Latest news with #Fagan
Scoop
a day ago
- Sport
- Scoop
The Fastest Guns In But NZ Shearers Still Beaten In Wales
Two Welsh shearers who've shorn numerous summers in New Zealand have struck the first blow to the hopes of New Zealand shearers Toa Henderson and Jack Fagan winning a new test series in Wales. Shearing Welsh lambs at the Cothi Shears, in Carmarthenshire, on Saturday, Gethin Lewis and Llyr Jones beat the Wools of New Zealand team Toa Henderson and Jack Fagan by a comfortable margin of 6.1pts. But while the Welsh dominated the quality points, it wasn't as comfortable in the race for best time points, with Northland gun Henderson shearing 11min 48sec, one of the faster times by a New Zealand shearer in a 20-sheep final, and putting a sheep around Welsh shearer-of-the-moment and second-man-off Lewis, with 34 seconds separating the pair on the clock. A short while earlier, King Country shearer Fagan, a former Royal Welsh Open winner, blasted through 20 lambs in 13min 1sec to be first home in the five-man Cothi Shears Open final, beating second-man-off and current World champion Gwion Lloyd Evans by 25 seconds, but had to settle for fourth place as Lewis claimed his third individual success in 11 days. Lewis, who shears for Hawke's Bay contractor Brendan Mahony, beat Henderson and Fagan to win the Great Yorkshire Open final in England on July 9, and last weekend shore 696 sheep in eight hours to set a new British ewe-shearing record, in what was also part of a successful bid for the two-stand record. Lewis had best overall points in the test, while Jones was just pipped for the honour and had the best quality points, while in the Open final Lewis had the best quality points. While Henderson's time in the test was more than a minute quicker then Fagan's Open final and both the test and Open final at Cothi last year, Fagan shore 11min 41sec in winning the Corwen Shears Open title last year, But Welsh commentator Huw Condron believes the fastest time ever for a 20-sheep final was the 10min 30sec by New Zealander Paul Avery in winning the Royal Welsh Open in 2007, beating a previous record of 10min 36sec attributed to Fagan's father, New Zealand shearing legend Sir David Fagan. Condron had a clear memory of Avery's achievement, saying: 'I was his pen-man.' Another New Zealand shearer to break 11 minutes in such a final in the UK was Hawke's Bay gun John Kirkpatrick, with 10m 59s at Corwen in 2009. The second test of the current tour will be shorn on Wednesday at the Royal Welsh Show, where Fagan had a big day last year, winning the Royal Welsh Open for a second time and, with Wairarapa shearer David Buick, a test match, and tie-up a series Wales ultimately won 2-1 with victory at the Corwen Shears a few days later. Fagan, who was second-fastest in the Open heats, which saw Henderson's early elimination after winning the French Open at his last start, said: 'It was good to make the final today. We have a clear set of goals for Wednesday, so we are preparing for that.' In March, he and Buick beat Lewis and Jones 3-0 in a series in New Zealand, and now he and Henderson, while out to keep the Wales series in the Northern Hemisphere alive in the last two tests, will also be out to at least keep the balance on the tour, with a 2-2 record to date, having had wins over England and France and losses to Scotland and Wales. Results: International (20 lambs): Wales 94.6pts (Gethin Lewis 12m 22s, 47.15pts; Llyr Jones 13m 3s, 47.45pts), New Zealand Toa Henderson 100.7pts (Toa Henderson 11m 48s, 49.7pts; Jack Fagan 12m 59s, 51pts). Weles won by 6.1pts. Cothi Open final (20 lambs): Gethin Lewis (Wales) 14m 15s, 52.1pts, 1; Gareth Daniel (Wales) 14m 26s, 53.45pts, 2; Gwion Lloyd Evans (Wales) 13m 26s, 57.2pts, 3; Jack Fagan (New Zealand) 13m 1s, 59.7pts, 4; Ian Jones (Wales) 14m 37s, 61.65pts, 5.
The Advertiser
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Advertiser
Fagan hails Dunkley after Dogs win
Brisbane coach Chris Fagan has hailed Josh Dunkley as the best defensive midfielder in the AFL following a match-winning turn against his former club the Western Bulldogs at the Gabba on Friday. Dunkley was imperious in the middle against the team where he won an AFL premiership in his debut season in 2016. The 28-year-old notched 14 tackles and had 28 disposals to be among the Lions' best as the premiers won a fourth-straight match and improved their hopes of a top four finish. Dunkley joined the Lions ahead of the 2023 season and has played a leading role in the team reaching grand finals in each of his first two years at the club. "If I was picking an All-Australian team, and they wanted to pick a bloke in the midfield who's a really good defensive player, he's the best defensive midfielder in the competition," Fagan said. "And probably the best I've ever seen. "I haven't seen them all, but the way he values that part of the game is just incredible." Another midfield star for the Lions, Hugh McCluggage, also came in for praise after a typically impressive display in his 200th AFL match. "He's getting a little bit of acknowledgement these days about what a good player is," Fagan said of the 27-year-old. "He's never been an All-Australian, but in our eyes he's a star - not just because he's a good footballer. "He's a great team player, and he's an excellent leader, and he's an unbelievable person." Brisbane coach Chris Fagan has hailed Josh Dunkley as the best defensive midfielder in the AFL following a match-winning turn against his former club the Western Bulldogs at the Gabba on Friday. Dunkley was imperious in the middle against the team where he won an AFL premiership in his debut season in 2016. The 28-year-old notched 14 tackles and had 28 disposals to be among the Lions' best as the premiers won a fourth-straight match and improved their hopes of a top four finish. Dunkley joined the Lions ahead of the 2023 season and has played a leading role in the team reaching grand finals in each of his first two years at the club. "If I was picking an All-Australian team, and they wanted to pick a bloke in the midfield who's a really good defensive player, he's the best defensive midfielder in the competition," Fagan said. "And probably the best I've ever seen. "I haven't seen them all, but the way he values that part of the game is just incredible." Another midfield star for the Lions, Hugh McCluggage, also came in for praise after a typically impressive display in his 200th AFL match. "He's getting a little bit of acknowledgement these days about what a good player is," Fagan said of the 27-year-old. "He's never been an All-Australian, but in our eyes he's a star - not just because he's a good footballer. "He's a great team player, and he's an excellent leader, and he's an unbelievable person." Brisbane coach Chris Fagan has hailed Josh Dunkley as the best defensive midfielder in the AFL following a match-winning turn against his former club the Western Bulldogs at the Gabba on Friday. Dunkley was imperious in the middle against the team where he won an AFL premiership in his debut season in 2016. The 28-year-old notched 14 tackles and had 28 disposals to be among the Lions' best as the premiers won a fourth-straight match and improved their hopes of a top four finish. Dunkley joined the Lions ahead of the 2023 season and has played a leading role in the team reaching grand finals in each of his first two years at the club. "If I was picking an All-Australian team, and they wanted to pick a bloke in the midfield who's a really good defensive player, he's the best defensive midfielder in the competition," Fagan said. "And probably the best I've ever seen. "I haven't seen them all, but the way he values that part of the game is just incredible." Another midfield star for the Lions, Hugh McCluggage, also came in for praise after a typically impressive display in his 200th AFL match. "He's getting a little bit of acknowledgement these days about what a good player is," Fagan said of the 27-year-old. "He's never been an All-Australian, but in our eyes he's a star - not just because he's a good footballer. "He's a great team player, and he's an excellent leader, and he's an unbelievable person."
The Advertiser
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Advertiser
Lions brace for 'daunting' run home to AFL finals
Chris Fagan has narrowed his focus as the Brisbane Lions face a make-or-break stretch of their AFL premiership defence leading into the finals. On a three-match winning streak, the second-placed Lions face five top-eight rivals over the last six home-and-away rounds as the fight for ladder positions nears its climax. The difficult test starts in a huge clash with the Western Bulldogs at the Gabba on Friday night. "Every game's important. We have a particularly hard run, so I'm not looking too far ahead," Lions coach Fagan said on Thursday. "We're just wholly and solely focused on tomorrow night because that's about all you can think about at the moment, otherwise it seems too daunting. "One week at a time, big game tomorrow night against a really good opponent who have got a lot to play for as well." The Bulldogs (10-7) sit ninth after a home loss to Adelaide last round and remain firmly in the finals hunt, but have won just one game so far this season against a side currently above them on the ladder. Despite that record, Fagan is wary of an opposition midfield unit led by renowned ball-winners Tom Liberatore, Ed Richards and Marcus Bontempelli. "That's what you need to address," he said. "(Luke Beveridge's) teams have always been able to score and generally speaking they've been good defensively, albeit that's the criticism of them at the moment. "But I reckon they would've done a bit of work on that this week, so I'm expecting a good all-round game from the Dogs." Fagan will want a better start from Brisbane than in their previous encounter with the Bulldogs, when they trailed by 39 points early in the third quarter of their Gather Round clash at Norwood Oval. The Lions roared back with 13 of the last 16 goals to win by 21 points in one of the most entertaining games of the season. "I haven't really looked back but all I know is we were probably fortunate to win that game, coming from that far behind," Fagan said. "We wouldn't want to find ourselves in that position tomorrow night." Bulldogs spearhead Sam Darcy kicked 2.3 from 16 disposals and had eight marks in that previous clash, opposed to Harris Andrews. Fagan will again send his co-captain to mind the 205cm target, who has kicked 17 goals in five appearances since returning from a knee injury. "You probably wouldn't have to be a rocket scientist to work out that's who Harris is going to play on," Fagan said. "The rest of our defenders aren't quite tall enough to play on Sam Darcy. "Harris will have that job and I know he's looking forward to it. It will be a great clash." Fagan was tight-lipped on who would replace injured defender Noah Answerth (achilles), but ruled out Keidean Coleman and Tom Doedee. In-form forward Zac Bailey will also miss through suspension after receiving a one-match ban for his high bump on Carlton's Nick Haynes. "I've moved on because the bottom line is he's got a week," Fagan said of Bailey's ban. "My personal view is a little bit harsh, but that's probably all I want to say about it." Chris Fagan has narrowed his focus as the Brisbane Lions face a make-or-break stretch of their AFL premiership defence leading into the finals. On a three-match winning streak, the second-placed Lions face five top-eight rivals over the last six home-and-away rounds as the fight for ladder positions nears its climax. The difficult test starts in a huge clash with the Western Bulldogs at the Gabba on Friday night. "Every game's important. We have a particularly hard run, so I'm not looking too far ahead," Lions coach Fagan said on Thursday. "We're just wholly and solely focused on tomorrow night because that's about all you can think about at the moment, otherwise it seems too daunting. "One week at a time, big game tomorrow night against a really good opponent who have got a lot to play for as well." The Bulldogs (10-7) sit ninth after a home loss to Adelaide last round and remain firmly in the finals hunt, but have won just one game so far this season against a side currently above them on the ladder. Despite that record, Fagan is wary of an opposition midfield unit led by renowned ball-winners Tom Liberatore, Ed Richards and Marcus Bontempelli. "That's what you need to address," he said. "(Luke Beveridge's) teams have always been able to score and generally speaking they've been good defensively, albeit that's the criticism of them at the moment. "But I reckon they would've done a bit of work on that this week, so I'm expecting a good all-round game from the Dogs." Fagan will want a better start from Brisbane than in their previous encounter with the Bulldogs, when they trailed by 39 points early in the third quarter of their Gather Round clash at Norwood Oval. The Lions roared back with 13 of the last 16 goals to win by 21 points in one of the most entertaining games of the season. "I haven't really looked back but all I know is we were probably fortunate to win that game, coming from that far behind," Fagan said. "We wouldn't want to find ourselves in that position tomorrow night." Bulldogs spearhead Sam Darcy kicked 2.3 from 16 disposals and had eight marks in that previous clash, opposed to Harris Andrews. Fagan will again send his co-captain to mind the 205cm target, who has kicked 17 goals in five appearances since returning from a knee injury. "You probably wouldn't have to be a rocket scientist to work out that's who Harris is going to play on," Fagan said. "The rest of our defenders aren't quite tall enough to play on Sam Darcy. "Harris will have that job and I know he's looking forward to it. It will be a great clash." Fagan was tight-lipped on who would replace injured defender Noah Answerth (achilles), but ruled out Keidean Coleman and Tom Doedee. In-form forward Zac Bailey will also miss through suspension after receiving a one-match ban for his high bump on Carlton's Nick Haynes. "I've moved on because the bottom line is he's got a week," Fagan said of Bailey's ban. "My personal view is a little bit harsh, but that's probably all I want to say about it." Chris Fagan has narrowed his focus as the Brisbane Lions face a make-or-break stretch of their AFL premiership defence leading into the finals. On a three-match winning streak, the second-placed Lions face five top-eight rivals over the last six home-and-away rounds as the fight for ladder positions nears its climax. The difficult test starts in a huge clash with the Western Bulldogs at the Gabba on Friday night. "Every game's important. We have a particularly hard run, so I'm not looking too far ahead," Lions coach Fagan said on Thursday. "We're just wholly and solely focused on tomorrow night because that's about all you can think about at the moment, otherwise it seems too daunting. "One week at a time, big game tomorrow night against a really good opponent who have got a lot to play for as well." The Bulldogs (10-7) sit ninth after a home loss to Adelaide last round and remain firmly in the finals hunt, but have won just one game so far this season against a side currently above them on the ladder. Despite that record, Fagan is wary of an opposition midfield unit led by renowned ball-winners Tom Liberatore, Ed Richards and Marcus Bontempelli. "That's what you need to address," he said. "(Luke Beveridge's) teams have always been able to score and generally speaking they've been good defensively, albeit that's the criticism of them at the moment. "But I reckon they would've done a bit of work on that this week, so I'm expecting a good all-round game from the Dogs." Fagan will want a better start from Brisbane than in their previous encounter with the Bulldogs, when they trailed by 39 points early in the third quarter of their Gather Round clash at Norwood Oval. The Lions roared back with 13 of the last 16 goals to win by 21 points in one of the most entertaining games of the season. "I haven't really looked back but all I know is we were probably fortunate to win that game, coming from that far behind," Fagan said. "We wouldn't want to find ourselves in that position tomorrow night." Bulldogs spearhead Sam Darcy kicked 2.3 from 16 disposals and had eight marks in that previous clash, opposed to Harris Andrews. Fagan will again send his co-captain to mind the 205cm target, who has kicked 17 goals in five appearances since returning from a knee injury. "You probably wouldn't have to be a rocket scientist to work out that's who Harris is going to play on," Fagan said. "The rest of our defenders aren't quite tall enough to play on Sam Darcy. "Harris will have that job and I know he's looking forward to it. It will be a great clash." Fagan was tight-lipped on who would replace injured defender Noah Answerth (achilles), but ruled out Keidean Coleman and Tom Doedee. In-form forward Zac Bailey will also miss through suspension after receiving a one-match ban for his high bump on Carlton's Nick Haynes. "I've moved on because the bottom line is he's got a week," Fagan said of Bailey's ban. "My personal view is a little bit harsh, but that's probably all I want to say about it."
Perth Now
4 days ago
- Sport
- Perth Now
Lions brace for 'daunting' run home to AFL finals
Chris Fagan has narrowed his focus as the Brisbane Lions face a make-or-break stretch of their AFL premiership defence leading into the finals. On a three-match winning streak, the second-placed Lions face five top-eight rivals over the last six home-and-away rounds as the fight for ladder positions nears its climax. The difficult test starts in a huge clash with the Western Bulldogs at the Gabba on Friday night. "Every game's important. We have a particularly hard run, so I'm not looking too far ahead," Lions coach Fagan said on Thursday. "We're just wholly and solely focused on tomorrow night because that's about all you can think about at the moment, otherwise it seems too daunting. "One week at a time, big game tomorrow night against a really good opponent who have got a lot to play for as well." The Bulldogs (10-7) sit ninth after a home loss to Adelaide last round and remain firmly in the finals hunt, but have won just one game so far this season against a side currently above them on the ladder. Despite that record, Fagan is wary of an opposition midfield unit led by renowned ball-winners Tom Liberatore, Ed Richards and Marcus Bontempelli. "That's what you need to address," he said. "(Luke Beveridge's) teams have always been able to score and generally speaking they've been good defensively, albeit that's the criticism of them at the moment. "But I reckon they would've done a bit of work on that this week, so I'm expecting a good all-round game from the Dogs." Fagan will want a better start from Brisbane than in their previous encounter with the Bulldogs, when they trailed by 39 points early in the third quarter of their Gather Round clash at Norwood Oval. The Lions roared back with 13 of the last 16 goals to win by 21 points in one of the most entertaining games of the season. "I haven't really looked back but all I know is we were probably fortunate to win that game, coming from that far behind," Fagan said. "We wouldn't want to find ourselves in that position tomorrow night." Bulldogs spearhead Sam Darcy kicked 2.3 from 16 disposals and had eight marks in that previous clash, opposed to Harris Andrews. Fagan will again send his co-captain to mind the 205cm target, who has kicked 17 goals in five appearances since returning from a knee injury. "You probably wouldn't have to be a rocket scientist to work out that's who Harris is going to play on," Fagan said. "The rest of our defenders aren't quite tall enough to play on Sam Darcy. "Harris will have that job and I know he's looking forward to it. It will be a great clash." Fagan was tight-lipped on who would replace injured defender Noah Answerth (achilles), but ruled out Keidean Coleman and Tom Doedee. In-form forward Zac Bailey will also miss through suspension after receiving a one-match ban for his high bump on Carlton's Nick Haynes. "I've moved on because the bottom line is he's got a week," Fagan said of Bailey's ban. "My personal view is a little bit harsh, but that's probably all I want to say about it."
Perth Now
6 days ago
- 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.
