Latest news with #GrandFinal
The Guardian
13 hours ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Leeds sweep Leigh aside as title charge gathers momentum
Leeds Rhinos underlined their Super League title credentials with another eye-catching and entertaining victory, this time against third-placed Leigh to climb above the Leopards and close the gap on second-placed Wigan. The Rhinos have made enormous strides under Brad Arthur in 2025 and after languishing in mid-table for much of the last few seasons, look entirely capable of at least challenging for the Grand Final for the ninth time in the summer era. Led by an imperious display from Jake Connor here, who put in another performance to suggest he should be in contention for the England squad in this year's Ashes, Leeds were far too good for a Leigh time that although were below-par themselves, had no answer for what the Rhinos threw at them on occasions here. Most of the pre-match buildup had been about the battle between Super League's two most creative players in 2025, Leigh's Lachlan Lam and the Rhinos' Connor. And it was Connor who struck first after five minutes with a wonderful kick to allow Kallum Watkins to open the scoring. The Leopards replied when Isaac Liu capitalised on a rare Leeds error to force his way over but the Rhinos soon responded, and in some style. Harry Newman's half-break was halted by a Leigh defender but the centre's offload to Lachie Miller was sublime, allowing the full-back to score from inside his own half. Leeds thought they had a third try of the evening when Alfie Edgell appeared to miraculously touch down in the corner under pressure, but he was ruled to be in touch. And two minutes later Leigh had reduced the deficit as a fine team move led to Keanan Brand crossing. Gareth O'Brien couldn't convert though and as half-time approached, Leeds put daylight between the sides for the first time with two wonderful tries. Cameron Smith's fine solo effort was then followed by Newman's finish in the corner after a superb break from Brodie Croft. Connor converted both, and despite the game being in the balance for large stretches of the half, the Rhinos had suddenly forged a 14-point lead to take control. The see-saw nature of the game continued after the break when O'Brien claimed a fine offload from Umyla Hanley but Leeds would then emphatically settle matters with a blistering five-minute passage of play that yielded two more sensational tries. First, Newman claimed his second after Ryan Hall's clever work to pat back a Miller kick before an incredible pass from Connor sent Kallum Watkins away, and he dummied past O'Brien to make it 36-14, with Connor duly obliging from the tee for the sixth successive occasion. The Leopards, to their credit, pushed for points until the end. Brand would complete his hat-trick with two tries in four minutes but either side of that brace, Leeds had scored two of their own through Tom Holroyd and Mikolaj Oledzki, the latter after yet another sensational assist from Connor. There was one more late try for Leigh, this time Hanley claiming a Ben McNamara kick, but this night belonged to Leeds.
Irish Examiner
a day ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Tommy O'Brien: 'I definitely don't want to be a one-cap wonder'
Played 12, four tries scored. If those aren't the kind of numbers to jump off the page then anyone who has followed Tommy O'Brien's injury-plagued career up to now will understand the true significance locked within them. The 26-year-old made his debut for Leinster in December of 2019 and still only has 47 caps to his name. The dozen he managed last term equals his best so far, but the 836 minutes banked make for miles more than a previous best of 588. Those minutes were clocked despite another false start to a campaign in which he injured a hamstring on his first appearance, against Edinburgh in September, and the fact that he had played just twice before mid-February. Now here he is in Ireland camp preparing for the summer Tests against Georgia and Portugal, and with a URC medal in his back pocket after their Grand Final destruction of the Bulls in Croke Park earlier this month. Sweet. 'Yeah, delighted. As you said, a very frustrating start. I felt like I had a really good preseason and then did my hamstring in the first game and took a few months to get back. "But I've loved my rugby the last few months and I love just getting a run of games. It's something I haven't really had in my career, getting an extended period of games, and thankfully that tied in with the trophy.' O'Brien spoke at a commercial engagement in December when in the midst of his latest enforced absence. What struck most was the air of certainty in his voice when he discussed his ambitions once fit again. All those setbacks hadn't made a dent in him mentally. 'I guess I've known what I can do in training, but it's obviously behind closed doors so the general public wouldn't see it. I had a bit of confidence in what I was doing. "The fact you're training in Leinster with such high-level players, such international-quality players, I took a bit of confidence from that. I felt I just needed to get a chance to get a couple of games under my belt.' His performances have been superb. O'Brien has a rate of acceleration that isn't the norm in Irish rugby and he's a big enough boy who can take care of himself. There's a case to be made that he was Leinster's best player this last six months or so. Now he gets the chance to transfer that into a green jersey. Injury cost him the chance to go to South Africa with Emerging Ireland late last year, and it was all but impossible to catch the eye in Bristol in February when Ireland 'A' suffered a catalogue of misfortune on the way to a convincing defeat to England on a pig of a day. That he was in the wider frame was obvious when Andy Farrell called him in to senior camp for the week of the Six Nations tie against France in early March, at which point he was just two games into his most recent comeback. It's been a few years since he started anywhere but on the right wing for Leinster but he's 27 now and mature enough as a player and a person to take whatever comes from interim head coach Paul O'Connell this next few weeks. 'I'm dying to play a game for Ireland, so wherever they play me, I'll happily play. I think I probably have been viewed more as a winger at the moment, but if it's wing, if it's centre, if it's the 23 role, yeah, I'm happy to play wherever.' O'Brien is 27 now. Among his contemporaries during two years with the Ireland U20s were Caelan Doris, Dan Sheehan and Ronan Kelleher. Two of them are in Australia touring with the Lions now and Doris would be only for his own injury. Others from that vintage – Tom O'Toole and Jack Aungier – are with O'Brien on Ireland duties right now. Like them, the Leinster man is hoping to lay down a marker for the season to come and beyond that again. 'Obviously, there's guys away, Lowey and Mack are away with the Lions, so there's two wingers there for Ireland, but I want to try stake a claim and make myself a mainstay in this squad and try to push (for a place in future squads). 'Obviously there's this summer tour and then you've November internationals and Six Nations and stuff. I definitely don't want to be a one-cap wonder. Hopefully this is the start for me now of being in this squad and pushing for places.'
Sky News AU
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Sky News AU
'Bigger than one premiership team': North Melbourne greats furious over AFLW side's inclusion at centenary celebrations, as Wayne Carey tells Sam Kekovich to ‘bite the bullet'
AFL icons are at loggerheads over the North Melbourne's upcoming centenary celebration, with club legends slamming the decision to combine the commemoration of Kangaroo's 1975 VFL premiership with its 2024 AFLW success - all at a single cocktail function before a Thursday night match. Sam Kekovich, a key figure in North Melbourne's first-ever premiership, has publicly declared he will not attend, calling the event a 'token gesture' and a 'political stunt' that diminishes the significance of the club's greatest sporting milestone. 'You can't conflate a VFL premiership with an AFLW flag,' Kekovich said earlier this month. 'We were the trailblazers. We deserve more than a stand-up, finger food reception before a game.' Joining Kekovich in the boycott is former teammate John Burns, who booted four goals in the 1975 Grand Final and says the club should have staged a marquee weekend gala to mark the occasion. Adding fuel to the fire is club legend Wayne Carey, who says he, too, is disappointed with how the event is being handled - but has urged his former teammates to attend anyway. 'I love Keka, but sometimes you've got to bite the bullet,' Carey said on the You Cannot Be Serious podcast. 'You do it for the benefit of more than just yourself. 'There are many, many people who've made this club what it is. This is bigger than one premiership team.' But Carey's own place in the club's legacy was called into question just months ago, after North Melbourne omitted him from a promotional video marking the centenary - despite his role in delivering two premierships in 1996 and 1999. The centenary celebration, set for next Thursday at Marvel Stadium, has drawn criticism for its structure and timing. Instead of a sit-down gala, the club opted for a 500-person cocktail reception before its prime-time clash against the Western Bulldogs. The switch from a round 20 fixture against Geelong - the club's first VFL opponent in 1925 - to a midweek slot has only intensified player frustration. Former Roos coach and legend Malcolm Blight said many players had already booked holidays and were blindsided by the last-minute changes. 'We went from a gala dinner to sausage rolls and stood around in the cold,' Blight said. 'No wonder some of the boys are out.' Footy commentator Sam Newman was more blunt: 'It's a disgrace. You've got Malcolm Blight flying in from Queensland for a pissy stand-up function. If you'd done a proper dinner at Crown, you'd have had 1000 people through the door and filled the club's coffers.' Journalist Caroline Wilson suggested a key point of contention is the club's decision to honour both the men's and women's teams at the same event. 'This is largely about gender,' Wilson said on The Agenda Setters. 'Some of the old guard clearly don't like that the women are sharing the stage.' AFL 360's Lauren Wood also argues that the club's women's program is an essential part of its future - and deserves equal spotlight. 'The AFLW team is part of the club. This isn't a premiership reunion - it's a centenary celebration. Both milestones matter,' she said on Fox Footy's Midweek Tackle. North Melbourne maintains it has invested over $150,000 in the celebrations and is doing everything possible to include as many figures from its past as possible. Former CEO Eugene Arocca also weighed in, expressing surprise that only one of the club's seven living CEOs had been invited. 'It seems odd when clubs like Hawthorn invited all their ex-CEOs,' Arocca told the Herald Sun. 'A 100-year celebration only comes around once.' Despite the growing discontent, the club says more than 40 players will take part in the on-ground ceremony next week, including Brownlow medallist Keith Greig and Carey himself.
News.com.au
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Horse admits swiping the GF SD card!
AFL: Horse is put on the spot on AFL 360 about his cheeky Grand Final day SD card swipe - and why he thought he'd be safe!
News.com.au
3 days ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
Rumours swirl over missing audio of Sydney Swans coach
There have been suggestions former Swans coach John Longmire 'buried' a piece of audio from Sydney's 2024 Grand Final flop. The premiership-winning coach lived a nightmare with a fourth grand final defeat as the Swans were put to the sword by the Brisbane Lions in the 2024 season decider. It emerged on Monday night an audio recording device from a microphone Longmire wore throughout the day was not returned to AFL officials. 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. According to Channel 7's Agenda Setters, Longmire is reported to have removed an 'SD card' from the recording device. The microphone was recording audio for AFL Media's annual Sound The Alarm documentary — a series that includes audio from the coaches on Grand Final day. According to 7News reporter Mitch Cleary, Longmire was to be paid a fee for agreeing to the arrangement as previous coaches have done since the series began in 2019. However, the audio never made it back to the producers of the series after the Lions' 60-point victory. 'Last year's grand final, John Longmire was mic'd up on the day, had the pre-game address, the half-time address, the in-box — everything that came with it,' Cleary said on Monday night. 'But post-game, when he handed back the equipment to the AFL, he took the SD card and, to this day, the AFL don't have the SD card — he never gave it back. 'He took it, tried to get it working with his son during the week, couldn't do so, and has since never handed it back.' When asked if it is likely Longmire lost the card or deliberately buried it, Cleary responded it was 'more on the buried side of things'. 'Clearly some things were said in the box that he didn't want other ears to hear on the day,' Cleary reported. He went on to say: 'I think there were some things said about players and some heat-of-the-moment conversations that people don't want to ever hear.' The report sparked instant rumours with St Kilda legend Nick Riewoldt responding on the Agenda Setters panel by asking if the audio could have 'reputational or brand damage'. 'Anyone inside the industry would not really be shocked by things said in the coaches box during the heat of battle so it's probably more the external perception of what goes on in the coach's box,' he said. Veteran reporter Caroline Wilson also made a link between the missing audio and rumours that came out of the Swans rooms on grand final day. 'It was reported as early as halfway through the first quarter that things got a bit panicked both in the coaches box and down on the bench and the coach himself was – obviously not losing it – but becoming quite panicked as has been reported repeatedly,' she said. 'I reckon giving up the money is a cheaper price.' The game ended up being a sad final act for the 54-year-old's tenure at the club. He stepped down as head coach in November with former deputy Dean Cox stepping into the top job. The former North Melbourne forward finished his 14-year tenure having won a premiership in 2012, winning three minor premierships and featuring in five total grand finals. Longmire was in tears during his farewell press conference in November when Cox was presented as senior coach for the first time. Sydney announced at the time Longmire has taken up a newly created position as executive director of club performance. It was reported at the time Longmire was being well compensated for stepping down. Despite this, Longmire continues to be linked with a return to senior coaching. While he appears to be enjoying his time out of the coaching game, including making weekly appearances on Fox Footy's AFL 360, Longmire remains a wanted man in the footy coaching landscape. Channel 9 reported in May figures in the industry believe Longmire is 'attainable' for clubs looking for a new head coach. Longmire took over from Paul Roos in 2011 and coached the Swans in 333 matches including 208 wins. He is the longest tenured coach in Sydney Swans history Longmire's grand final record will read one win, four losses. The most painful of those defeats was this year's grand final loss to the Brisbane Lions where the club was thrashed in humiliating fashion. The pain was compounded in a devastating post-match press conference where he spoke to reporters while the Brisbane Lions celebrated their win on the other side of the wall. Sydney have lost their past four grand finals by a combined total of 226 points and there have already been serious headaches for Cox to manage this year with the Swans' season on life support with a 6-8 record. Longmire will be remembered for much more than his prickly 2024 Grand Final press conference, but it will also be a moment that will live long in the memory of footy fans. The Swans were reportedly unhappy Longmire had to do the press conference just metres away from where the Lions were singing their team song. While Longmire was occasionally seen losing his cool in the coach's box or with his players, he was typically very measured when addressing the media. However, you can only assume he was at breaking point when members of the press arrived late for his press conference with noise of yahooing Lions players booming into the press conference room every time the door was open and shut by late arrivals.
