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Perth Now
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
‘Harder than being CEO': AFL ex's bold claim about WAG life
Brodie Ryan, the former girlfriend of Collingwood legend Nathan Buckley, has the internet up in arms after claiming that being a WAG is 'harder than being a CEO'. Following the high-profile pair's split a few months ago, Ryan has spoken out about the hardships of keeping up the glamorous lifestyle of being in a relationship with a sportsman - which has fallen on deaf ears. Becoming an AFL WAG, wife and girlfriend, has become a dream job for many women with low ambition in recent years. The 36-year-old, who works as a business manager, compared dating the 52-year-old to being the chief executive of a company. 'What they do is tough for a job, so you need that support at home. And I guess a lot of the trolls out there will say they're just a WAG — they're not just a WAG,' she told the Herald Sun. Brodie Ryan's claim seems to have fallen on deaf ears. Credit: Instagram 'They work really hard at home, and they look after a home, which is hard. 'Sometimes I would say, seeing my mum do it, seeing my friends do it, being a stay at home mum and keeping a home and supporting an AFL footballer would be harder than being a CEO of a company.' Buckley and Ryan first met in 2022, a year after the Collingwood legend's coaching career had already come to an end. Brodie Ryan and Nathan Buckley. Credit: Instagram Despite her claims of hardship, the comments were not received well online — with people online flooding the comments with criticism towards the former WAG. 'Boo hoo. Harder than a CEO. You have no idea how people without money survive,' one comment said. 'Such a hard life....' another said sarcastically, while a third added: 'These poor WAGS have no idea'. 'Well when the notion that footballers are hero's and do brilliant things like kick a football I could imagine how stressful it would be to clean snot of a kids face,' one pointed out. One Aussie claimed it was a stretch to call Ryan a WAG considering Buckley had been long retired, saying 'I wouldn't exactly call her a wag, more like the rebound relationship after Buckley split with his wife Tanya!' 'Does she know what actual work was,' another said. Nathan Buckley and Tania. Credit: Tania Buckley/Instagram / supplied The AFL Hall of Famer was previously married to Tania Buckley for 18 years, until their split in 2020 —which the 2003 Brownlow Medallist told the Herald Sun was 'the most traumatic thing that's happened to me recently.' Between Tania and Ryan, Buckley had a one year relationship with cosmetic nurse Alex Pike.
The Advertiser
15-07-2025
- Sport
- The Advertiser
Unspoken rule behind Brisbane Lions' AFL revival
Hugh McCluggage can only imagine how hard it would have been to tell his Brisbane Lions teammates he was leaving. The 27-year-old is in arguably career-best form ahead of his 200th AFL game, against Western Bulldogs on Friday. The first player drafted, at pick No.3 in 2016, by new coach Chris Fagan, McCluggage and the Lions finished last in 2017 and 15th in 2018. What's happened since has exceeded even McCluggage's "wildest dreams", the Lions finishing second in 2019 and, after years of going close, winning a flag last year. McCluggage extended his initial deal until 2024 and then defied keen interest elsewhere to sign a seven-year deal tying him to the Lions until 2031. "I could see it was a tight group, and I was keen to help Zorks and Frog and those guys play in some finals, that was probably the aim at the start when sitting on the bottom," McCluggage said of his bond with veterans Dayne Zorko and Ryan Lester that first motivated the Victorian to remain in Brisbane. "In our wildest dreams we couldn't imagine what we've done." McCluggage, childhood mate Jarrod Berry, Zac Bailey and Cameron Rayner head a list of loyal Lions that have resisted the pull to return home. As the Lions (second, 12-4-1) craft their push for back-to-back flags, McCluggage said Fagan and his staff had fostered an environment that was hard to leave. "We never spoke about it (directly once, but it was one of those things you knew if you were to leave it'd be pretty hard to look them in the eyes and say, 'I'm going to go home'," McCluggage said. "We're extremely close, Bez (Berry) is in the same camp as that and also Big O (Oscar McInerney); we've been here the whole time he (Fagan) has. "A bit of a father figure to us … wraps an arm around you when he realises you need it but he is someone who can challenge you, and he's always wanted to help me grow in that way." Always a potent distributor, McCluggage has worked on his defence and become a menacing goal-kicking threat at stoppages to present a lively case for maiden All Australian honours this season. So impactful has McCluggage been that he's even attracted tags ahead of two-time Brownlow Medallist teammate Lachie Neale. "It's been a different challenge for me," he said of that attention. "Lucky I have Lachie to lean on … it's (being tagged) something that's a badge of honour. "I can trust that if I'm getting tagged out of the game then someone ... will go into the midfield and do what needs to be done." That battle will be key at the Gabba on Friday against a Bulldogs side one win outside the top eight. Hugh McCluggage can only imagine how hard it would have been to tell his Brisbane Lions teammates he was leaving. The 27-year-old is in arguably career-best form ahead of his 200th AFL game, against Western Bulldogs on Friday. The first player drafted, at pick No.3 in 2016, by new coach Chris Fagan, McCluggage and the Lions finished last in 2017 and 15th in 2018. What's happened since has exceeded even McCluggage's "wildest dreams", the Lions finishing second in 2019 and, after years of going close, winning a flag last year. McCluggage extended his initial deal until 2024 and then defied keen interest elsewhere to sign a seven-year deal tying him to the Lions until 2031. "I could see it was a tight group, and I was keen to help Zorks and Frog and those guys play in some finals, that was probably the aim at the start when sitting on the bottom," McCluggage said of his bond with veterans Dayne Zorko and Ryan Lester that first motivated the Victorian to remain in Brisbane. "In our wildest dreams we couldn't imagine what we've done." McCluggage, childhood mate Jarrod Berry, Zac Bailey and Cameron Rayner head a list of loyal Lions that have resisted the pull to return home. As the Lions (second, 12-4-1) craft their push for back-to-back flags, McCluggage said Fagan and his staff had fostered an environment that was hard to leave. "We never spoke about it (directly once, but it was one of those things you knew if you were to leave it'd be pretty hard to look them in the eyes and say, 'I'm going to go home'," McCluggage said. "We're extremely close, Bez (Berry) is in the same camp as that and also Big O (Oscar McInerney); we've been here the whole time he (Fagan) has. "A bit of a father figure to us … wraps an arm around you when he realises you need it but he is someone who can challenge you, and he's always wanted to help me grow in that way." Always a potent distributor, McCluggage has worked on his defence and become a menacing goal-kicking threat at stoppages to present a lively case for maiden All Australian honours this season. So impactful has McCluggage been that he's even attracted tags ahead of two-time Brownlow Medallist teammate Lachie Neale. "It's been a different challenge for me," he said of that attention. "Lucky I have Lachie to lean on … it's (being tagged) something that's a badge of honour. "I can trust that if I'm getting tagged out of the game then someone ... will go into the midfield and do what needs to be done." That battle will be key at the Gabba on Friday against a Bulldogs side one win outside the top eight. Hugh McCluggage can only imagine how hard it would have been to tell his Brisbane Lions teammates he was leaving. The 27-year-old is in arguably career-best form ahead of his 200th AFL game, against Western Bulldogs on Friday. The first player drafted, at pick No.3 in 2016, by new coach Chris Fagan, McCluggage and the Lions finished last in 2017 and 15th in 2018. What's happened since has exceeded even McCluggage's "wildest dreams", the Lions finishing second in 2019 and, after years of going close, winning a flag last year. McCluggage extended his initial deal until 2024 and then defied keen interest elsewhere to sign a seven-year deal tying him to the Lions until 2031. "I could see it was a tight group, and I was keen to help Zorks and Frog and those guys play in some finals, that was probably the aim at the start when sitting on the bottom," McCluggage said of his bond with veterans Dayne Zorko and Ryan Lester that first motivated the Victorian to remain in Brisbane. "In our wildest dreams we couldn't imagine what we've done." McCluggage, childhood mate Jarrod Berry, Zac Bailey and Cameron Rayner head a list of loyal Lions that have resisted the pull to return home. As the Lions (second, 12-4-1) craft their push for back-to-back flags, McCluggage said Fagan and his staff had fostered an environment that was hard to leave. "We never spoke about it (directly once, but it was one of those things you knew if you were to leave it'd be pretty hard to look them in the eyes and say, 'I'm going to go home'," McCluggage said. "We're extremely close, Bez (Berry) is in the same camp as that and also Big O (Oscar McInerney); we've been here the whole time he (Fagan) has. "A bit of a father figure to us … wraps an arm around you when he realises you need it but he is someone who can challenge you, and he's always wanted to help me grow in that way." Always a potent distributor, McCluggage has worked on his defence and become a menacing goal-kicking threat at stoppages to present a lively case for maiden All Australian honours this season. So impactful has McCluggage been that he's even attracted tags ahead of two-time Brownlow Medallist teammate Lachie Neale. "It's been a different challenge for me," he said of that attention. "Lucky I have Lachie to lean on … it's (being tagged) something that's a badge of honour. "I can trust that if I'm getting tagged out of the game then someone ... will go into the midfield and do what needs to be done." That battle will be key at the Gabba on Friday against a Bulldogs side one win outside the top eight.
Perth Now
15-07-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
Unspoken rule behind Brisbane Lions' AFL revival
Hugh McCluggage can only imagine how hard it would have been to tell his Brisbane Lions teammates he was leaving. The 27-year-old is in arguably career-best form ahead of his 200th AFL game, against Western Bulldogs on Friday. The first player drafted, at pick No.3 in 2016, by new coach Chris Fagan, McCluggage and the Lions finished last in 2017 and 15th in 2018. What's happened since has exceeded even McCluggage's "wildest dreams", the Lions finishing second in 2019 and, after years of going close, winning a flag last year. McCluggage extended his initial deal until 2024 and then defied keen interest elsewhere to sign a seven-year deal tying him to the Lions until 2031. "I could see it was a tight group, and I was keen to help Zorks and Frog and those guys play in some finals, that was probably the aim at the start when sitting on the bottom," McCluggage said of his bond with veterans Dayne Zorko and Ryan Lester that first motivated the Victorian to remain in Brisbane. "In our wildest dreams we couldn't imagine what we've done." McCluggage, childhood mate Jarrod Berry, Zac Bailey and Cameron Rayner head a list of loyal Lions that have resisted the pull to return home. As the Lions (second, 12-4-1) craft their push for back-to-back flags, McCluggage said Fagan and his staff had fostered an environment that was hard to leave. "We never spoke about it (directly once, but it was one of those things you knew if you were to leave it'd be pretty hard to look them in the eyes and say, 'I'm going to go home'," McCluggage said. "We're extremely close, Bez (Berry) is in the same camp as that and also Big O (Oscar McInerney); we've been here the whole time he (Fagan) has. "A bit of a father figure to us … wraps an arm around you when he realises you need it but he is someone who can challenge you, and he's always wanted to help me grow in that way." Always a potent distributor, McCluggage has worked on his defence and become a menacing goal-kicking threat at stoppages to present a lively case for maiden All Australian honours this season. So impactful has McCluggage been that he's even attracted tags ahead of two-time Brownlow Medallist teammate Lachie Neale. "It's been a different challenge for me," he said of that attention. "Lucky I have Lachie to lean on … it's (being tagged) something that's a badge of honour. "I can trust that if I'm getting tagged out of the game then someone ... will go into the midfield and do what needs to be done." That battle will be key at the Gabba on Friday against a Bulldogs side one win outside the top eight.
The Advertiser
13-07-2025
- Sport
- The Advertiser
Butters brilliant in Port's comeback win over Eagles
More midfield mastery from Zak Butters has inspired fast-finishing Port Adelaide to a comeback 26-point win over a plucky West Coast. The Power trailed by 33 points in the opening quarter before rallying to a 12.15 (87) to 9.6 (61) victory at Adelaide Oval on Sunday. Butters, whose 38 disposals featured 14 in the first term, was brilliant as Port booted the last five goals of the game to triumph. The Power, who lost captain Connor Rozee to a hand injury, kicked the opening goal of the match but didn't hit the front again until early in the final term. West Coast produced their highest-scoring quarter under first-year coach Andrew McQualter, booting 6.3 to 2.2 in the opening term. The Eagles flourished with a 17-8 inside-50 dominance on a day when it was announced their midfielder Jack Graham had been suspended by the AFL for four matches for a homophobic slur against an opponent. West Coast's 25-point lead at quarter-time prompted stern words from Power coach Ken Hinkley to his players. But the Eagles, after a superb Liam Baker goal when the ex-Tiger had two disposals in the chain and then converted with a third, were still four goals up midway through the second stanza. The tide then turned, with Port scoring two quick majors to creep within eight points. But late set-shot misses from Port pair Mitch Georgiades and Jack Lukosius ensured the visitors led by 11 points at halftime, 7.5 to 5.6. Both teams kicked two majors in a tight third term - Port kicked 2.6 and scores were level until a late Jobe Shanahan strike gave the Eagles a six-point edge at three-quarter time. But Port's Darcy Byrne-Jones put his side in front five minutes into the final term - the first of five successive goals for his club. Power forward Georgiades kicked 3.5, Jason Horne-Francis booted three majors from 27 disposals, and Joe Richards and Byrne-Jones kicked two goals each. Port's standout Butters received solid midfield support from Brownlow Medallist Ollie Wines (25 touches), and Kane Farrell (20) was creative at half-back. West Coast young gun Harley Reid gathered a team-high 26 disposals, Clay Hall (21 touches) and Jack Williams (two goals) impressed, while veterans Liam Duggan (21 possessions) and Baker (18) were prominent. More midfield mastery from Zak Butters has inspired fast-finishing Port Adelaide to a comeback 26-point win over a plucky West Coast. The Power trailed by 33 points in the opening quarter before rallying to a 12.15 (87) to 9.6 (61) victory at Adelaide Oval on Sunday. Butters, whose 38 disposals featured 14 in the first term, was brilliant as Port booted the last five goals of the game to triumph. The Power, who lost captain Connor Rozee to a hand injury, kicked the opening goal of the match but didn't hit the front again until early in the final term. West Coast produced their highest-scoring quarter under first-year coach Andrew McQualter, booting 6.3 to 2.2 in the opening term. The Eagles flourished with a 17-8 inside-50 dominance on a day when it was announced their midfielder Jack Graham had been suspended by the AFL for four matches for a homophobic slur against an opponent. West Coast's 25-point lead at quarter-time prompted stern words from Power coach Ken Hinkley to his players. But the Eagles, after a superb Liam Baker goal when the ex-Tiger had two disposals in the chain and then converted with a third, were still four goals up midway through the second stanza. The tide then turned, with Port scoring two quick majors to creep within eight points. But late set-shot misses from Port pair Mitch Georgiades and Jack Lukosius ensured the visitors led by 11 points at halftime, 7.5 to 5.6. Both teams kicked two majors in a tight third term - Port kicked 2.6 and scores were level until a late Jobe Shanahan strike gave the Eagles a six-point edge at three-quarter time. But Port's Darcy Byrne-Jones put his side in front five minutes into the final term - the first of five successive goals for his club. Power forward Georgiades kicked 3.5, Jason Horne-Francis booted three majors from 27 disposals, and Joe Richards and Byrne-Jones kicked two goals each. Port's standout Butters received solid midfield support from Brownlow Medallist Ollie Wines (25 touches), and Kane Farrell (20) was creative at half-back. West Coast young gun Harley Reid gathered a team-high 26 disposals, Clay Hall (21 touches) and Jack Williams (two goals) impressed, while veterans Liam Duggan (21 possessions) and Baker (18) were prominent. More midfield mastery from Zak Butters has inspired fast-finishing Port Adelaide to a comeback 26-point win over a plucky West Coast. The Power trailed by 33 points in the opening quarter before rallying to a 12.15 (87) to 9.6 (61) victory at Adelaide Oval on Sunday. Butters, whose 38 disposals featured 14 in the first term, was brilliant as Port booted the last five goals of the game to triumph. The Power, who lost captain Connor Rozee to a hand injury, kicked the opening goal of the match but didn't hit the front again until early in the final term. West Coast produced their highest-scoring quarter under first-year coach Andrew McQualter, booting 6.3 to 2.2 in the opening term. The Eagles flourished with a 17-8 inside-50 dominance on a day when it was announced their midfielder Jack Graham had been suspended by the AFL for four matches for a homophobic slur against an opponent. West Coast's 25-point lead at quarter-time prompted stern words from Power coach Ken Hinkley to his players. But the Eagles, after a superb Liam Baker goal when the ex-Tiger had two disposals in the chain and then converted with a third, were still four goals up midway through the second stanza. The tide then turned, with Port scoring two quick majors to creep within eight points. But late set-shot misses from Port pair Mitch Georgiades and Jack Lukosius ensured the visitors led by 11 points at halftime, 7.5 to 5.6. Both teams kicked two majors in a tight third term - Port kicked 2.6 and scores were level until a late Jobe Shanahan strike gave the Eagles a six-point edge at three-quarter time. But Port's Darcy Byrne-Jones put his side in front five minutes into the final term - the first of five successive goals for his club. Power forward Georgiades kicked 3.5, Jason Horne-Francis booted three majors from 27 disposals, and Joe Richards and Byrne-Jones kicked two goals each. Port's standout Butters received solid midfield support from Brownlow Medallist Ollie Wines (25 touches), and Kane Farrell (20) was creative at half-back. West Coast young gun Harley Reid gathered a team-high 26 disposals, Clay Hall (21 touches) and Jack Williams (two goals) impressed, while veterans Liam Duggan (21 possessions) and Baker (18) were prominent.
Perth Now
13-07-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
Butters brilliant in Port's comeback win over Eagles
More midfield mastery from Zak Butters has inspired fast-finishing Port Adelaide to a comeback 26-point win over a plucky West Coast. The Power trailed by 33 points in the opening quarter before rallying to a 12.15 (87) to 9.6 (61) victory at Adelaide Oval on Sunday. Butters, whose 38 disposals featured 14 in the first term, was brilliant as Port booted the last five goals of the game to triumph. The Power, who lost captain Connor Rozee to a hand injury, kicked the opening goal of the match but didn't hit the front again until early in the final term. West Coast produced their highest-scoring quarter under first-year coach Andrew McQualter, booting 6.3 to 2.2 in the opening term. The Eagles flourished with a 17-8 inside-50 dominance on a day when it was announced their midfielder Jack Graham had been suspended by the AFL for four matches for a homophobic slur against an opponent. West Coast's 25-point lead at quarter-time prompted stern words from Power coach Ken Hinkley to his players. But the Eagles, after a superb Liam Baker goal when the ex-Tiger had two disposals in the chain and then converted with a third, were still four goals up midway through the second stanza. The tide then turned, with Port scoring two quick majors to creep within eight points. But late set-shot misses from Port pair Mitch Georgiades and Jack Lukosius ensured the visitors led by 11 points at halftime, 7.5 to 5.6. Both teams kicked two majors in a tight third term - Port kicked 2.6 and scores were level until a late Jobe Shanahan strike gave the Eagles a six-point edge at three-quarter time. But Port's Darcy Byrne-Jones put his side in front five minutes into the final term - the first of five successive goals for his club. Power forward Georgiades kicked 3.5, Jason Horne-Francis booted three majors from 27 disposals, and Joe Richards and Byrne-Jones kicked two goals each. Port's standout Butters received solid midfield support from Brownlow Medallist Ollie Wines (25 touches), and Kane Farrell (20) was creative at half-back. West Coast young gun Harley Reid gathered a team-high 26 disposals, Clay Hall (21 touches) and Jack Williams (two goals) impressed, while veterans Liam Duggan (21 possessions) and Baker (18) were prominent.
