birthday thriller. But older brother Josh stepped up in a best-afield display, tallying a game-high 34 disposals from half-back in the Magpies' 11.6 (72) to 10.11 (71) victory at the MCG. "It's a nice duo, isn't it?" Collingwood coach Craig McRae said of his super siblings. "Josh has had an enormous year. He starts on the bench and he just looked like a different player to everyone else when he came on. "Everyone was fumbling, but not Josh. I'm really happy for him. "He's worked really hard on his game, he's never played backline before and he's working really hard to be the best player he can be. "Right now everyone's seeing that." Langdon wore Nick Daicos like a glove from the outset and frustrated the Pies' Brownlow Medal fancy, who had just seven touches in the first half. Daicos had another seven in the third quarter and almost had a major say in the last, when he kicked one goal from a 50 metre penalty and missed another set shot when Langdon conceded a free kick. Langdon had just four disposals himself and raised eyebrows with some of his close-checking tactics, but McRae conceded the hard-running Demon played his role well. "I thought Nick was well handled today," McRae said. "They did a great job on him and Nick fought through it, but Langdon would've had the honours." The physical battle between Langdon and Daicos sparked a series of spotfires between players from both sides in the first half. McRae felt it was a "nil-all draw" in the way his players looked after Daicos in slippery conditions that made for a hard-fought contest. "There were times when we could've done a few things different, but it's a different game right now," McRae said. Not to be outdone by his sons, Collingwood legend Peter Daicos stood out dressed as Heath Ledger's iconic Joker in the pre-match Big Freeze fundraiser. The Magpies' fifth straight win gave them an 11-2 record on top of the ladder at their mid-season bye.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
One down, one up as McRae lauds Daicos double-act
If one Daicos doesn't get you, the other one will. Collingwood star Nick Daicos had his usual sharp impact blunted by a tight tag from rebadged Melbourne wingman Ed Langdon in the King's Birthday thriller. But older brother Josh stepped up in a best-afield display, tallying a game-high 34 disposals from half-back in the Magpies' 11.6 (72) to 10.11 (71) victory at the MCG. "It's a nice duo, isn't it?" Collingwood coach Craig McRae said of his super siblings. "Josh has had an enormous year. He starts on the bench and he just looked like a different player to everyone else when he came on. "Everyone was fumbling, but not Josh. I'm really happy for him. "He's worked really hard on his game, he's never played backline before and he's working really hard to be the best player he can be. "Right now everyone's seeing that." Daicos pounces on the turnover and Long hits the scoreboard 👏#AFLDeesPies — AFL (@AFL) June 9, 2025 Langdon wore Nick Daicos like a glove from the outset and frustrated the Pies' Brownlow Medal fancy, who had just seven touches in the first half. Daicos had another seven in the third quarter and almost had a major say in the last, when he kicked one goal from a 50 metre penalty and missed another set shot when Langdon conceded a free kick. Langdon had just four disposals himself and raised eyebrows with some of his close-checking tactics, but McRae conceded the hard-running Demon played his role well. "I thought Nick was well handled today," McRae said. "They did a great job on him and Nick fought through it, but Langdon would've had the honours." The physical battle between Langdon and Daicos sparked a series of spotfires between players from both sides in the first half. McRae felt it was a "nil-all draw" in the way his players looked after Daicos in slippery conditions that made for a hard-fought contest. "There were times when we could've done a few things different, but it's a different game right now," McRae said. Not to be outdone by his sons, Collingwood legend Peter Daicos stood out dressed as Heath Ledger's iconic Joker in the pre-match Big Freeze fundraiser. The Magpies' fifth straight win gave them an 11-2 record on top of the ladder at their mid-season bye.
