AFL 360 co-hosts Gerard Whateley and Mark Robinson have defended Greater Western Sydney caretaker coach Mark McVeigh’s passionate post-match press conference.
McVeigh drew criticism from some within the AFL world for his withering take on many players’ performance during the 73-point Sydney derby loss, which he labeled “embarrassing” and accused players of “checking out”.
The interim coach interviewed for the position on Tuesday, but Whateley was puzzled by those who took issue with McVeigh’s post-match comments.
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“I’ve been really surprised by the reaction to his condemnation of a pitiful performance by a team in a big game,” he said.
“If you’re going to be the coach, if you’re going to live the role of the coach, you have to impose these standards and be prepared to tell these home truths.
“As I understand it, this was all said behind closed doors before it was said publicly and the real feedback was player-to-player; they drilled each other. Then he gave public voice to that.”
Robinson was of the view that, if anything, McVeigh’s honesty publicly could help him in his bid to become the side’s permanent senior coach, saying “I would’ve put that in my offering of ‘I want to coach, here it is, what have you got? I’ve got that.’”
McVeigh, 41, has been an assistant coach at the Giants since 2015.
His longevity at the club, Whateley said, meant his comments were within reason.
“He’s got long-term relationships with these players, I don’t think any of that would’ve been damaged,” he said.
“If he’d gone ‘Do you know what? This is the end of the season, I’m the interim coach, lets just leave that’, I’d be going ‘mate, you can’t be a coach’.”
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.”
There is reportedly a divide in the Manly dressing room between the players who played in the Pride jersey and the seven stars who boycotted their crucial loss to the Roosters.
The Daily Telegraph’s Phil Rothfield believes there is a lingering resentment between the players that played and those that chose to put their beliefs ahead of the team’s final aspirations.
“I think there is a split,” Rothfield said of the playing group on NRL 360.
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“I think the players that took the field cannot understand why the other seven didn’t.
“I think the meeting yesterday cleared it up a little bit, but you can’t repair a split of this magnitude with a bandaid in a 45 minute meeting.
“I think when something as drastic as this happens when seven men pull out of a finals crunch match over a view and an opinion and the other guys are totally on the opposite side.
“They put their views and opinions ahead of a finals berth almost.”
Paul Kent also believes there is a split between the Manly seven and the owner who incorrectly said they would backflip on their stance in time for next season.
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Daly Cherry-Evans and DesHasler.Source: News Corp Australia
“What about the owner coming out and saying the players had gone back on what they originally intended, which they have heavily refuted,” Kent said.
Braith Anasta agreed with Rothfield that as a player he would be frustrated with the seven players who put their beliefs above a goal the team has worked for since pre-season in November.
“I agree with and I’m just thinking now as a player the majority of the playing group you train from November all the way through,” Anasta said.
“You put your body on the line every week. You put your heart and soul into it. You make sacrifices every single day.
“These players have got a few teammates who have made a different decision than the rest of the team and it can cause a divide and it seems to be that way.
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Jake Trbojevic and Manly players process the loss to the Roosters.Source: Getty Images
“It could derail their season. We spoke about it before the game that it could happen and it is possibly happening right now.
“There are no winners and losers here. The fact is it doesn’t matter what they are arguing over or have a split of opinion over. It can cause a divide and it seems to be causing a divide.”
The Daily Telegraph’s Dean Ritchie has no doubt there is a rift between the seven players and the rest of the squad and it will take time to heal the wounds of the last week.
“There is divisions at Manly and anyone who tells you there is not telling a fib,” Ritchie said on The Big Sports Breakfast.
“The players that played were dirty on the players that didn’t play.
Sea Eagles players at training.Source: News Corp Australia
“They are trying to sort it out and understand each other’s religious beliefs and views, but there is a division there.
“You speak to one player and he will say we can move forward from this and you speak to others who say this is going to take a lot longer.”
Laurie Daley questioned how both sides of the split can come together with no common ground on the issue.
“You have got two parties that don’t agree and you talk about finding common ground, but where is the common ground in this?” Daley said.
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“There is no giving,” Ritchie replied.
“Both sides are quite staunch in their views. The players are dirty the others didn’t play and the seven players are saying, we are not backing down.
“To be fair to them they have been staunch from the beginning and have stuck tight through a lot of criticism, so they are not clearly going to apologize.
“I don’t know how one meeting is going to fix this problem at Manly.”
There is reportedly a divide in the Manly dressing room between the players who played in the Pride jersey and the seven stars who boycotted their crucial loss to the Roosters.
The Daily Telegraph’s Phil Rothfield believes there is a lingering resentment between the players that played and those that chose to put their beliefs ahead of the team’s final aspirations.
“I think there is a split,” Rothfield said of the playing group on NRL 360.
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“I think the players that took the field cannot understand why the other seven didn’t.
“I think the meeting yesterday cleared it up a little bit, but you can’t repair a split of this magnitude with a bandaid in a 45 minute meeting.
“I think when something as drastic as this happens when seven men pull out of a finals crunch match over a view and an opinion and the other guys are totally on the opposite side.
“They put their views and opinions ahead of a finals berth almost.”
Paul Kent also believes there is a split between the Manly seven and the owner who incorrectly said they would backflip on their stance in time for next season.
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Daly Cherry-Evans and DesHasler.Source: News Corp Australia
“What about the owner coming out and saying the players had gone back on what they originally intended, which they have heavily refuted,” Kent said.
Braith Anasta agreed with Rothfield that as a player he would be frustrated with the seven players who put their beliefs above a goal the team has worked for since pre-season in November.
“I agree with and I’m just thinking now as a player the majority of the playing group you train from November all the way through,” Anasta said.
“You put your body on the line every week. You put your heart and soul into it. You make sacrifices every single day.
“These players have got a few teammates who have made a different decision than the rest of the team and it can cause a divide and it seems to be that way.
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Jake Trbojevic and Manly players process the loss to the Roosters.Source: Getty Images
“It could derail their season. We spoke about it before the game that it could happen and it is possibly happening right now.
“There are no winners and losers here. The fact is it doesn’t matter what they are arguing over or have a split of opinion over. It can cause a divide and it seems to be causing a divide.”
The Daily Telegraph’s Dean Ritchie has no doubt there is a rift between the seven players and the rest of the squad and it will take time to heal the wounds of the last week.
“There is divisions at Manly and anyone who tells you there is not telling a fib,” Ritchie said on The Big Sports Breakfast.
“The players that played were dirty on the players that didn’t play.
Sea Eagles players at training.Source: News Corp Australia
“They are trying to sort it out and understand each other’s religious beliefs and views, but there is a division there.
“You speak to one player and he will say we can move forward from this and you speak to others who say this is going to take a lot longer.”
Laurie Daley questioned how both sides of the split can come together with no common ground on the issue.
“You have got two parties that don’t agree and you talk about finding common ground, but where is the common ground in this?” Daley said.
How long will Carrigan get for hip drop? | 03:22
“There is no giving,” Ritchie replied.
“Both sides are quite staunch in their views. The players are dirty the others didn’t play and the seven players are saying, we are not backing down.
“To be fair to them they have been staunch from the beginning and have stuck tight through a lot of criticism, so they are not clearly going to apologize.
“I don’t know how one meeting is going to fix this problem at Manly.”
Former Australian swimmer turned popular TV presenter Johanna Griggs says Kyle Chalmers is “feeding” the very headlines he’s railed against at the Commonwealth Games as she issued a reality check about the media’s role in covering sport.
The swimming star has blasted the media in Birmingham, accusing it of focusing on “clickbait” rather than the impressive results of our men and women in the pool.
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There have been reports and speculation about an icy dynamic within the Dolphins camp, sparked by the relationship between Chalmers, Emma McKeon and Cody Simpson.
Chalmers and McKeon were romantically linked last year and now the 28-year-old superstar is dating Simpson — who is competing in England as part of his first ever Australian team since ditching his music career and returning to competitive swimming.
The trio have repeatedly denied their relationship has caused any friction.
Chalmers cast doubt on his future in the sport if what he called “fake headlines” continued to be thrust into the spotlight, saying the media doesn’t understand the impact his stories have on athletes’ mental health.
However, Griggs — who won a backstroke bronze medal at the 1990 Commonwealth Games — says Chalmers is only giving the story more oxygen by continually mentioning it in interviews and on social media.
“The only person who is going to potentially derail (his campaign) — although it certainly didn’t look like it this morning in his 100m freestyle — could be Kyle himself,” Griggs told Sydney’s 104.9 Triple M Breakfast with MG, Jess & Pagey.
“He seems to be feeding it, which is the ironic situation with all these sorts of things.
“You can’t just expect the headlines to always be great. You have to accept that occasionally they might be about other people and sometimes they may not necessarily show you in the same light.
“Do I think they (the headlines) are affecting Emma McKeon? Absolutely not.
“She’s amazing, right. So she’s proven, without question, that she is able to compartmentalize whatever’s going on.
Johanna Griggs dropped some truth bombs on Kyle Chalmers.Source: SuppliedChalmers is swimming brilliantly despite his concerns. Picture: Michael KleinSource: News Corp Australia
Griggs, who is part of Channel 7’s team covering the Games, also suggested the freestyle king needs to accept headlines aren’t always going to be positive in the world of professional sport.
“I think it would be tedious for them, being asked about it non-stop,” Griggs told Triple M.
“If you’re a tennis player, that happens not only at every major tournament, it happens at every press conference, it happens at every week — same as the footballers, week in, week out.
“It’s the reality of sport so I’m hoping Kyle stops feeding it.
“I get he’s feeling incredibly swamped at the moment. Every time he mentions it, he makes it a bigger story.”
Chalmers has won gold medals in Birmingham as part of Australia’s mixed relay team and in the 4x100m men’s freestyle relay.
After his impressive swim in the heats of the individual 100m freestyle event, the 24-year-old was asked how he was feeling.
“Terrible. Terrible. It’s been probably the hardest 12 hours in my sporting career for sure,” he said. “It is extremely hard. Extremely challenging.
“When you’re on the other side of the world and don’t have your direct support network around you it’s already hard enough, let alone last night.”
Chalmers was referring to the previous day’s press conference, which was stopped after a barrage of questions about his dynamic with Simpson and McKeon.
He said the way the situation has unfolded left his mum in tears when they spoke after the relay victory.
“I really feel I don’t deserve any of that and to be honest with you, it makes me question why I do this sport and where my future lies going forward,” Chalmers said.
“I don’t want any of this. I swim because it’s what I’m good at. I love swimming. I love being part of the Australian swimming team. Standing up in front of big crowds and swimming fast, but I don’t want the rest of it.
“And for me it’s taking too much of a toll on my mental health. It embarrasses me that my family, my grandparents have to sit down and read the stuff that gets put in the media.
“It upsets me that I have to go home to my mum crying on FaceTime to me.”
Emma McKeon’s relationship with Cody Simpson has generated plenty of headlines. Picture: Emma McKeon/InstagramSource: Supplied
He may be upset out of the water but in the pool, Chalmers looks as classy as ever. The South Australian — who won 100m freestyle gold at the Rio Olympics and silver at last year’s Tokyo Games — is eyeing off another medal in his pet event this week.
Chalmers crushed his 100m freestyle semi-final on Monday morning, touching the wall first and setting a new Commonwealth Games record time of 47.36 seconds.
Australian swimming champion Cate Campbell is working for Channel 7 in Birmingham and praised Chalmers for how he’s handling things during their poolside interview on Monday morning, before talk turned to his tattoos and what they symbolize.
“I’ve had three heart surgeries, I have a chain (tattoo) that is broken because my heart was holding me back and now it’s fixed,” Chalmers said.
“I’m the lion (tattoo) that’s broken out. So yeah, that’s a special one for me.”
Chalmers added he’s been brilliantly supported by those closest to him.
“I don’t have anything else to say, it’s rough,” he said. “It’s been a whirlwind. It’s nice to swim fast. I think it’s easy to put on a brave face and smile. It’s hard, it’s very hard.
“The team has been amazing.
“I just wanted to put my headphones on and switch off and not talk, (but) all of my teammates, coaches and staff coming up and saying they are there for me has been really special. I wouldn’t have been able to get through it without my teammates.
“I’m not a robot. We have feelings, we have emotions, we’re no different than anyone else. We struggle a lot, mental health is a huge thing in sport.”
Shayna Jack almost apologized for saying she was about to get emotional after her bronze medal swim. The 23-year-old comeback star has nothing to apologize for.
After a string of cruel injuries and a two-year doping ban, Jack on Monday morning enjoyed the single sweetest moment of her swimming career and was overcome with emotion.
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Jack missed out on gold in the women’s 50m freestyle final to Aussie superstar Emma McKeon, who won a mind-boggling 11th career gold medal.
It was an astonishing medal sweep for Australia with Meg Harris taking the silver, just 0.04 seconds ahead of Jack.
Jack has previously won world championship gold medals and a Commonwealth Games gold medal in relay events — but this was her first ever major individual swimming medal. You could tell as she fronted the press after the swim that it meant everything,
Jack had qualified fastest for the final and had some regret about missing out on the gold — but falling short against one of the greatest athletes of all time is nothing to be disappointed by.
She started her brief press conference by saying: “I’m just going to get emotional.
“Like it might not have been the result I wanted tonight, but I have to be really proud of how far I’ve come.
“It’s not been an easy journey. It’s been two major hiccups. Just to be standing here today and to be able to get on the podium with these two girls is actually such an honor. I probably can’t put into words how amazing it feels to be here.”
Jack said winning a gold medal in an individual event is the next thing for her to chase with plenty of fire in her belly.
“I have always loved being part of the relays but to progress and to be on the podium as an individual swimmer is second to none,” she said.
“I’m so proud of myself and these girls tonight. We gave it our all.
“I don’t think I’ve given myself that time to recognize how far I’ve come.”
It was an emotional night for the Aussie team with McKeon also briefly breaking down in tears after her historic achievement.
Jack’s emotion shows how far she has come.
She last month became a world champion after anchoring the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay team to gold in Budapest.
Jack was returning after the shock moment on the eve of the 2019 World Championships where it was revealed she had tested positive to anabolic agent Ligandrol.
Jack continually maintained her innocence and had her suspension cut in half by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in November 2020.
The Brisbane Lions’ premiership hopes took a significant hit on Sunday afternoon, with Richmond putting the side’s top-four hopes in jeopardy following a stunning come-from-behind win at the MCG.
Brisbane at one stage in the first half held a 42-point lead, but was reigned in during a thrilling second-half that ultimately ended in the Lions’ 11th straight loss at the MCG, with the side still yet to win at the venue since 2014.
Despite the loss, Fagan said the MCG hoodoo remained an external talking point rather than a genuine phenomenon.
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Brisbane Lions press conference | 06:30
“It’s our best performance at the MCG for a long period of time I would’ve thought,” he said post-game.
“It doesn’t matter to me but I thought anyone watching the game would’ve thought it was a fantastic game of football. We were in it all the way to the end.
“Richmond had a really strong team tonight outside of Dustin. They had a lot to play for, as did we, we were trying to cement ourselves in the top four, now we’re in a battle, they’re trying to get back in the eight … there was no lack of effort on our side or theirs, it was a good reply in that regard.”
Not helping the Lions’ cause was an injury to Zac Bailey in the opening half, which forced Darcy Fort – a ruckman – into the contest as his replacement.
It was a move that raised eyebrows, but one Fagan was coy on when asked post-game.
“In hindsight it was the wrong decision to have Darcy as the sub. It’s probably something I’d rather keep in-house to be honest,” he said.
“I appreciate you asking the question, but we have our reasons and they’re good reasons, but in reflection tonight it would’ve been better to have a running player for sure.”
Speaking on Fox Footy, Dermott Brereton said Fagan had every right to be more frustrated with his side.
“I wouldn’t like to be sitting on one of the wooden seats inside the rooms as coach Fagan decides to give them a recital of what he’s just seen in the last 60 minutes,” he said.
Richmond Tigers Press Conference | 08:42
“Even though they got to within two goals at three quarter-time, I felt like they could still stabilize, Brisbane. Not until Rioli bombed one from 55m did I go ‘woah, this is really dangerous for them now’.”
Co-host Nick Dal Santo said the MCG factor was less of a concern than the sheer collapse the side suffered in the second half.
“Yes the ground conversation will get brought up and I think rightly so, but more damning and more disappointing from a coach’s perspective and the leaders of this football club is they weren’t able to shut the game down during the third quarter, let alone the last quarter,” he said.
“Lachie Neale got enough of the football, so my question becomes what went wrong and who didn’t stand up?
“Because you can’t ask a lot more from their key forwards, particularly in that first half, but it dropped off so quickly and their inability to minimize the momentum when the Tigers had it.”
Asked if there were elements of a “choke” in the Lions’ loss, Dal Santo said: “You’d have to say yes. But to what degree of a choke, I’m not quite sure.
“But when you’re up by 42 points, you are well and truly in control.”
Brereton added: “I thought they put in well enough to say it wasn’t a choke. Richmond just went back to their tried and true formula.”
Just one week out from the fight, Jake Paul’s scheduled bout against Hasim Rahman Jr. has been canceled due to Rahman Jr. having serious issues with his weight cut.
The New York State Athletic Commission forced Rahman Jr., who normally fights at heavyweight, to submit regular weight checks to ensure he was cutting weight safely after the 31-year-old was given just one month to prepare.
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But according to Rahman Jr.’s promoter Greg Cohen, he was struggling badly with the weight cut and was sitting at 214 pounds just one week out from the bout.
It forced a complete cancellation of the event and prompted a strongly-worded statement from Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions.
“On Friday, Rahman submitted a weight check to the NYSAC that demonstrated he had lost less than 1 pound since originally signing to take the fight 24 days prior,” the statement read.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JULY 12: Jake Paul and Hasim Rahman face-off during a press conference at Madison Square Garden on July 12, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
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“This prompted the commission to declare that it would not sanction the fight at less than 205 lbs. Still, Jake Paul was prepared to move forward with the fight at this new weight and a new contract was sent to Rahman’s promoter reflecting a 205 lbs. limit, impose strict penalties should he fail to make weight.
“Upon receiving this new contract Saturday morning, Rahman’s camp indicated for the very first time that he planned to weigh 215 lbs. at the official weigh-in and would not agree to weigh-in at 205 pounds and informing Most Valuable Promotions that they are pulling out of the fight unless the fight was agreed to at 215 pounds.
“MVP and Jake Paul will not reward someone that has conducted themselves in such a deceiving and calculated manner. Therefore, MVP is left with no choice but to cancel the August 6th event.
“This forced outcome impacts Jake Paul, Amanda Serrano and every other fighter on this card who have trained endlessly over the past few months for this event. The boxing community must hold Hasim Rahman Jr. liable for his lack of professionalism.”
Rahman Jr. stepped in on one month’s notice as Paul’s fight against Tommy Fury collapsed for the second time.
Fury, the younger brother of heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, first withdrew due to broken ribs and a chest infection in December last year and then pulled out in July because of visa issues trying to get into the US.
