Garry Lyon believes Hawthorn ruckman Ned Reeves is a chance to explode in 2023.
Reeves, 23, has had a promising year in the brown and gold, consolidating his position in the senior side as he looks set to claim the number one ruck title at the Hawks for many years to come.
Asked who he thinks could leap into the top 25 players in the competition next year, Lyon listed Reeves, tipping him to become one of the best ruckmen in the league next year.
“I think by the end of next year, Ned Reeves is going to be in that argument,” Lyon told SEN Breakfast.
“I think this bloke’s upside is enormous for the Hawks.
“They’ve put him away, he’s gone in for shoulder surgery, I think by the end of next year we’ll be talking about him as the next big coming ruckman in the competition.
“I love what he’s been able to do on occasions and I think he’s got huge upside.”
Agreeing with Lyon’s sentiments, Tim Watson believes if Reeves is to make that leap, he’ll need to work on his agility in the upcoming pre-season.
“I think you’re right, but I tell you what I would do, I’d put him in some spikes over the summer and I would be working on his agility and his movement,” Watson added.
“He’s a big kid and is probably still growing into his body but I think he needs to work in that area.”
Reeves will miss the final three games of the 2022 season after having undergone surgery on his shoulder this week.
The Sharks may be locked out of their traditional home ground during the NRL finals, with concerns over the venue’s facilities.
It seems that Cronulla will finish in the top four, and with the minor premiership all-but out of reach, they would have to finish second on the table in order to host a match at Shark Park.
NRL guidelines require teams that are hosting finals in the second and third weeks to play at a major venue in their city – meaning Cronulla would be shunted to Moore Park in the event that they don’t get a chance to host a finals match until either of those weekends.
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But if they were to finish second, they would be entitled to play at Shark Park in week one – should the facilities meet NRL standards.
At the moment, that remains up in the air.
Connor Tracey celebrates his try at a sold out Shark Park last week. (Getty)
“If we win a home-ground advantage, we would want to play at home,” Sharks chief executive Dino Mezzatesta told AAP.
“That’s our starting point and given we are a fair bit out we will continue to have dialogue with the NRL.
“We have had no problem selling out our games regardless of the timeslot.”
Stream the NRL premiership 2022 live and free on9Now
Due to renovations in the Shire, capacity for recent games has been capped at roughly 11,500 people. Last weekend’s thriller against the Rabbitohs was sold out several days in advance, with an official attendance of 11,492 announced.
For context, in 2008 when the venue last hosted a finals match, the crowd was 18,252.
The ongoing renovations at the stadium have been a hot topic in recent days, with ARLC boss Peter V’landys and NSW premier Dominic Perrottet trading barbs about funding allocated to Shark Park, along with Brookvale and Leichhardt ovals.
NRL head of football Graham Annesley said that the governing body hadn’t yet “reached any conclusion that we would relocate the Sharks should they qualify for a home semi-final”.
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Commonwealth Games in pictures: English swim star Adam Peaty apologises for ‘arrogant’ interview
“Some people think [Muslim] women shouldn’t box but most have just been supportive,” the 26-year-old said. “They see that I’m very passionate about boxing. This is what I love doing. I don’t care what they think. This is my life.”
And what if someone wasn’t supportive?
“I’d say, ‘Got something to say’?” she laughed. “Then ‘whack!’”
Juggling her faith along with her love of boxing has been problematic, especially during Ramadan when Muslims can’t drink or eat between sunrise and sundown.
“I’m really into my faith, so it’s not something I can avoid,” she said. “I make sure I do my prayers. It’s something I can’t not do. The same as Ramadan. Because of Ramadan, I couldn’t do the camp in Sheffield. There was no point of me going.
“The training in Ramadan is really hard. You train before you start fasting. Then you go to the gym [at night] an hour after you’ve eaten. You’re hungry but you have to control your desires with food because you can’t eat too much, especially if you’ve got a comp.
“It was tough because I had worlds straight after Ramadan this year, so I was training and trying to cut weight. I was missing out on daily events and controlling myself with all the good food. It was quite tough.”
Boxer Tina Rahimi at Brotherhood Boxn Gym in Greenacre. Credit:Louise Kennerley
kaye scott38, a light-middleweight veteran of three Commonwealth Games, said having Rahimi in the squad has been a “learning experience”.
“There’s quite a few of us on the team who have been unsure what we can do, what we can’t do,” she says. “[Ramadan] was tough for her because this is a weight-based sport. It’s not as easy to track your weight.”
Saudis snap up Smith
Still on Smith, this is his last competition after an eight-year stint as Australian coach — because he’s been snapped up by Saudi Arabia to head their program.
Nope, Greg Norman didn’t hatch the deal, making Smith an instant squillionaire like those who have joined the LIV Golf rebel league.
‘I don’t know how much the caddies get but maybe I’ll see if there’s some openings.’
Saudi Arabia-bound boxing coach Kevin Smith
“I wish!” Smith laughed. “They’ve been looking for a new technical director for a while. My role in Australia has changed a lot over the last 18 months. Boxing Australia took away a lot of my responsibilities. A big part of what I was doing, until the Olympic success, has all changed.”
And, no, Smith won’t be pocketing the same astronomical sums as Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka.
“I don’t know how much the caddies get but maybe I’ll see if there’s some openings,” he smiled. “It’s pretty much the average salary for our sport.”
Smith has been a success, culminating with Harry Garside‘s bronze at the Tokyo Olympics – Australia’s first medal since Seoul in 1988.
“That’s the highlight but there’s loads of other achievements,” Smith said.
“We’ve won quite a few medals at world championships: nine different boxers have won 10 medals in eight years. We won 11 medals at the last two Commonwealth Games.”
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Boo-hoo Brits find voice
There’s a new sport developing here in Birmingham: Australian Bashing.
At almost every event, there’s been various levels of booing and heckling whenever Australia are competing. A ripple of booing was even heard at the women’s 3 x 3 wheelchair basketball.
It’s all in good spirit, of course. Do not malice at all. But it’s clear spectators have two teams: theirs and whoever Australia are playing. Look at the medal tally, bitches.
Athletes love them Apples
As a regular victim of technology, your humble correspondent regularly finds himself at the Apple Genius bar on the verge of tears and in need of a hug.
The friendly staff at the Apple store in New Street not only turned my frown upside down — and got the godforsaken Wi-Fi on my laptop going again — but revealed a slew of athletes had been dropping into the store.
Mostly, it’s because only seven of the 72 Commonwealth Games nations and territories have dedicated Apple stores.
“For some, this has been their only chance to come into a store,” one staffer reported.
THE QUOTE “A special night in Birmingham … said no one ever.” — The in-house commentator at the 3 x 3 basketball was on fiyah on Tuesday night.
Australia’s Jesse Wagstaff and England’s Jamell Anderson do battle during the 3×3 basketball gold medal match.Credit:Getty
THUMBS UP Australia may have lost the men’s final of the 3 x 3 basketball – to England, no less – but holy hell it was some match that went to overtime. The atmosphere was as good as anything this jaded old hack has seen in a long time. We can take solace in our men’s wheelchair team beating Canada.
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THUMBS DOWN Scans have revealed Wallabies star Samu Kerevi blew his ACL when he was injured in a sevens pool match against Kenya earlier this week. It’s a little like sonny bill williams rupturing his Achilles when striding out for New Zealand at the Rio Olympics. Let’s hope Wallabies types don’t dissuade players like the big center from wanting to play sevens.
Get all the latest news from the Birmingham Commonwealth Gameshere. We’ll be live blogging the action from 4pm-10am daily.
You only have to look at the quality of the players who can’t break into Sydney’s best 22 to see the Swans depth.
Three-time All-Australian Josh Kennedy, top five draft picks Logan McDonald and Braeden Campbell, prominent ruck recruit Peter Ladhams, 161-game defender Harry Cunningham.
It’s a list that would be the envy of many clubs and a sign of the Swans’ strength as they’ve gone on a four-game winning run and elevated into the top four, three weeks out from the finals.
For in-form young gun Errol Gulden, it’s a key reason why the Swans have clicked at the business end of the campaign.
“We’ve got some really quality players who are struggling to break into the 22 at the moment, so we know it’s really competitive and you have to be training well to keep your spot in the team,” Gulden said.
“We know we’ve got a really good list internally. I don’t think anyone feels their spot in the team is safe and that equates to better training standards and on-field performance. If you know you’re not performing then someone is going to grab your spot.”
That’s not an issue for Gulden at the moment who has shown no signs of the second-year blues by building on his AFLPA Best First-Year Player award in 2021 with another stellar season.
He was unlucky not to cap off his golden run of form with a Brett Kirk Medal on the weekend after his 33-possession, two-goal display against the Giants in the Derby that included 10 inside 50’s.
“I’m probably playing some of my best footy at the moment. It helps when the team’s playing good footy as well. I don’t want to get too ahead of myself but it is nice stringing a few big games together.”
The damaging left-footer has a license to drift forward and threaten in attack, which he does with aplomb, but he mainly operates on the wing and has formed a damaging partnership with another youngster on the other flank in Dylan Stephens in recent weeks.
Amid the plethora of talent trying to break into the Swans line-up, Stephens has done that since round 15 and is producing quality performances that demonstrate why Sydney selected him with pick five in the 2019 draft.
“Dyl’s been awesome for our team. His workrate probably goes unnoticed by a lot of people. We value that really highly internally,” Gulden said.
“His last month of footy has been unbelievable, his best month playing AFL. It took him a while to break in but it’s no surprise to me that he’s playing the footy that he is, he’s such a hard worker.”
Along with the Swans’ splendid month of footy, Gulden is also reveling in having his mother Bronwyn at the club now in her role as an AFLW assistant.
“It’s awesome for her. My sister Senna as well, she played her junior footy when my mum was coaching her. I wished it was around when my mum was younger and she got the chance to play footy, but she’s loving coaching and being part of the club is a big thing,” Gulden said.
“We’ve got the mantra of being one club here at the Swans with the AFLW team. She’s loving every moment and I love that she’s got the chance to live out her childhood dream, albeit coaching.”
“She definitely played a massive role in my pathway to the AFL. She coached me at my junior club Maroubra Saints but now that I’m on AFL list she takes a back seat and supports me more than anything.”
The prospect of throwing cancer survivor Ben Cunnington straight into the North Melbourne team to play Sydney this weekend is “really exciting” and would serve as a huge source of motivation against the top-four contenders, according to caretaker coach Leigh Adams.
Cunnington hasn’t played a senior game since round 19 last year after battling two bouts of testicular cancer that required a tumor to be surgically removed and a nine-week course of chemotherapy respectively.
The star on-baller’s return was further delayed recently by a calf strain and a bout of Covid.
While he’s more likely to line up in the VFL this weekend, if Cunnington gets through training on Thursday, he will be considered for a senior return against the Swans at Marvel Stadium on Sunday.
“Pretty sure I know what his preference will be and the coach’s preference, it’ll just be what’s best for his body going forward,” Adams said at Arden Street on Wednesday.
“But at this time of year, it’s a great story for us, for the motivation of the group and the footy club, really.
“It’s been an amazing journey which will hopefully be capped off very soon.
“The last thing we want to do is put him in there and he breaks down and then he’s out for the rest of the year.
“We’re thinking it’s probably going to be the VFL even though we’d probably love it to be straight back in (the senior team).
“Deep down I know he’d love to play seniors, particularly being a game in Melbourne this weekend and we travel next weekend, so to have his support network and his family that have been through so much with him to be at the game would be fantastic.
“But … it’s only an hour flight to Adelaide (for the game against the Crows in round 22), take his family over there so it’s not too far.”
Adams admitted Cunnington had left a void in the North Melbourne midfield for the past 12 months that the Roos had struggled to fill. The bottom-ranked club remains on course for back-to-back wooden spoons for the first time in 87 years.
Paul Curtis and Aaron Hall are pressing for senior recalls after missing last week due to Covid, but Jack Mahony and Lachie Young will be line ball as they entered protocols on Sunday, which means they would exit them on game day.
Super coach Alastair Clarkson continues to be linked to North’s vacant senior coaching position for next season and Adams was excited by the possibility of the four-time premiership mentor signing on.
“The credibility as a footy club that would be gained by bringing in someone like him would be fantastic,” Adams said.
The future of Cam Zurhaar remains under a cloud after the out-of-contract forward put off talks until the end of the season, and Adams said the club would “love” the talented 24-year-old to stay at Arden Street.
“He’s obviously a fantastic player for us and a little bit of a barometer when we’re playing well,” Adams said.
And the North caretaker had similar feelings about Todd Goldstein, who is strongly rumored to be joining another club next season.
“I’ve got a soft spot for ‘Goldy’, I got drafted the same year as ‘Goldy’,” Adams said.
“I’d just love to see him be a one-club player.”
North/s 1996 premiership players will be in attendance on Sunday, and Adams said their presence would give the players an extra boost.
“It’ll be awesome,” Adams said. ”It’s exciting to have such great footy people around our footy club to impart some knowledge to our younger boys.”
Samoan champion weightlifter Vaipava Nevo Ioane had a heavy heart when he boarded his flight to Birmingham.
The 34-year-old was carrying a sporting secret he wasn’t sure when or where to reveal.
But even then, something much bigger was on his mind.
On top of the secret he would later reveal to his coach and teammates, his wife was pregnant and would give birth any day.
Nevo with his wife and three children before heading to Birmingham for the Commonwealth Games.(Supplied)
She had no support back home in Apia.
Nevo had spent his last days on Samoan ground finding a babysitter to look after their three young children for when the newborn would arrive.
The thought of his wife needing him while he was on the other side of the world was nearly too much to bear.
“All I could do was pray,” Nevo said.
On top of the pressure of the secret he was keeping, and the concern for his family, Nevo also knew he had to deliver for his country and his coach, Tuaopepe Jerry Wallwork.
He had to bring home a gold medal.
Coach Jerry believes the Samoan government robbed his weightlifting team by blocking travel to the Tokyo Olympics because of COVID.
He still bristles at the mention of the whole saga.
“We were denied the opportunity to go to the Tokyo Olympics. Our government shut down our borders. We had a realistic chance to win a medal,” he said.
“A missed opportunity like that doesn’t come around many times. So we’re going to Birmingham to make a statement.”
The Samoan weightlifting team for the Commonwealth Games, with coach Jerry Wallwork second from right.(Supplied)
The statement nobody saw coming
With competition in full swing, Nevo easily progressed to the top two for his 67kg weight category.
For gold, he would have to beat 19-year-old Indian lifter Jeremy Lalrinnunga.
“We knew it was going to be tough, especially from the Indian,” coach Jerry said.
“He had a stronger snatch, but we had a stronger jerk.”
Nevo performs a snatch in Birmingham, eventually claiming silver behind his Indian opponent.
Nevo’s second attempt at the snatch was a personal best at 127kg.
His second go at the clean and jerk was a Commonwealth Games record, at 166kg.
Things were looking good, but tight. He would have to go to 174kg to win the gold, and to lift an 8kg increase would be considered akin to a miracle.
“We started with 163kg to secure bronze, then got 166kg to secure silver but we had the job of jumping to 174kg to win gold,” Jerry said.
“It was close but it didn’t pull off.
“But I got to hand it to Nevo, he fought it all the way. From the snatch to the last jerk … it was one of the best performances of his career.”
When Nevo’s 174kg failed jerk crashed to the floor, he missed out on the gold but would take home a silver medal for Samoa.
And then it was time to make a different statement.
While still on the stage, he took off his shoes and placed them neatly together on the lifting platform.
At that moment, his humble white lifting shoes were a totem for a youth spent pushing his body to extremes, of countless injuries, discipline, glory, friends, family, pride — and his great respect for the sport.
Nevo’s secret had been revealed.
I have retired.
He turned to the roaring crowd, bowed and walked off in his socks with tears streaming down his face.
“Nobody knew I was going to do it. But in my mind, I knew this is my last competition. They were all shocked,” Nevo said.
“But it’s been tough for me to continue this career. I must put my family first now.”
Coach Jerry has no idea that his star pupil was calling time on his long career.
“The retirement was a surprise, we didn’t know anything about that,” Jerry said.
“But he’s served his country for quite a few years. He’s married now with four kids, I don’t blame him at all.”
And Nevo had another moving piece of symbolism up his sleeve.
When he came back out for the medal ceremony, he embraced the Indian gold medal winner.
Vaipava Nevo Ioane drapes the ula fala around Jeremy Lalrinnunga’s neck, as bronze medalist Edidiong Joseph Umoafia from Nigeria looks on.(Getty Images: Eddie Keogh)
Nevo draped the Samoan “ula fala” he was wearing around Lalrinnunga’s neck.
“It (the ula fala) is special in my culture. It’s about high chiefs, respect for your elders,” Nevo said.
“People who give it see a lot of potential in you. That’s why I gave it to the Indian, to show him my respect. It’s your time now. I’m going to retire, it’s your time to shine.”
Birmingham leaves an indelible mark
Two days before Nevo won the silver medal his wife gave birth to a healthy baby boy.
They named him Birmingham Jerry Ioane.
Mum and baby are doing well and Nevo will be flying home soon.
Weightlifting is deep-rooted in the Samoan champion.
His father, who passed away last year, introduced him to the sport when Nevo was 10 years old.
Nevo finds it hard to imagine a future without weightlifting, and thinks he’ll continue in coaching and development for Samoa.
Jerry’s Samoan squad has more medal hopefuls in it.
The last of the weightlifting will be wrapped up by Friday of week two of the games.
“It’s been a long journey for me. I’m going to miss the sport, my friends, my friends from other countries in every comp I go to,” he said.
Adelaide is plotting a move for Gold Coast’s Izak Rankine, according to reports.
Channel 7 Adelaide is reporting that the Crows “would move heaven and earth” to get Rankine in a deal that “would center around Adelaide’s first-round pick”, which is currently pick 4.
It was also suggested that Port Adelaide would show considerable interest.
Rankine, who is out of contact this year, is yet to sign on with the Suns and has been constantly linked with a move back to South Australia.
Essendon was keen on the 22-year-old forward, but he reportedly turned down a significant offer from the Bombers recently.
The Suns are confident that Rankine will still sign a long-term deal, but until he actually does there will be speculation.
Kane Cornes says if he were the Crows, he would be giving up the club’s first pick in the 2022 draft in order to bring Rankine to West Lakes.
“Yes, I’m giving up the first pick, and more,” he said on SEN SA Breakfast.
“He was pick 3 (in 2018) so you’re going to give pick 4 for a known product versus someone in the draft that probably has a 50 to 60 per cent success rate at that stage of the draft. There’s a bit of unknown about it.
“Are you going to trust (recruiting manager) Hamish Ogilvie to go again with the number 4 pick after the errors they have made in the first round over recent years?
“Absolutely if Izak Rankine is there, there’s pick 4 and I’ll give you something else, let’s go and get him.”
Rankine has kicked a career-high 27 goals from 16 matches in 2022 and has taken his game to another level in his third AFL season.
The Paris Olympics beckon for Australian weightlifting star Eileen Cikamatana, who has made Commonwealth Games history with a record-breaking performance.
Key points:
Cikamatana won the 90kg class while representing Fiji on the Gold Coast
Her second lift of 137kg in Birmingham won the gold, and she capped her win with a third lift of 145kg
Cikamatana is recovering from a 26cm tear in her thigh
Cikamatana won Australia’s first weightlifting gold at the Birmingham Games with lifts in the 87kg category that put her on a different level to the competition.
More significantly, she is now the first woman to win Commonwealth Games gold for two countries, having won the 90kg class on the Gold Coast for Fiji.
“I don’t know how to describe it… I can’t fit it into words,” Cikamatana said of her achievement.
“I think it’s floating somewhere. I will need to grab it then I will let you know.”
Cikamatana won Australia’s first weightlifting gold at the Birmingham Games.(Getty Images: Dean Mouhtaropoulos)
Soon after the Gold Coast Games, Cikamatana switched to Australia after a dispute with Fiji’s weightlifting governing body over where she should train.
She was unable to compete at the Tokyo Olympics because she was still ineligible, but Cikamatana showcased her vast talent in Birmingham.
Cikamatana set the Games record in the category with her snatch lift of 110kg.
She then took the overall lead with her first clean and jerk attempt of 129kg.
Cikamatana’s second lift of 137kg won the gold medal, and also set the clean and jerk and overall Games records.
She capped her outstanding win with a third lift of 145kg, giving the Australian a total of 255kg.
Eileen Cikamatana lifted a total of 255kg.(Getty Images: Dean Mouhtaropoulos)
Canadian Kristel Ngarlem won silver with 236kg and Nigerian Mary Osojo took bronze with her total of 225kg.
The achievements have come as Cikamatana recovers from a 26cm tear in her thigh last year — an injury so painful she cannot squat.
“They’re personal bests after the injury, I could say,” she said of the Games lifts.
“I’ve lifted 156 jerk and 121 snatch, yeah… here comes Paris, 2024. Here we go.”
Cikamatana was in tears at the medal ceremony and she paid tribute to coach Paul Coffa and his wife Lilly.
“I was emotional because I [am] really appreciative of getting to represent the green and gold and standing on the podium, listening to the anthem,” she said.
“Representing the green and gold is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and it’s a dream come true.
“They (the Coffas) made all these impossible dreams come true.”
Cikamatana was asked if her achievements were worth all the grief from the split with Fiji.
“One million times, [the switch] it’s worth it,” she said.
“It’s something I never dreamed of getting.”
On Monday, fellow Australians Kyle Bruce and Sarah Cochrane won weightlifting silver.
And earlier on Tuesday, compatriot Ebony Gorincu finished sixth in the 76kg class and Ridge Barredo overcame a hip injury to finish fifth in the men’s 96kg category.
Grundy’s continued absence means Mason Cox is likely to retain his spot up forward and as back-up ruckman to Darcy Cameron, as the Magpies seek to lock in a top-four berth.
Grundy is also now likely to have only two senior games, against Sydney and Carlton, to show coach Craig McRae he is ready for the finals.
His absence has allowed Cameron to emerge as the No.1 ruck, prompting debate whether the Magpies’ should seek to trade Grundy, who is contracted until 2027 on a lucrative $7 million deal.
Cameron can also be used as a specialist forward but Grundy is at his best in the ruck.
Industry sources say Greater Western Sydney have an interest Grundy, who could be used in a trade for Tim Taranto, who is set to leave the Giants.
The Magpies have lost midfielder Taylor Adams (groin) for the rest of the home-and-away season, while forward Brody Mihocek will need to provide his fitness after missing the win over Port Adelaide with a hip issue.
Midfielders Callum Brown and Finlay Macrae were dominant against Southport in the VFL last weekend and are under consideration for a senior recall, while forward Ollie Henry, who has yet to find common ground in contract discussions with the club, booted three goals.
The Magpies say contract negotiations with veteran forward Jamie Elliott are proceeding well.
The Demons also have selection issues. Hardnut James Harmes, who has been in concussion protocols, and forward Ben Brown (knee) face fitness tests.
Carlton trio down
Nell Geraets
Carlton defender Nic Newman will be sidelined for the rest of the season while Corey Durdin and Matt Kennedy remain down for the count.
Newman sustained a deep gash to the knee during the Blues’ 29-point loss to Adelaide last Saturday. The 29-year-old went under the knife early this week to treat and mend the wound, but the club confirmed on Wednesday that his recovery from him is expected to extend past the season.
Midfielder Kennedy and forward Durdin are sporting a concussion and shoulder injury respectively.
The club said Durdin will miss at least one week after aggravating his shoulder against the Crows. Kennedy will not be available for selection for at least two weeks after entering the 12-day concussion protocols following a significant knock to the head during the second half of the game, which also left him with a fractured jaw.
Liam Stocker will not be able to replace Newman after suffering his own concussion in the VFL.
Carlton’s Nic Newman is out for the rest of the season after suffering a knee wound.Credit:Getty Images
With midfielder George Hewett still recovering from a back injury, the Blues’ final chances hang in the balance as they sit seventh on the ladder.
The Blues will face the Brisbane Lions, who are currently in fifth, at the MCG on Sunday.
‘We investigate everybody’: Ratten says Saints haven’t cooled on De Goey
Nell Geraets
St Kilda coach Brett Ratten says the club has not “cooled” on Collingwood’s free agent star Jordan De Goey after The Age reported that the board asked the Saints’ football department to further examine the drama-prone player.
Saints coach Brett Ratten says the club has not cooled on Collingwood’s Jordan De Goey.Credit:Getty Images
In a board meeting last Thursday night, the board asked the club executive to gather additional information about De Goey to help determine whether the Saints should continue to pursue the controversial 26-year-old.
Ratten said the board’s request was part of a normal process undertaken whenever a new player is under consideration, and that it did not indicate any loss of interest in a possible “long-term contract for a player of his quality”.
“It’s like all free agents, I think. We investigate everybody, especially when you’re bringing a high-profile player in,” Ratten told reporters on Wednesday morning.
“I think all boards ask for information. That’s not different from our footy club or other footy clubs.
“It doesn’t matter if we’re employing new staff members or players, we have to run things past the board, and they have the right to challenge and ask questions and see where we’re at with it.”
De Goey has come under scrutiny this year after a video was released showing the player purportedly trying to remove the bikini top of a female friend at a Bali nightclub during Collingwood’s bye week. He was also arrested in New York last November, where he was found guilty of harassment in the second degree after an altercation at a nightclub.
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Ratten refused to indicate what type of questions were asked about De Goey at the meeting, but noted the player’s undeniable talent while reiterating that no decision had yet been made.
St Kilda enjoyed a 12-point win against Hawthorn in round 20 and will face first-placed Geelong at the GMHBA on Saturday night. With the return of vice-captain Dougal Howard this week, and midfielder Dan Hannebery last week, Ratten believes the Saints can hang on to their position in the final eight as the end of the regular season looms.
Roos torn on AFL or VFL return for Cunnington
North Melbourne are torn over whether to pick courageous midfielder Ben Cunnington in the AFL or ease him back into football through the reserves.
The Kangaroos veteran has not played since round 19, 2021 after battling testicular cancer. But Cunnington is set to finally be available to play this weekend in a major boost for the struggling club.
Ben Cunnington’s return to football is close.Credit:AFL Pictures
Caretaker North coach Leigh Adams is weighing up whether to bring Cunnington in for their clash with the Sydney Swans at Marvel Stadium on Sunday, or ease him back via the VFL against the same opponents at Arden St.
The 31-year-old was tracking well to return last month before tweaking his calf at training, and last week tested positive for COVID-19.
“He has to get through main skills, then we’ll have the discussion with the performance team whether we think it’s best for him to have a run around in the twos for a week or bring him straight back in,” Adams said on Wednesday .
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“I’m pretty sure I know what his preference is and the coach’s preference, it will be just what’s best for his body going forward.
“At this time of year, it’s a great story for us and the motivation for the group and for the footy club.”
Adams admits the coaches face a tough decision but will be guided by the medical staff.
Cunnington was still one of the Kangaroos’ best midfielders before his cancer battle and he has been sorely missed by the club this season. He has played 227 games for North since being taken with pick five in the 2009 draft.
“The last thing we’d want to do is he breaks down and he’s out for the rest of the year,” Adams said.
“It’s probably going to be the VFL, even though we’d love it to be straight back in. Deep down I know he’d love to play seniors, particularly being a game in Melbourne this weekend and we travel next weekend.
“To have his support network and his family that have been through so much with him at the game would be fantastic.”
AAP
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mitch robinson is likely to face the chopping block this week as Daniel Rich is set to return from a concussion bout that kept him from the Richmond match at the MCG.
Brisbane somehow didn’t come away with the four points, despite leading by 42 points in the second quarter and will need to make some tough calls for the clash with Carlton at the Gabba.
Robinson was serviceable on Sunday, collecting 14 touches and a goal but missed a crucial shot late in the last quarter that would’ve put the Lions up by five points.
The returning Rich will most likely mean that the former Blue will make way, but could see some reprieve if Zac Bailey and Jarrod Berry are unable to get up for the game.
Melbourne could make two changes heading into the intriguing contest with Collingwood on Friday night at the MCG, as Ben Brown and James Harmes are expected to be available.
Despite defeating Fremantle at Optus Stadium, the Demons could look at dropping Sam Weideman and Jayden Hunt for the duo as Simon Goodwin’s side is almost at full strength.
Weideman had no impact on the game, gathering one disposal and kicking one major from 77 per cent game time in a disappointing outing.
Hunt didn’t play too bad, amassing 12 possessions from 86 per cent game time from the half back.
However, Goodwin is likely to push Brayshaw back into the backline meaning Harmes will play alongside the wing and midfield to combat the Pies’ unpredictable setup.
Travis Coleman is also one who may be put back into the reserves this week, struggling to get his hands on the ball and pressure the Melbourne defence.
Known for his speed, Colyer managed to only lay four tackles in a contested game, as well as collecting six touches from 76 per cent game time.
The small, forward fleet that worked for the majority of the season for the Dockers does need a revamp, as they have struggled to tear games a part like they did previously.
Darcy Tucker could make his way back into the senior side after an impressive WAFL performance with the former Bomber being the unlucky one to miss out.
The imminent return of premiership Tiger and rebounding half back Brandon Ellis into the Gold Coast side has some players worried, with out-of-favour Rory Atkins the most likely of them all.
The former Crow has struggled to cement his spot in the team in 2022 after signing a five-year deal at the end of 2020.
Atkins gathered 17 disposals and played his role in the win against West Coast, but coach Stuart Dew will feel inclined to bring back Ellis, who was a late withdrawal from the Eagles clash due to a minor shoulder injury.
More: Want more AFL? Watch Warriors On The Field celebrating Aboriginal Australia and its long history and association with the AFL. Streaming on AMAZON PRIME VIDEO
