The AFL may investigate circumstances surrounding Jed Anderson’s concussion amid questions of why the North Melbourne star was allowed to return to the field on Saturday.
Anderson stumbled after copping a knee to the face in a marking contest in the third quarter but was then cleared to return to the field before being later ruled out by medical staff.
Speaking to reporters post-game, North Melbourne coach Leigh Adams admitted he had not seen the vision yet but backed club doctors.
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Jed Anderson of the Kangaroos goes off. (Photo by James Elsby/AFL Photos via Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
“I haven’t seen the vision yet, but I’m comfortable that our doctors would have made the right decision whatever that was,” Adams said.
“I’m not 100 per cent sure, I know he came off with the blood rule, and then I was told at three-quarter time that he had gone into the concussion protocols.
“I’m not sure how long he was in those protocols once the three-quarter time siren went but he was ruled out pretty quickly after that.”
Anderson will miss North’s last game of the season against Gold Coast at Marvel Stadium.
speaking on Fox Footy later in the night, Nick Riewoldt and Jonathan Brown both said Anderson should not have been allowed back on the field but could understand why there may have been confusion on the bench.
“You notice there the doctor turned around and was distracted talking to one of the other trainers when he stumbled,” Riewoldt said.
“I reckon had the doctor seen that live, he would have gone: ‘I’m not sure this bloke is right’ but he missed that.”
“It can be chaos on the bench, so I clearly think it has been missed,” Brown added.
“They’ve gone back, reviewed the vision and incident and once they were actually able to do their due diligence properly, they’ve subbed him off. You wouldn’t expect they’d be in too much trouble.”
It was only a few weeks ago that Craig Bellamy made a stunning admission, telling reporters he was “not confident” Melbourne could turn a worrying form slump around.
The Storm had slumped to a fourth-straight loss for the first time in seven years and even Bellamy was unsure if this champion team had it in them to rise to the top again.
It was on the playing group to prove Bellamy wrong and while wins over the Warriors and Titans were certainly needed, Thursday night was their chance to make a statement.
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Sure, the Panthers were severely understrength but so were the Storm and yet a defensive masterclass paved the way for a 16-0 shutout victory over the defending premiers.
Now in a strong position to wrap up a spot in the top four, Melbourne is right back in the title picture and Bellamy has a secret weapon up his sleeve that keeps everyone guessing.
Even Cameron Smith was fooled on Thursday morning, questioning why playmaker Cameron Munster had been moved back to the halves after a starring game at fullback the week prior.
“I was a little bit surprised, I thought he may have kept him there,” Smith admitted on SEN 1170 Radio.
Storm sizzle poor Panthers | 02:01
Bellamy did keep Munster there, although it was not necessarily always going to be the plan as the Storm coach revealed in his post-game press conference on Thursday night.
“It worked pretty well last week as well,” Bellamy said.
“We weren’t quite sure earlier in the week on which way we were going to go. We trained both of them there. I think we will probably look at it on our opposition and what we think the best way to use Munster and the best way to use Nick and their strengths [is].
“I’m not quite sure we’ll actually stick with Munster at fullback all the time but we need to have a bit of a chat about that with the leaders, obviously our halves and see what the coaches think.”
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That in itself spells trouble for the rest of the competition.
It is already hard enough to defend Munster but not knowing where exactly he will be playing in the lead-up to a game makes that tougher, you only have to ask Ivan Cleary.
The Panthers coach was asked after Thursday’s defeat “what sort of threat” Munster posed at fullback, to which Cleary could only laugh.
“A lot,” he said.
“I don’t know whether fullback is much different. I suppose he doesn’t have all the defensive work to do. He’s just playing really well, definitely dangerous and he still seemed to come up with big plays when they needed it tonight. He’s definitely a threat.”
There was a similar response from Panthers great Greg Alexander, who was asked pre-game by Jess Yates which Melbourne player he was most worried about.
“Well, Cameron Munster, Cameron Munster and Cameron Munster,” Alexander replied.
That and “who ended up playing fullback”.
Unfortunately for Alexander and the Panthers, that also ended up being Munster and he backed up last week’s three-try effort against the Titans with another impressive display.
Munster ran for 142 meters at the back to go with five tackle busts two linebreak assists and also kicked for 537, filling the void left by halfback Jahrome Hughes.
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Cameron Munster starred at fullback. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
“It’s been handy this year,” Bellamy said of having the option of playing Munster at fullback.
“The last few months or so with Paps being out and Nick missing a week. He’s certainly a different character Munster but he’s a great guy to have around the club and obviously one hell of a player.
“We’re fairly lucky to have him. The other big thing about him is he’s such a competitor. He just competes in everything at training and in games. That’s what makes him what he is.”
Bellamy admitted there may have been a point earlier in Munster’s career where he may have wanted a greater say in what position he played.
But this is a more mature Munster, one who is “just happy to play a role that’s best for the team”.
‘Ludicrous’ – Brandy hits back | 01:49
“Earlier in his career he’d probably have a say or opinion on it,” Bellamy said.
“But I think now, and I haven’t actually spoke to him too closely about it, he just usually says wherever you think I fit best in the team, I’m going to do that.
“Wherever the team needs him, he’s quite happy to do that. I think he really enjoys playing fullback because it gives him a little bit more freedom but he’s just happy to play a role that’s best for the team. It just shows how much he’s matured.”
Cameron Munster put on another masterclass at fullback on Thursday night in a 16-0 win over Penrith and earned plenty of praise, along with a cheeky dig, from teammate Brandon Smith.
speaking to Triple Mpost-game, Smith was at his hilarious best in what James Graham described as a “refreshing” interview from the Melbourne Storm forward.
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“He’s [Munster] as thick as pig s***,” Smith laughed.
“He’s the dumbest bloke in the world but when he gets on the field, he’s a genius. It’s outstanding. I’m glad I’m playing with him and not against him. He’s the most annoying bloke on planet earth but he’s one of my good mates so you’ve got to love him.”
As impressive as Munster was, Smith himself was key to the win, helping Melbourne dominate up front and allowing its playmakers to work their magic in the red zone.
Smith said that it was all part of the plan for the Storm, who had a relatively simple strategy for Thursday’s night game.
“Our whole game plan was to stay in the fight and let our superstars go and put the points on,” Smith said.
The Storm were able to put 16 on the board in the first half, although they could not breach the Panthers’ line in the second, restricted to just 37 per cent of the ball.
Storm sizzle poor Panthers | 02:01
The fact Melbourne was able to hold Penrith (55 tackles in opposition 20) scoreless would have certainly pleased coach Craig Bellamy though.
“I know he’ll be super happy with the zero on the Panthers’ board but still a lot of things we have to work on in attack,” Smith said.
“We had Nick Meaney and Cooper Johns partnering together I think for the first time with Munster at fullback.
“Munster and Justin Olam and Marion Seve, the two centers, deserve massive raps they were outstanding.”
Remembering Paul Green’s amazing career | 08:32
Smith was not just at his cheeky best post-game, also getting under Panthers front rower Spencer Leniu’s skin in the latter stages of the second half as the two sides briefly came together.
“I didn’t say anything,” Smith said of his exchange with Leniu.
“I just pushed him to let him know that… I think it was an accident but still, he hit me in the head and I wasn’t happy.”
“It still bought about 30 seconds off the clock,” he added, laughing, “that was pretty handy.”
“It was a tough game out there tonight. I don’t think I’ve come off the field with these many bumps and bruises.”
Brandon Smith scuffles with Spencer Leniu. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
It has not even been a year since Bryan Battle won The Ultimate Fighter 29 but the 27-year-old has quickly risen up the ranks and just made his biggest statement yet.
Entering the octagon for his welterweight debut, Battle (8-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) landed a thundering head kick to send Takashi Sato to the canvas (16-6 MMA, 2-3 UFC).
It secured Battle a brutal knockout win just 44 seconds into the fight.
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Tough as nails Aussie makes Dana applaud | 01:28
“Bryan Battle wants everyone to know he is for real,” Brendan Fitzgerald said in commentary.
“Stop doubting him. He was still feeling a little bit disrespected and under-the-radar in anticipation of this fight.”
Sato had not been finished with strikes since 2015 but Battle said post-fight that the head kick was something he was aiming to use, perhaps not that soon though.
“It’s crazy,” Battle said.
“It’s something that we saw, it’s something we anticipated. I didn’t see it happening quite so soon. That was probably the most beautiful strike I’ve ever thrown.”
It certainly earned Battle plenty of accolades from former UFC fighters Rashad Evans and Din Thomas, who were sitting octagon-side during the fight.
Bryan Battle made a statement.Source: FOX SPORTS
“Oh my God, that kick was absolutely amazing,” Evans said.
“The timing on it was absolutely perfect. He got Sato throwing a punch at the same time as he was throwing a punch and then followed through with a kick. It was just absolutely amazing. Just the sound of it was nasty.
“It put him right out. Bryan Battle makes a big statement.”
“He looked good from top to bottom,” Thomas added.
“Even in the beginning, he looked smooth on his feet. It sounded like he hit a watermelon with a baseball bat, it was a nasty sound to be sitting next to the octagon.”
Battle took the opportunity to call out Bryan Barberena and Ian Garry post-fight, even mistakenly taking aim at the former for spelling his name ‘Brian’.
“I’m not saying this man’s ducking me, but at the least, he’s being protected,” Battle said of Garry.
“I want you. I want all the clout. Neither one of us ranked, nothing is holding us back.”
Barberena was quick to respond on Twitter, taking a cheeky shot at Battle for the name mix-up.
Eleanor Patterson admitted it was a “bittersweet” feeling after she ended up setting for silver in the women’s high jump final at the Commonwealth Games.
The term ‘setting’ is not usually the right one when it comes to silver medals but even Patterson herself conceded it was a disappointing result when speaking with Channel 7 post race.
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Australia’s Eleanor Patterson reacts after the women’s high jump final athletics event. (Photo by Ben Stansall / AFP)Source: AFP
“It’s bittersweet. I didn’t perform,” she said.
“Lamara (Distin) was the best athlete on the day. I’m really impressed by her and proud of her.
“But I am just quite frustrated with myself. I did not come here today and perform how I know I can and how I usually do.”
Patterson was the raging favorite after stunning the world by becoming the first Australian to win the women’s high jump gold at the World Athletics Championship.
Her chances of taking home gold in Birmingham only received another boost when fellow Australian and Tokyo Olympics silver medalist Nicola Olyslagers pulled out with a calf injury.
Browning FALLS, relay goes begging! | 00:28
Jamaican Lamara Distin had other ideas though, setting the tone with a first-round clearance at 1.95m that Patterson could not match with three attempts.
That mark was seven centimeters less than Patterson’s stunning effort at the World Athletics Championship, which made it harder to take for the Australian.
“I’ve had a bit of a sore ankle but that’s no excuse,” she added.
“I was struggling to get my rhythm a little bit and wasn’t switched on enough, I don’t know. It’s frustrating.
Australia will have plenty of chances to add to its gold medal tally early on Saturday night [AEST] as the action gets underground on Day 9 of the Commonwealth Games.
Australia was on top of the Commonwealth Games medal tally with 50 golds, with England closing in on 47 but that was before Saturday’s events got underway.
Now the Australians have hit 54, with four gold medals in the opening hours. Read on for a full wrap and live coverage of Day 9’s action!
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LAWN BOWLS
Australia could pocket up to 11 more gold medals on Saturday, with Kristina Krstic and Ellen Ryan taking home the first in stunning fashion in the final women’s pairs lawn bowls.
England’s Sophie Tolchard and Amy Pharaoh led at 11-2 at one point but the Aussies refused to go away and won on the final bowl in dramatic fashion.
England skipped out to an early 2-0 lead and threatened to make it 4-0 but a brilliant final bowl from Ellen Ryan knocked two of her rival’s balls out of the way to level it at 2-2.
England responded though with two solid ends to reassert its dominance and kept going from there to take an 11-2 lead but Australia roared back in epic fashion to get it back to 11-10.
Ellen Ryan and Kristina Krstic of Team Australia react during Women’s Pairs – Gold Medal Match. (Photo by Stephen Pond/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
The Aussie duo kept up the fight, picking up four points on the 13th end to lead 16-12 before England pegged it back and was up 18-17.
Krstic and Ryan though were on the brink of gold medal glory with two leading balls on the 18th end, only for Pharaoh to knock one out with a brilliant bowl on the final ball.
It meant the game finished a draw and would instead go into overtime to decide who would take home the gold.
England was in the commanding position with a few balls left but a pinpoint bowl from Ryan knocked the jack away and kept Australia in with a chance.
Once again it went down to the last ball, with Australia’s gold medal hopes resting on Ryan’s shoulders.
And she came up clutch with a stunning shot to knock England’s leading ball out of the way, sealing gold in a thrilling comeback.
ATHLETICS
‘That is breathtaking’: Comm Games record broken in 10,000m stunner
The gold rush has continued on the track, with Jemima Montag taking out the women’s 10,000m walk in a dominant display.
“That was absolutely breathtaking,” Channel 7’s Jason Richardson said.
Montag paced herself brilliantly throughout the walk and then picked up the pace in the latter stages of the race to get in a comfortable position.
So comfortable that Montag could start celebrating well before she crossed the finish line for gold with a time of 42:34:00 — a new personal best and Commonwealth Games record.
“That was surreal,” Montag told Channel 7 post race.
Jemima Montag of Team Australia celebrates after winning the gold medal. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
“You just sort of pretend everyone’s clapping for you, even if they’re clapping for the high jump or the hammer throwers walking in and anytime there’s self-doubt, it really gives you a boost.
“I feel like I’m continuing the legacy of really strong Australian race walking and to go back-to-back, winning on the Gold Coast four years ago really changed my life. I didn’t think that at the time but I think with hindsight it did, it set in that self-belief. I have big dreams for two more Olympic games. So today was a special moment.”
Fellow Australian Rebecca Henderson finished fourth and Katie Hayward placed seventh.
Aussie world champ toppled in upset
There was a surprise result on track, with Eleanor Pattersonthe reigning world champion, missing out on gold in the women’s high jump final.
Patterson was coming off a brilliant win at the World Championships and became the first to clear 1.89m in a strong opening to the final.
In the end though she missed three attempts at 1.95m, the top result set by Jamaica’s Lamara Distin, who won gold with Patterson taking the silver medal.
Nicola Olyslagers was initially going to join her but with drawn from the final with a torn calf.
“It could be a few weeks and if I jumped today it was possible to be a nine-month injury,” the 2018 Commonwealth Games bronze medalist told Channel 7.
Australia’s Eleanor Patterson missed out on gold. (Photo by Ben Stansall / AFP)Source: AFP
Elsewhere, Julie Charlton will also be competing in the women’s F55-57 shot put final while there will be four Australians going for gold in the women’s 10km race walk final at 7.30pm.
Later at 8.50pm, ben buckingham and Edward Trippas will be going for gold in the men’s 3000m steeplechase final.
The final shot at gold comes in the men’s 1500m final, with Ollie Hoare in action and looking to secure ultimate redemption after a disappointing exit from the world championships.
Hoare was the fastest Australian qualifier after finishing first in heat one with a time of 3:37.57.
Other highlights include the women’s and men’s 4x100m relay heats.
There are lots of high-stakes events too with alex hulley (hammer throw), Sarah Carly (400m hurdles), Catriona Bisset (800m) and Ella Connolly (200m) in their own ends.
GYMNASTICS
The golds kept coming in gymnastics, with Alexandra Kiroi Bogatyreva taking out the rhythmic gymnastics clubs final with a score of 29,400.
Kiroi-Bogatyreva was also in action earlier in the ball final, placing fifth with a score of 28,600 and will be in the final ribbon later in the night.
Eighteen-year-old Lydia Iakovleva will also be in the rhythmical gymnastics hoop final after finish seventh (107.150) in the all-around final on Friday.
netball
The ultimate grudge match sees Australia’s Diamonds face England in the netball semi-final. You can read Nat Medhurt’s full preview ahead of the fiery semi-final here, with the game set to begin at 11.30pm.
If Australia is successful, it is Jamaica they will face in the end.
Jamaica’s stunning run continued as they dominated the Silver Ferns to take a 67-51 win and book their spot in the gold medal match for the first time at the Commonwealth Games.
Jamaica were the surprise top qualifiers in their pool after shocking Australia and it looks like
the Diamonds will again need to try to find a way to shut down Jhaniele Fowler.
The world’s best shooter dominated in Jamaica’s 57-55 win over Australia in the pool stage, finishing that match with 47 goals from 50 attempts and was even better against New Zealand.
The West Coast Fever star shot a perfect 54 goals from 54 attempts in the win.
Jhaniele Fowler starred in the win. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
TABLE TENNIS
Two Australian pairs (chunyi feng & Yangzi Liu and Jian Fang Lay & minhyung jee) were both successful in their Round of 16 matches for the women’s doubles table tennis.
They will face Singapore and Nigeria respectively in the quarter-finals at 1am.
Later in the night, Liu will continue her bid to become the first Australian woman to win a Commonwealth Games singles medal when she competes in the semi-final.
There will be guaranteed gold in the morning too, with an All-Australian for table tennis final between Li Na Lei and qian yang.
BOXING
There are lots of medals up for grabs in the ring, withfive Australians into the semi-finals. first-up, kaye scott is through to the gold medal fight after winning her women’s light middleweight boxing semi-final against Alcinda Helena Panguane on points.
Callum Peters will also put on the gloves for the men’s middleweight semi-final later in the night at 9.15pm, taking on Simnikiwe Bongco.
Edgardo Coumi is in action at 2am against Lewis Williams of England in the men’s heavyweight division while Australian middleweight Caitlyn Anne Parker faces Tammara Thibeault.
History will be made on Sunday morning regardless of the result as tina rahimi becomes Australia’s first Muslim woman boxer to take home a medal at the Games.
She will fight Elizabeth Oshoba in her featherweight semi-final.
DIVING
The swimming may be over but there was more success in the pool for Australia as Annabelle Smith and Madison Smith claimed gold in the women’s 3m synchronized springboard diving final.
Later on, the women’s synchronized 10m platform final sees Emily Boyd, Nikita Hayes, Charlie Petrov and Melissa Wu all in action.
CRICKET
There is plenty to look forward to in the early hours of Saturday morning too, with Australia’s women’s T20 cricket side battling New Zealand in a semi-final at 3am.
VOLLEYBALL
A dominant quarter-final performance has Mariafe Artacho del Solar and Taliqua Clancy one step closer to gold.
Their next challenge will be Vanuatu in the women’s beach volleyball semi-final at 6am.
HOCKEY
There will be more semi-final action, with Australia up against longtime rival England in the men’s hockey, with the time for that game to be confirmed.
SQUASH
There is plenty of action on the squash court too, kicking off with cameron pilly & Rhys Dowling and Zack Alexander & ryan cuskelly in the men’s doubles quarter-finals.
The mixed doubles semi-finals later in the day will feature donna lobban and pilley while Jess Turnbull and Alex Haydon team up in the mixed doubles plate quarter-final.
wrestling
There is lots to look forward to in wrestling too, with Naomi DeBruine (women’s 50kg, women’s 53kg and women’s 76kg) in action along with justin holland (men’s 57kg) and Tom Barnes (men’s 74kg, men’s 97kg).
FULL SCHEDULE — DAY 9
Lawn Bowls and Para Lawn Bowls, 5.30pm
Hockey, 6:00 p.m.
Netball, 6.00pm
Table Tennis and Para Table Tennis, 6.30pm
Athletics and Para Athletics, 7.00pm
Diving, 7.00pm
Rhythmic Gymnastics, 7.00pm
Boxing, 7.30pm
Wrestling, 7:30 p.m.
Badminton, 8:00 p.m.
Cricket T20, 8.00pm
Squash, 9.00pm
Boxing, 11.30pm
Netball, 11.30pm
Follow all the action live below! Can’t see it? Click here!
Australia will have plenty of chases to add to its gold medal tally early on Saturday night [AEST] as the action gets underground on Day 9 of the Commonwealth Games.
Australia remains on top of the Commonwealth Games medal tally with 50 golds but England is closing in with 47 to set up a thrilling race in the final days.
Here is a full wrap of the key events to come on Saturday night and into the early hours of Sunday morning!
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Australia benefits from BIZZARE rule | 00:29
LAWN BOWLS
Australia could pocket up to 11 more gold medals on Saturday, with the first shot coming at 5.30pm when Kristina Krstic and Ellen Ryan face England’s Sophie Tolchard and Amy Pharaoh in the women’s pairs lawn bowls final.
England skipped out to an early 2-0 lead and threatened to make it 4-0 but a brilliant final bowl from Ellen Ryan knocked two of her rival’s balls out of the way to level it at 2-2.
“What a good ball and what a good result, one of the commentators for Channel 7 said.
“What a shot. Perfect hit, rolling the blue balls out,” another added.
“My goodness, I don’t think Ellen would have even hoped she got that result.”
England responded though with two solid ends to reassert its dominance and kept going from there to take an 11-2 lead but Australia responded in epic fashion to get it back to 11-10.
TABLE TENNIS
Two Australian pairs (chunyi feng & Yangzi Liu and Jian Fang Lay & minhyung jee) will be in action in the Round of 16 for the women’s doubles table tennis.
Later in the night, Liu will continue her bid to become the first Australian woman to win a Commonwealth Games singles medal when she competes in the semi-final.
There will be guaranteed gold in the morning too, with an All-Australian for table tennis final between Li Na Lei and qian yang.
GYMNASTICS
Shortly after at 7pm, 18-year-old Lydia Iakovleva will be in the rhythmical gymnastics hoop final after finish seventh (107.150) in the all-around final on Friday.
Later there will be more gold medals up for grabs in rhythmical gymnastics too, with Alexandra Kiroi Bogatyreva scheduled to compete in both the ball and clubs final.
Those events are scheduled for 7.42pm and 8.22pm respectively but won’t be the end of Kiroi-Bogatyreva’s day as she has also qualified for the ribbon final at 9.02pm.
ATHLETICS
There will be plenty of action on the track, with three gold medals on offer in the space of 30 minutes.
First up will be Eleanor Pattersonwith the reigning world champion looking to defend her crown in the women’s high jump final, coming off a brilliant win at the World Championships.
Elsewhere, Julie Charlton will also be competing in the women’s F55-57 shot put final while there will be four Australians going for gold in the women’s 10km race walk final at 7.30pm.
Later at 8.50pm, ben buckingham and Edward Trippas will be going for gold in the men’s 3000m steeplechase final.
The final shot at gold comes in the men’s 1500m final, with Ollie Hoare in action and looking to secure ultimate redemption after a disappointing exit from the world championships.
Hoare was the fastest Australian qualifier after finishing first in heat one with a time of 3:37.57.
Other highlights include the women’s and men’s 4x100m relay heats.
There are lots of high-stakes events too with alex hulley (hammer throw), Sarah Carly (400m hurdles), Catriona Bisset (800m) and Ella Connolly (200m) in their own ends.
Australia’s Eleanor Patterson will go for gold. (Photo by Ben Stansall / AFP)Source: AFP
BOXING
There are lots of medals up for grabs in the ring, withfive Australians into the semi-finals. first-up, kaye scott is in action at 8.30pm in the women’s light middleweight boxing semi-final against Alcinda Helena Panguane.
Callum Peters will also put on the gloves for the men’s middleweight semi-final later in the night at 9.15pm, taking on Simnikiwe Bongco.
Edgardo Coumi is in action at 2am against Lewis Williams of England in the men’s heavyweight division while Australian middleweight Caitlyn Anne Parker faces Tammara Thibeault.
History will be made on Sunday morning regardless of the result as tina rahimi becomes Australia’s first Muslim woman boxer to take home a medal at the Games.
She will fight Elizabeth Oshoba in her featherweight semi-final.
netball
The ultimate grudge match sees Australia’s Diamonds face England in the netball semi-final. You can read Nat Medhurt’s full preview ahead of the fiery semi-final here, with the game set to begin at 11.30pm.
DIVING
Two Australian duos (Madison Keeney/Annabelle Smith and Brittany O’Brien/Esther Qing) will be competing in the women’s 3m synchronized springboard diving final.
Later on, the women’s synchronized 10m platform final sees Emily Boyd, Nikita Hayes, Charlie Petrov and Melissa Wu all in action.
CRICKET
There is plenty to look forward to in the early hours of Saturday morning too, with Australia’s women’s T20 cricket side battling New Zealand in a semi-final at 3am.
VOLLEYBALL
A dominant quarter-final performance has Mariafe Artacho del Solar and Taliqua Clancy one step closer to gold.
Their next challenge will be Vanuatu in the women’s beach volleyball semi-final at 6am.
HOCKEY
There will be more semi-final action, with Australia up against longtime rival England in the men’s hockey, with the time for that game to be confirmed.
SQUASH
There is plenty of action on the squash court too, kicking off with cameron pilly & Rhys Dowling and Zack Alexander & ryan cuskelly in the men’s doubles quarter-finals.
The mixed doubles semi-finals later in the day will feature donna lobban and pilley while Jess Turnbull and Alex Haydon team up in the mixed doubles plate quarter-final.
wrestling
There is lots to look forward to in wrestling too, with Naomi DeBruine (women’s 50kg, women’s 53kg and women’s 76kg) in action along with justin holland (men’s 57kg) and Tom Barnes (men’s 74kg, men’s 97kg).
FULL SCHEDULE — DAY 9
Lawn Bowls and Para Lawn Bowls, 5.30pm
Hockey, 6:00 p.m.
Netball, 6.00pm
Table Tennis and Para Table Tennis, 6.30pm
Athletics and Para Athletics, 7.00pm
Diving, 7.00pm
Rhythmic Gymnastics, 7.00pm
Boxing, 7.30pm
Wrestling, 7:30 p.m.
Badminton, 8:00 p.m.
Cricket T20, 8.00pm
Squash, 9.00pm
Boxing, 11.30pm
Netball, 11.30pm
Follow all the action live below! Can’t see it? Click here!
Former Wests Tigers coach Michael Maguire has warned Benji Marshall and Robbie Farah about the “challenge” of coaching, with the pair set to begin their new roles next season.
The Tigers confirmed last month that legends Marshall and Farah would return to the club as assistant coaches next season, under famous coach Tim Sheens.
Former Kiwi Test star Marshall will then take over from Sheens in the top job for three seasons from 2025.
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Premiership winning coach Maguire is “looking forward” to seeing the famous duo reunite at the club where they both rose to fame, as they look to turn the Tigers around.
But speaking on The Back Page, ‘Madge’ also made sure to caution them about how difficult their new jobs can be.
“There’s many ways to do it so I’m looking forward to seeing how it plays out,” Maguire said on The Back Page.
“Coaching is about spending time and actually coaching. They’ve got a few rookies that are going to come through and it is going to be a great challenge for the guys that are coming through in Benji and Robbie.
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“I think they’re qualified because of the experiences they’ve had but coaching is not just about what happens there. It is life, it’s about the player and looking after the quality of each individual.
“It’s going to be a really good challenge for them.”
Wests started the season with five consecutive losses before record back-to-back wins over premiership contenders Parramatta and South Sydney.
But the veteran coach of 233 NRL games was later sacked as the club continued their underwhelming form, winning just one from their next five.
Major “Reboot” need for Knights – Buzz | 01:08
The Tigers were on another noteworthy losing run before their controversial loss to the Cowboys in Round 19, before bouncing back with an emphatic win over Brisbane last week.
Reflecting on his time at the club, Maguire said that his three-and-a-half-year tenure was a “great challenge.”
“I’m really fond of my time there, even though we didn’t get to where we wanted to get to and everyone wants to win a comp,” he said.
“But what I have learned over time and being in and around various clubs, is that we’re all working for the same thing but they’re so different.
“The makings of the club, where the club fits with their juniors to the recruiting to what goes on in the background, they’re all so different and that’s what us coaches enjoy, being able to bring that together to create the success.”
Maguire coached the World No. 1 Kiwis to a convincing 20-point win over Tonga in Auckland earlier this year, with rugby league returning to New Zealand.
With the World Cup just around the corner, the 48-year-old said that he’s focused on his role with New Zealand, but revealed that he wants to win another NRL premiership.
“I’ve taken a bit of a backwards step I guess. I’m just focused on the Kiwis and I’ve enjoyed that part because you don’t have the heat of the week-in, week-out. But I do miss that.
“That’s something that has always fueled myself, the challenge of each week. I’m starting to learn what it’s like to have the weekend and your family there because you’re so used to having to rise each week.
“I’m just sort of eyes wide open at the moment. I do love it [coaching] and I want to win another comp. To be in that arena is another desire.”
Newcastle’s torrid season has gone from bad to worse, with enforcer David Klemmer issued a show cause notice over an on-field disciplinary issue.
The incident in question, according to The Daily Telegraph’s Paul Kent, came in the 71st minute of the Knights’ 24-10 loss to the Bulldogs.
Klemmer is said to have refused to come off the field and allegedly verbally abused Newcastle trainer Hayden Knowles, who was trying to make the substitution happen.
“It happened over a series of tackles throughout the last minutes of the game, where they continually tried to get him off the field,” Kent said on Fox League’s ‘NRL 360’.
“Now Klemmer just refused to go. He’s been disciplined, he hasn’t been chosen after this weekend’s game.”
The Knights released a statement on Tuesday confirming an on-field disciplinary matter had taken place, although they opted against going into any further details.
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The Daily Telegraph’s Paul Crawley described the show cause notice as “strange” given Newcastle had taken action by dropping Klemmer before giving him a chance to explain himself.
That was not all Crawley had to say though, with the veteran rugby league reporter claiming that Klemmer’s incident was only a smaller part of much bigger problems in the Hunter.
“It’s bigger than this,” Crawley said.
“There’s a problem up at Newcastle that everyone’s ducking and covering from, there’s players up there that aren’t happy. There’s a division within the club and no one can deny it. You’ve just got to look at their performances.
“There’s obviously some players out there that aren’t real happy and David Klemmer on the weekend has probably fired up.
“Something’s happened to him on the field, he didn’t want to come off but I assure you there’s got to be more to it.”
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David Klemmer is out of the Newcastle line-up this week. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Crawley’s theory was supported by Braith Anasta, who said blow-ups like the one Klemmer had on Sunday afternoon to being substituted off “happen every weekend”.
“That happens every weekend at a club where a player doesn’t want to come off the field or will argue with his trainers,” Anasta said.
“I don’t know to what extent, but a show cause notice is very dramatic at 6pm on a Tuesday night where they haven’t picked him in the side. There’s got to be more to it. There just has to be.”
As Kent went on to point out, there were reports that Parramatta was looking to snare Klemmer before the mid-season transfer deadline, only adding fuel to the fire.
“It’s interesting yesterday Parramatta approached the Knights to get him on a loan deal,” Kent said.
“My understanding is Klemmer was willing to go, but he’s got next year at Newcastle. He wanted next year at Parramatta plus the year after, which they were not willing to go to, which suggested the fact that maybe he was happy to leave Newcastle.”
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Former teammate James Graham said that Klemmer “looks very frustrated” and could understand why he may have pushed against coming from the field.
“He has very high expectations of himself and takes pride in his performances and especially his numbers,” Graham said.
“He can be one of those guys who is reluctant to leave the field of play. This is against his old club from him as well. I can understand why he may have wanted to stay out there.
“There were times the rotation with those middle forwards and Klemmer would protest leaving the field of play if he thought he could have an impact on the result.”
Corey Parker though called it “a load of BS”, taking aim at Newcastle for disciplining Klemmer, who he called a “the alpha male of the club”.
“Seriously, dropping someone because he said no to coming off to the trainer,” Parker said.
“I played 16 years and everytime I was asked to come off I was reluctant to a point where I would say to the trainer a few expletives to let him know I didn’t want to come off. He’s the alpha male of the club playing against his former club.
O’Brien’s time at Knights running out? | 02:43
“Are we playing rugby league? He’s the front rower of a rugby league club, is he just going to bow and come off? I played with and against Klem and he’s a tough, uncompromising, resilient front rower.”
Graham though responded by pointing out that sometimes a player has to put their own personal thoughts to the side and prioritize the team’s best interests.
In this case, even though he thought the decision to take Klemmer off was “strange”, Graham said coach O’Brien may have been trying to set a standard by dropping the enforcer.
“No one wants to come off but if your club is seeing something and you’re part of a rotation and it’s coming from the top,” Graham said.
“It does seem strange [to take him off then]. We’ve all sprayed trainers. I think it’s the fact he didn’t come from the field of play. Personally, I think it’s they’ve had a bad week, O’Brien is trying to set a precedent and build his club from him.
“We’ve heard about O’Brien setting standards for next year.”
‘This is what gives me the s****!’ | 02:04
The drama is hardly what Newcastle needed as it looks to arrest a concerning form slump which has seen the club drop four-straight games and lose 14 of its past 17 to plummet down the ladder.
Knights coach Adam O’Brien came under fire earlier in the week for his comments after the latest loss to the Bulldogs, in which he pointed out his involvement in “four grand finals.”
“It is a hard one for me as well,” O’Brien said at the post-match press conference.
“Previous to getting this job here I was involved in four grand finals.
“I know how those teams prepared. I know the systems they used defensively.
“You don’t unlearn that knowledge. Applying it and getting it ingrained is going to take some time clearly.
“Week to week we can talk about one area of that defense and we can fix it in seven days, but then we will let another area of our defense down.
“It is going to take a bit of time and I know some people don’t want to wait that long, but it is.”
Adam O’Brien’s coaching has come under scrutiny. (Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
O’Brien spoke to the media again on Tuesday to clarify those comments, admitting he would “like to have” that press conference back.
“I clearly did not articulate the message I was going to get across and I apologize for that,” he said.
“It looks like I’m an egomaniac. I was trying to get my message across to the supporter who sits on the hill that must be wondering do they practice defense and tackle technique? Are they fit, tough?
“I was trying to talk to them that the boys are training at a really high standard. I’ve tried to give hope to people on the hill that we are training at a high level – that’s not translating to the field and that responsibility is squarely on me.
“I’m not taking the accolades of the success at those clubs, that is Craig (Bellamy’s) and Trent (Robinson’s) work. I’m trying to create that here. We are on the path but we aren’t there yet.”
Brandon Moreno is a UFC champion again and looks set to face defending unified champion and longtime rival Deiveson Figueiredo for the flyweight title.
But when Figueiredo entered the octagon after Moreno’s TKO win over Kai Kara-France, the new interim champion took a moment to think about what he said next.
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He wanted to make a statement, to “take the mic” and tell his intense rival: “Let’s go motherf***er”, as Moreno put it when speaking to media at the post-fight press conference.
“But everything I said was real. My daughter Madison is eight years old and now she understands everything,” he added.
“I knew I had the opportunity to be a better example for her. I don’t want it for her de ella, her dad de ella doing stupid things on television.
He wanted to make a statement, to “take the mic” and tell his intense rival: “Let’s go motherf***er”, as Moreno put it when speaking to media at the post-fight press conference.
“But everything I said was real. My daughter Madison is eight years old and now she understands everything,” he added.
“I knew I had the opportunity to be a better example for her. I don’t want it for her de ella, her dad de ella doing stupid things on television.
So, instead of engaging in a war of words, the two instead put their history behind them with a classy exchange.
“This guy right here, tonight is his night and he is the champion,” Figueiredo said, through a translator.
“I have a lot of respect for him… I want to take this fight home to Brazil.”
“I don’t hate you,” Moreno later replied.
“I don’t feel anything against you. I forgive you. Please forgive me if I did something bad against you. I want to fight in December.”
UFC boss Dana White confirmed he is hoping the sport will return to Brazil next year, adding: “We’ll see what this crazy world has to throw at us in the next six months.”
But White himself was actually apologetic for deciding to get Figueiredo to enter the octagon post-fight, admitting on reflection that it was a “pretty disrespectful” move.
“You know what, it was kind of an in-the-moment thing,” White told reporters.
“Then when I hear him get up there I was like: ‘Well that was f***ing rude’. This kid is having his moment from him and he’s got Figueiredo standing in his face from him.
“It happened, it wasn’t horrible and we meant no disrespect to Moreno but it came off pretty disrespectful.”
While White is typically not a fan of running a fight back any more than three times, he made it clear he is very happy to see Moreno and Figueiredo face off in what would be their fourth meeting.
“It is one of those unique, freaky deals where who doesn’t want to see that fight again,” he said.
“I’m the worst with that stuff. I hate that s***. If you’ve got a guy up 2-1 you don’t ever need to see that fight again but this is one of those weird ones where you can.”
Originally published as UFC boss apologises for ‘disrespectful’ move after Moreno fight
