Latest news with #JacksonFord
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ezra Mam in contentious moment as coach lodges complaint over Reece Walsh incident
Coach Andrew Webster was steaming after the Warriors' loss to Brisbane on Saturday, claiming his side were dudded by a number of refereeing decisions. The Warriors fell to a 26-12 loss at Suncorp Stadium, and also lost halfback Luke Metcalf to a suspected ACL injury. Speaking in his post-match press conference, Webster complained about a number of calls that went against the Warriors. His main complaint was a penalty that went to the Broncos and allowed them to kick out to a 20-6 lead in the second half. Jackson Ford was penalised for taking out Reece Walsh without the ball, even though the Broncos fullback was clearly off-side. Replays showed Walsh was well in front of kicker Adam Reynolds, but the penalty still went to the Broncos for Ford's foul play. Fox League commentator Andrew Voss suggested the call would have been overturned had the Warriors challenged it, because Walsh being off-side was the first infringement. Under NRL rules, serious acts of foul play override any previous infringements, but Ford's actions wouldn't fall under that category. RELATED: Cobbo twist as Dolphins player makes immediate move to Roosters Stunning development for Billy Slater and family before Origin 3 Webster was gobsmacked his team conceded the penalty, and pointed out another instance in which he felt Wayde Egan was wrongly pinged. 'I was right in front of that and he was miles off-side, like miles offside,' Webster said of Walsh. 'Wayde Egan in the first half, I ask you to go and pause it when the play-the-ball is and you tell me how he's off-side. He's three metres on-side. "So it's like they just made that up. Like Reece Walsh was way in front, the first infraction was that. And they probably (will) give me crap that it's foul play or something. That's the first infringement. I don't know how they miss it. I'm not a touchie, I'm not a ref. I was down there and I could see it.' It wasn't mentioned by Webster, but the Warriors also appeared to be hard done-by late in the game. The Warriors had reduced the margin to 20-12 and launched an attacking raid from inside their own half with five minutes remaining. They appeared to burst downfield before referee Adam Gee called Leka Halasima for an obstruction that impeded Ezra Mam. The Warriors challenged the call, and the Bunker official was very quick to confirm the decision. And while Halasima did appear to impede Mam, the Broncos five-eighth went to ground very easily. The NRL stated at the start of the season it would not reward players for taking 'dives' to win penalties or playing up contact during obstructions. Nicho Hynes wasn't rewarded last weekend when he went to ground too easily on a Broncos try, an incident that Voss labelled "embarrassing" for the Cronulla halfback. Mam's actions appeared very similar to those of Hynes the week before, but this time he did receive the penalty. Instead of streaming downfield and putting themselves in position to score, the Warriors were forced to do more defending on their own line. It proved too much as Gehamat Shibasaki went over for his second try to seal a 26-12 victory. A number of fans took to social media to suggest Mam had got away with one, and the Broncos were lucky to receive the penalty.


USA Today
27-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Wisconsin football top 2026 edge target commits to a Big Ten rival
🚨BREAKING🚨 4-star EDGE Jackson Ford has committed to Penn State, @Hayesfawcett3 reports🦁More from @ChadSimmons_: Wisconsin football top class of 2026 target, four-star edge Jackson Ford, committed to the Penn State Nittany Lions on Friday. Ford elected to join James Franklin's program over the Badgers, Michigan Wolverines and Ohio State Buckeyes -- a group of finalists that he announced on Tuesday. Ford officially visited Madison the weekend of May 30 before venturing to State College, Pennsylvania, for a visit with the Nittany Lions the following weekend. 247Sports considers the Malvern, Pennsylvania, native as the No. 202 overall player in the class of 2026, the No. 22 edge and No. 5 player from his home state. 247Sports, On3 and Rivals all list the standout edge rusher as a four-star recruit. Ford joins a Penn State class of 2026 that currently holds the No. 9 position in the country and No. 3 in the Big Ten with 21 players - including eight four-stars - committed. USC and Ohio State boast the No. 1 and No. 2 positions in the conference, respectively. Ford's decision is a dispiriting one for the Badges' recruiting staff. The program holds the No. 44 overall ranking in the country and No. 14 in the Big Ten with 14 players committed. One of those pledges is a blue-chip recruit: four-star wide receiver Jayden Petit. Edge rusher is a position of great importance for UW's 2026 cohort. The Badgers witnessed top defensive line target Ben Duncum commit to the Kentucky Wildcats on Wednesday and defensive lineman Kobe Cherry commit to Purdue on Monday. Wisconsin has secured two defensive line commitments thus far from three-star recruits Djidjou Bah and Arthur Scott, although Bah took an official visit to Missouri this past weekend. With decisions from Ford and Duncum, UW will now direct a majority of its recruiting focus towards running back Amari Latimer and offensive tackle Kamari Blair, two blue-chip prospects. With only Nebraska, Maryland, Iowa and Northwestern ranked below UW's 2026 class, Wisconsin is nearing must-land for several of those high-level prospects. Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion


USA Today
25-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Wisconsin football's recruiting class of 2026 dips outside the nation's top 50
The Wisconsin Badgers have hit a cold spell on the class of 2026 recruiting trail. After a strong start to the month, especially after the May 30 official visit weekend, the program has landed just two players since June 5, plus none in the last 10 days. The Badgers' class ranked No. 33 in the nation and No. 11 in the Big Ten at the time of Zion Legree's addition on June 15. Since that date, the class has dropped to No. 51 in the nation and No. 16 in the conference, now ranked ahead of only Maryland and Nebraska. Several of the Badgers' top targets remain uncommitted, including four-star athlete Jackson Ford, four-star running back Amari Latimer, four-star wide receiver Jayden Petit, four-star offensive tackle Kamari Blair and three-star safety Nick Reddish. All five of those players were on campus during the Badgers' key May 30 official visit weekend, though each has taken several notable visits since that date. It's safe to say commitments from several of those top recruits is paramount to Wisconsin salvaging a successful cycle. Of course, the 2026 cycle is still far from over, which means time remains before a final verdict is given on the program's efforts. But with June coming to a close, it's hard not to compare this group to the program's previous two classes under Luke Fickell. Without commitments from Ford, Latimer, Petit and Blair, the Badgers' 2026 group won't threaten those strong classes from 2024 and 2025. It's challenging to pinpoint the exact reason for the program's subpar standing in this year's cycle. However, it's easy to point to the program's general on-field struggles and the February departure of general manager Max Stienecker as contributing forces. Badgers fans should tune in on Friday, June 27, as the first of Wisconsin's remaining top targets announces his commitment. Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion


USA Today
25-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Wisconsin football top 2026 target announces finalists, commitment date
Wisconsin football top class of 2026 target, athlete Jackson Ford, announced his final four schools and upcoming commitment date on Tuesday. Ford will announce his collegiate decision on Friday, June 27. He will be choosing between the Wisconsin Badgers, Ohio State Buckeyes, Michigan Wolverines and Penn State Nittany Lions. 247Sports lists Ford as a four-star recruit. He's specifically ranked as the No. 306 overall player in the class of 2026, the No. 18 athlete and the No. 8 player from his home state of Pennsylvania. The athlete, who will likely play edge rusher at the college level, took official visits to Wisconsin on May 30, Penn State on June 6, Ohio State on June 13 and Michigan on June 20. The recruiting service has yet to release a crystal ball for the top prospect's decision. On3 sees a tight race, giving Penn State a 27.6% chance to land his commitment, Michigan 20.8%, Ohio State 12% and Wisconsin 10%. Ford's recruitment is close to a must-win for the Badgers. The program's class currently ranks No. 51 nationally with 13 commitments. Notably, the class has now gone 10 days without a new addition. Ford is one of several top targets from Wisconsin's May 30 official visit weekend who remain uncommitted, along with four-star running back Amari Latimer, four-star wide receiver Jayden Petit and four-star offensive tackle Kamari Blair. The final verdict on the Badgers' 2026 class, which is currently without a blue-chip player, will depend on landing several of those top recruits. Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion

RNZ News
21-06-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
NRL updates: Listless Warriors stumble against understrength titleholders Panthers
Jackson Ford scores a try for Warriors against Penrith. Photo: Andrew Cornaga/ The Warriors are back home after their bye week and will be very confident of a victory today against a Panthers side depleted by Origin commitments. It is the Panthers' first visit to Auckland in six years, with former Warriors coach Ivan Cleary returning to face the team he took to a grand final in 2011. Kick-off is at 5pm NZT. Read how the game unfolded with RNZ's live blog: Warriors: 1 Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, 2 Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, 3 Adam Pompey, 4 Moala Graham Taufa, 5 Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, 6 Chanel Harris-Tavita, 7 Luke Metcalf, 8 James Fisher-Harris, 9 Wayde Eagan, 10 Marata Niukore, 11 Leka Halasima, 12 Jacob Laban, 13 Erin Clark Interchange: 14 Te Maire Martin, 15 Jackson Ford, 16 Demitric Vaimauga, 17 Tanner Stowers-Smith Reserves: 18 Sam Healey, 22 Ed Kosi Panthers: 1 Daine Laurie, 2 Thomas Jenkins, 3 Izack Tago, 4 Casey McLean, 5 Paul Alamoti, 6 Blaize Talagi, 7 Brad Schneider, 8 Moses Leota, 9 Mitch Kenny, 10 Lindsay Smith, 11 Scott Sorenson, 12 Isaiah Papali'i, 13, Matt Eisenhuth Interchange: 14 Trent Toelau, 15 Liam Henry, 16 Luron Patea, 17 Luke Garner Reserves: 18 Luke Sommerton, 19 Jack Cole