In summary
That’s all from me today, wrapping up a huge day of AFL action which gave us another couple of thrillers in the Fremantle and Melbourne victories. Fremantle’s debutant Ryan Nyhuis was the story for mine, after he admitted post-match that he’d never really played as a forward previously (he kicked four goals for the visitors, including the sealer). Nyhuis was a late call-up after Mundy withdrew with illness. The Roos will be devastated, after Goldstein had a chance to win the game from only 20m out but missed.
Our feature match for the day, between the Blues and Dees, was much closer than the final scoreline suggests - with Lewis booting a bonus goal after the siren. The Dees were smart with the ball in the final minute, particularly Alex Neal-Bullen, who took his full 30 seconds before passing off to Lewis in space. The Blues would be filthy with Lewis taking the final kick. They hassled him all day after he fractured Patrick Cripps’ jaw in their earlier clash this season. Cripps was a casualty again for the Blues, this time after an accidental kick to the knee by Josh Wagner.
Lastly, the Power scored a crucial away victory against the Eagles, and find themselves again in the top four in this hard-to-predict season.
In the NRL, the Bulldogs gave Josh Reynolds a fitting send off after their unbelievable come-from-behind victory. In a game only the Knights could lose, Newcastle led by 4 points with just under two minutes to go, before a wayward Brock Lamb kick was intercepted by Moses Mbye. They Knights will be shattered, but it was heart-warming to see Reynolds carried off by his adoring fans.
I hope you’ll join me again soon for another Sunday sportwatch. In the meantime, you can join in the live Women’s World Cup cricket action between the two powerhouses in England and Australia here.
Updated
Port Adelaide 18.11 (119) beat West Coast 13.10 (88)
Goals to Paddy Ryder and another to Trengove round out the game for the Power. Dixon kicked 5 goals for the Power, with 7 marks inside 50 and 8 score involvements. Ryder had 17 disposals, 38 hitouts and 2 goals - a huge game from their in-form ruckman. Gray kicked three, and Westhoff and Trengove added two goals each.
For the Eagles, Andrew Gaff had another big week with 28 disposals, including 15 kicks, 4 clearances and 8 contested possessions. Mark LeCras had a welcome return to form with 4 goals for West Coast.
Power’s win sees them return to the top 4, knocking the Dees out of the four after their win over Carlton. They’ll be pleased with that win, after coach Hinkley last week was forced to agree that Port Adelaide were ‘pretenders’ after their loss at home to Richmond. They were no such thing this week, knocking off another top 4 aspirant in the Eagles.
AFL Q4 02:55 remaining West Coast 13.10 (88) v Port Adelaide 16.11 (107)
Big free kick against Matthew White for a deliberate rushed behind gifts the Eagles a goal. Looked harsh considering the pressure he was under, but upon reviewing it he did have a few opportunities to dispose of the ball. Still very unclear on that rule - I don’t think I’m the only one either.
AFL Q4 04:54 remaining West Coast 12.10 (82) v Port Adelaide 16.11 (107)
That’s five goals to Charlie Dixon, and none were as big as that one. Looks like the Power are home.
Ice Hockey
Yep you read the right - thanks to Libby for tweeting at us to check out the Melbourne Ice Hockey. I can’t promise coverage today, but I’d love to get there soon!
@GdnAusSport check out the @AIHL - passionate fans, fast games & @melbourneice - what more could u want. #MelbourneIceHockey from 5pm today https://t.co/s4t6tJ48UD
— Libby (@libsim) July 8, 2017
AFL Q4 08:36 remaining West Coast 12.9 (81) v Port Adelaide 15.8 (98)
Brilliant effort on the last line of defence from Tom Jonas who was outnumbered two to one. Spoiled one forward, hip and shouldered the other over the line.
Wellingham looks to have got one back for the Eagles, but there’s a score review. The umpire calls a point, with a touch to Pittard. Amazing defence by the Power.
AFL Q4 09:25 remaining West Coast 12.8 (80) v Port Adelaide 15.8 (98)
Guess who? Robbie Gray takes a chest mark inside 50 after a beautiful delivering pass by Travis Boak. It’s back out to 3 goals.
AFL Q4 11:52 remaining West Coast 12.8 (80) v Port Adelaide 14.8 (92)
Dan Houston gives away a bad 50m penalty for an elbow in the back of Sam Mitchell in the forward line. Vardy takes the free down-field, and gets another 50m after a teammate runs through the mark.
AFL Q4 12:29 remaining West Coast 11.8 (74) v Port Adelaide 14.8 (92)
Robbie Gray joins the party with a strong contested mark and goal from 45m out. The Eagles have no answers for the trio of Gray, Westhoff and Dixon.
AFL Q4 14:00 remaining West Coast 11.8 (74) v Port Adelaide 13.8 (86)
Another goal to Westhoff - he’s deadly from that left pocket.
AFL Q4 15:23 remaining West Coast 11.8 (74) v Port Adelaide 12.8 (80)
Instant reply from Jackson Trengove, after a nice clearance from Ollie Wines. Paddy Ryder is dominating the ruck for the Power - he has 33 hitouts, and 15 disposals.
AFL Q4 16:14 remaining West Coast 11.8 (74) v Port Adelaide 11.8 (74)
A brilliant side-step from Sam Mitchell who squares the ball to Mark LeCras. Scores are level again.
AFL Q4 18:25 remaining West Coast 10.8 (68) v Port Adelaide 11.8 (74)
Dashing run from Impey through the middle, who hits up Westhoff, who in turn hits up Dixon.
The silence tells you it’s a goal to the Power.
UFC
It’s all tied up between the Eagles and Power at Domain Stadium. I’ll stay with that game to the end before signing off.
In the meantime, here’s our report on the UFC bout between Whittaker and Romero and a very nationalistic looking photo of ‘our’ Kiwi.
AFL Q3 01:32 remaining West Coast 10.8 (68) v Port Adelaide 10.8 (68)
That didn’t last long - with that man Jetta kicking a goal to put the Eagles back level. Not sure that pass travelled 15m.
AFL Q3 02:15 remaining West Coast 9.8 (62) v Port Adelaide 10.8 (68)
Westhoff goals to put Port Adelaide in front for the first time in this game since the first term. They were up by four goals in the first quarter, before the Eagles kicked the next seven, and haven’t been in front since, until now.
Check out this Lewis ‘Ronaldo’ Jetta celebration from earlier.
That's a monster from Lewis Jetta! Hits the crowd with the Ronaldo celebration too. #AFLEaglesPower pic.twitter.com/XgwaKtvmHq
— AFL (@AFL) July 9, 2017
AFL Q3 06:39 remaining West Coast 9.8 (62) v Port Adelaide 9.7 (61)
Just the single point in it at Domain Stadium. Power are pressing after trailing the Eagles 55-38 early in this quarter.
AFL
I’ll head over to the West Coast v Port Adelaide game shortly, but have just seen this from Wires (AAP). Apparently Fremantle’s Ryan Nyhuis (4 goals, including the match-winner), had never played as a forward before his debut.
Taken by Fremantle in the 2015 rookie draft, the 20-year-old had played mostly as a lockdown defender for WAFL affiliate Peel Thunder. However when former skipper David Mundy pulled out of Sunday’s game, coach Ross Lyon decided the best solution was to throw Nyhuis forward.
“It was the first time in my life I had played forward, basically,” Nyhuis told Fox Footy after the game.
“Ross threw me a curve ball. It was great to be able to do the job.”
Unbelievable.
V8 Supercars
We have a result at Townsville, with the following from AAP:
“Six-time Supercars champion Jamie Whincup equalled Craig Lowndes all-time winning record with a drought-breaking victory in Sunday’s 200km race in Townsville. Whincup’s first win for the Supercars season was the 105th of his career, bringing him level with Triple Eight Racing teammate Lowndes for the most victories in the category’s history.
After starting from pole position for the ninth time this season, McLaughlin led in the early stages but after emerging from his first pit stop Whincup pounced. McLaughlin was up for the fight, but he couldn’t find a way to reel in Whincup’s Holden, as he extended his unrivalled record at the Reid Park street circuit to nine wins.”
NRL
Some great scenes at Belmore with Josh Reynolds getting carried off by Bulldogs fans. There’s so much love here for this man, it’s hard to believe they’ve let him go.
That's one happy @joshreynolds9!#NRLBulldogsKnights #NRL pic.twitter.com/WZycKtsjfl
— NRL (@NRL) July 9, 2017
NRL Canterbury Bulldogs beat Newcastle Knights 20-18
Unbelievable result at Belmore: the Knights looked to have finally won one before this shocker from Brock Lamb with under 2 minutes to go. You have to feel for Newcastle - their fans have suffered immeasurably.
We've said it once and we'll say it again...
— NRL (@NRL) July 9, 2017
It's not over until the final buzzer!#NRLBulldogsKnights #NRL pic.twitter.com/imm9DPuMJt
AFL Melbourne 14.6 (90) beat Carlton 12.10 (82)
Huge contested ball win to Neville Jetta against Kade Simpson, with Simpson running towards goal after a handball from Dale Thomas. The ball goes back into the Melbourne 50, with a mark to Neal-Bullen. He cleverly took his full 30 seconds, before passing sideways to Lewis. The villain will win it for the Dees - and he kicks a bonus goal after the siren too.
Melbourne are in the top 4 pending the conclusion of the West Coast Eagles v Port Adelaide game. Crucial win.
Updated
AFL Q4 2:47 remaining Carlton 12.9 (81) v Melbourne 13.6 (84)
Just a few minutes remaining and some wonderful defence from Melbourne denies the Blues. The Blues-heavy crowd has gone quiet.
AFL Q4 04:41 remaining Carlton 12.9 (81) v Melbourne 13.6 (84)
Against the run of play and all the momentum, Melksham kicks a goal for the Dees after a bad turnover by Sheehan.
AFL Q4 06:14 remaining Carlton 12.10 (82) v Melbourne 12.6 (78)
Casboult takes a huge contested, pack mark. He misses badly, though.
AFL Q4 06:54 remaining Carlton 12.9 (81) v Melbourne 12.6 (78)
Docherty - the man who can do it all - proves he is human with a miss. He’s up to 31 possessions - the Blues have 5 over 30 possessions - Kerridge, Murphy, Simpson, Docherty and Gibbs who have all been huge this quarter.
AFL Q4 10:31 remaining Carlton 12.8 (80) v Melbourne 12.6 (78)
Mistakes galore in this frantic final term. Gibbs, who has had plenty of the ball, turned it over in the middle, but Wagner was caught holding the ball. The Blues, taking the free, turn it over again.
Simpson has been huge for the Blues in this term.
AFL Q4 12:41 remaining Carlton 12.8 (80) v Melbourne 12.6 (78)
Gibbs gets caught holding the ball on the 50m line, Neal-Bullen takes the shot and falls just short, Simpson marking on the line. The pressure is through the roof.
Jayden Hunt thought he’d just kicked Melbourne into the lead, but he runs too far! Brilliant game.
AFL Q4 14:06 remaining Carlton 12.8 (80) v Melbourne 12.5 (77)
Free kick to Garlett, for an over-the-shoulder infringement. He just sneaks it home to bring the Dees back to within 3 points.
Updated
AFL Q4 14:55 remaining Carlton 12.8 (80) v Melbourne 11.4 (71)
Here’s that brilliant SPS goal from earlier.
SAMO! This is why the @CarltonFC fans are enamoured 💙 with this man! #AFLBluesDees pic.twitter.com/gNBHe0CiQ3
— AFL on 7 (@7AFL) July 9, 2017
AFL Q4 15:53 remaining Carlton 12.8 (80) v Melbourne 11.4 (71)
That man Kerridge is in everything and produces a goal assist to captain Marc Murphy. Blues are on fire in the final term!
AFL Q4 16:18 remaining Carlton 11.8 (74) v Melbourne 11.4 (71)
Beautiful run down of Lewis by Docherty brings the Blues crowd to their feet (unfortunately it looked high, but nevermind). Sam Kerridge has now surpassed all comers in the possession count with 30 - he’s had 16 kicks and 8 contested possessions - and bombs the ball inside 50 for Silvagni. Jack Silvagni kicks a big goal ! Blues inf ront!
AFL Q4 18:42 remaining Carlton 10.8 (68) v Melbourne 11.4 (71)
Miracle goal to Sam Petrevski-Seton! Will get you footage of that one as soon as I can. It was a Daicos-style dribble goal from an impossible angle. 3 points in it.
NRL H2 53 min Canterbury Bulldogs 8-12 Newcastle Knights
The Knights are in front after a try to Chanel Mata’utia! Bullet pass from Trent Hodkinson led to that one. Hodkinson also scored a penalty goal earlier, which levelled the scores at 8-8.
The @NRLKnights take the lead thanks to Chanel Mata'utia!#NRLBulldogsKnights 8-12 after 54 minutes.#NRL pic.twitter.com/yoyEIQdtOx
— NRL (@NRL) July 9, 2017
Have to go back to the MCG now but I’ll update you on this game later. Needless to say an upset is brewing.
Updated
AFL three-quarter-time Carlton 9.8 (62) v Melbourne 11.4 (71)
Melbourne kicked 4 goals to 2 in that quarter, to lead by 9 going into the final quarter. Oliver still leads the way for the Demons with 22 disposals (4 clearances, 11 contested possessions), while the villain of this clash Jordan Lewis is up to 21 (9 contested possessions). The difference so far though is Tom McDonald - the defender-turned-forward has 4 goals from 14 possessions.
For the Blues, Sam Docherty, Bryce Gibbs and Marc Murphy all have 24 possessions, Docherty arguably the most damaging of those with 17 kicks and 8 contested possessions.
I’ll check in on the NRL quickly.
AFL Q3 01:41 remaining Carlton 9.8 (62) v Melbourne 11.4 (71)
That man Tom McDonald kicks his fourth goal and threatens to be the difference for the Demons. What a move it was moving him forward - that’s 18 goals for the season.
AFL Q3 02:59 remaining Carlton 9.8 (62) v Melbourne 10.4 (65)
Frantic, fantastic contested footy here - and the Dees - through Tom McDonald - give away 50m after the Blues held off an onslaught.
AFL Q3 04:39 remaining Carlton 9.8 (62) v Melbourne 10.4 (65)
That hurts - Dale Thomas misses an easy snap from 15m out after an assist from Charlie Curnow. He’s taken 4 contested marks, as has Levi Casboult. They’ve been the difference for the Blues.
AFL Q3 07:07 remaining Carlton 9.7 (61) v Melbourne 10.4 (65)
Great play from Carlton sets up Gibbs on the lead. Bad turnover from Tom McDonald in the middle of the ground, who took the aggressive play. Gibbs has had 21 disposals, including 6 contested possessions - but he misses the crucial shot.
AFL Q3 08:54 remaining Carlton 9.6 (60) v Melbourne 10.4 (65)
Tom McDonald is causing all sorts of trouble for the Carlton defenders. Turned them inside out then, before giving the goal assist to Neal-Bullen.
AFL Q3 10:02 remaining Carlton 9.6 (60) v Melbourne 9.4 (59)
Controversy reigns after one umpire pays a mark to Jack Silvagni, while the other calls play on. After consultation, the ball is thrown up to the boos of Carlton fans. The Blues get one back with a free to Murphy for a tackle without the ball. He kicks a beautiful goal from 40m out on a tight angle. Important goal for the Blues, as the game looked to be slipping away.
AFL Q3 10:58 remaining Carlton 8.6 (54) v Melbourne 9.4 (59)
Patrick Cripps has returned to the bench on crutches. That’s a heartbreaking sight for Blues fans.
In better news for the Blues, Matthew Wright kicks his second goal for the afternoon (he’s kicked 20 for the season) after a midfield turnover.
AFL Q3 12:31 remaining Carlton 7.6 (48) v Melbourne 9.5 (59)
Another goal to Jeff Garlett, after Silvagni turned the ball over in the middle.
AFL Q3 15:25 remaining Carlton 7.6 (48) v Melbourne 8.4 (52)
Important mark to Casboult inside 40m after a bullet pass from Gibbs in the centre of the ground. He hits the post.
Updated
AFL Q3 17:40 remaining Carlton 7.5 (47) v Melbourne 8.4 (52)
An early goal to Tom McDonald sees the Dees go in front for the first time in this game.
50m to Docherty who goes for goal from 55m - the ball falls a few metres short after a dropped mark by Curnow. Blues are down to 20 players.
NRL H1 35:16 Canterbury Bulldogs 8-0 Newcastle Knights
A penalty goal is taken by the Bulldogs, which is converted by Kerrod Holland. Smart play there to capitalise on what has been a general dominance in play, without much to show on the scoreboard.
I’ll get back to the AFL feature game now.
Rugby Union
Referee Romain Poite has been under fire in the last few days, after his late decision to revoke a penalty to the All Blacks in their draw with the British and Irish Lions. Poite second-guessed his decision to award a penalty against Ken Owens after he appeared to grab at the ball, after consulting with his assistants.
According to AAP, All Blacks boss Steve Hensen came out on Saturday to say that Poite had ‘overthought’ the decision:
“The more time you have to think about something, we overthink it, and in this case that’s what happened. If you look at Romain’s instincts, it was a penalty – and straight away, you see (Owens), he knew,” said Hansen.
“They’ve just overthought it – if he’d trusted his instinct and gone with them, he would’ve made the right decision. I bet you he’s not feeling good about it.”
Tour de France
While we’re waiting for the AFL to resume, here’s the latest on the Tour de France. Lilian Calmejane (of Direct Energie) won stage eight, despite cramping on the final hill. The 24-year-old is only in his second year as a professional, but did win a stage victory in the Vuelta a España at the end of 2016. He has also won three second-tier stage races this year in the Étoile de Bessèges, the Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali and the Circuit de la Sarthe. Calmejane is the teammate of Thomas Voeckler who will retire this year, at the age of 38 and after a 17-year-career.
For Team Sky, Geraint Thomas misjudged a right-hand hairpin on descent and took Chris Froome out with him – Thomas hitting a barrier and Froome going off road. Both, however, recovered well and Froome remains in the yellow jersey, with Thomas second.
Today’s stage sees plenty of mountain climbing – with seven rated climbs in the 181.5km across the north-west side of the Alps. Three of those ascents are ranked hors categorie.
NRL H1 21:22 Canterbury Bulldogs 6-0 Newcastle Knights
Just the one try here at Belmore - to Kerrod Holland who followed up with a conversion.
Some quick hands produced that one:
Quick hands! 🙌#NRLBulldogsKnights 6-0 after 8 minutes. #NRL pic.twitter.com/E2zBuZVExA
— NRL (@NRL) July 9, 2017
The Bulldogs are also dominating the stats, with 65% possession, and 622m compared to 266m to the Knights. Marcelo Montoya has run 81 metres for Canterbury. The Dogs have also had 4 line breaks to none.
For the Knights, Mitchell Barnett has 15 tackles and 43m metres run.
AFL half-time Carlton 7.5 (47) v Melbourne 7.4 (46)
Free-kick to Tom McDonald on the siren. He converts to make it a 1-point margin. Carlton players run to Jordan Lewis, and Vince throws a jumper punch. We’ll see what happens at the MRP...
I’ll go round the grounds in just a moment.
AFL Q2 00:45 remaining Carlton 7.5 (47) v Melbourne 6.4 (40)
An aggravated Clayton Oliver gets a free kick against Bryce Gibbs on the wing. He’s had 16 possessions now, including 10 contested.
Simon White is holding his left knee and hobbles from the ground. Cripps still hasn’t returned.
AFL Q2 02:23 remaining Carlton 7.5 (47) v Melbourne 6.3 (39)
Boos are following Jordan Lewis wherever he goes. The Dees finally get a mark inside 50 through the returning Jesse Hogan. That’s only his third possession for the day, but he drills it through.
AFL Q2 06:06 remaining Carlton 7.5 (47) v Melbourne 5.3 (33)
Docherty to Silvagni for a beautiful snap goal. That’s deserved reward for the amount of play they’ve had inside 50 this term. Deserve to be further in front.
AFL Q2 06:29 remaining Carlton 6.4 (40) v Melbourne 5.3 (33)
Curnow takes another big mark and puts the Blues inside 50. He’s had 7 disposals - 7 kicks, 2 goals and 3 marks inside 50. Dominating. It’s the best half I’ve seen him play so far.
Here’s the Patrick Cripps incident:
Patrick Cripps has gone down to the rooms after this incident. #AFLBluesDees pic.twitter.com/QIAWPTr7oM
— AFL (@AFL) July 9, 2017
AFL Q2 07:52 remaining Carlton 6.4 (40) v Melbourne 5.3 (33)
Ciaran Sheehan gives away a panic free-kick to Jeff Garlett about 20m from goal. Garlett kicks his first for the afternoon.
AFL Q2 09:32 remaining Carlton 6.4 (40) v Melbourne 4.3 (27)
Second goal for Curnow was a big bomb from just outside 50. He’s been influential - he just set up Levi Casboult who is back on the ground and looks OK. He’ll shoot from 30m out on a small angle. 18.8 he’s kicked from set-shots this year, and he makes no mistake.
AFL Q2 11:00 remaining Carlton 4.4 (28) v Melbourne 4.3 (27)
Big blow for the Blues - Patrick Cripps is leaving the ground after a contact injury (he got a boot from Wagner in the back of the knee). Cripps has had 5 clearances and 9 disposals and will be a big loss if he doesn’t come back on. He heads immediately down the race as Curnow lines up for goal, 50m out.
Updated
AFL Q2 12:07 remaining Carlton 4.3 (27) v Melbourne 4.3 (27)
Kade Simpson takes a mark 45m out after a great spot by Docherty who kicked it across his body to Simpson in space. He misses everything but they’ve had the ball in their 50 for a while now - 60% time in forward half this quarter.
Here’s that exchange between Clayton Oliver and Blues fans.
Clayton Oliver and some Carlton fans shared an exchange. #AFLBluesDees pic.twitter.com/ibexsENgIK
— AFL (@AFL) July 9, 2017
AFL Q2 14:13 remaining Carlton 4.3 (27) v Melbourne 4.3 (27)
The Dees look rejuvenated, and Neal-Bullen goals after a falcon to James Harmes which lands straight in his lap. When things are going your way, they just are.
Clayton Oliver is dominating with 14 disposals, including 3 clearances and 3 tackles. Bernie Vince has 9 disposals with 5 kicks, but is only going at 44% disposal efficiency.
AFL Q2 15:48 remaining Carlton 4.3 (27) v Melbourne 3.3 (21)
Goal to Josh Wagner after he takes the advantage. That’s two in a row to the Demons - and the lead is down from 19 to 6.
Gibbs’ rich vein of form is continuing for the Blues, with 12 disposals so far (8 kicks, 75% disposal efficiency), while Kreuzer has 8 hitouts, 6 contested possessions, 5 kicks and a goal.
AFL Q2 16:30 remaining Carlton 4.3 (27) v Melbourne 2.3 (15)
Jordan Lewis gives away a free-kick to Docherty, one of the many Blues intent on riling him up. Clayton Oliver, meanwhile exchanges words with some Blues fans. You’d think that’s a win for the Blues - not often you see players engage with fans on the boundary.
AFL Q2 18:08 remaining Carlton 4.3 (27) v Melbourne 2.3 (15)
The Dees get another shot at goal through Dean Kent, 35m out, just a slight angle. They’ve started the second term much better than the last, with much more fluidity in their ball movement.
He misses to the left.
AFL Q2 19:23 remaining Carlton 4.3 (27) v Melbourne 2.2 (14)
The Blues are getting into Jordan Lewis - they haven’t forgotten that he broke Cripps’ jaw last time they played.
Goal to Tom McDonald who is enjoying another foray forward this afternoon. Jones infringed, wrapping his arms around his waist in the marking contest.
UFC
This just in from Wires, thanks to Associated Press:
Robert Whittaker won the UFC interim middleweight title, surging in the late rounds to earn a unanimous decision over Yoel Romero at UFC 213.
Whittaker (20-4) recovered from a hyperextended knee in the first round with a strong striking performance, peppering Romero (12-2) with punches and kicks over the final three rounds. The Australian/New Zealander won his eighth consecutive fight, earning the victory 48-47 on all three judges’ scorecards at T-Mobile Arena.
“It’s a moment I’ve always dreamed of,” Whittaker said.
“My knee was definitely hurt. I injured it in camp, and Romero’s kick set it back weeks. I know that Romero will capitalize on any weakness he sees, so I had to play it off. That’s just what champions are made of.”
AFL Q1 quarter-time Carlton 4.3 (27) v Melbourne 1.2 (8)
Jed Lamb was in all sorts of space in the forward 50, and had Kreuzer free in the square, but missed him. Let off for the Dees. He’s causing headaches Kreuzer, and has another shot at goal after an almost-mark against both Gawn and Joel Smith, who infringes. He looks to have kicked it but we’re going to the goal review. It’s unclear whether the ball has hit the post, so the original, umpire’s decision stands: a goal.
While it’s quarter-time, I’ll check in on other sports news.
Updated
AFL Q1 02:14 remaining Carlton 3.3 (21) v Melbourne 1.2 (8)
Apologies for that quick break, I wanted to take you to the final moments of the Dockers Roos clash given how close it was. That’s another thriller for the round.
Meanwhile, the Dees have scored a goal through Josh Wagner, and Charlie Curnow scores a behind after being called on for stepping off his mark inside 50.
AFL Fremantle 13.8 (86) beat North Melbourne 12.10 (82)
Huge win for the Dockers and a heartbreaking loss for the Roos - Todd Goldstein had an easy shot at goal for them to win that one. They’ll rue their missed chances in that final quarter.
I’ll head back to our feature game now.
AFL Q4 00:10 remaining North Melbourne 12.10 (82) v Fremantle 13.8 (86)
A free kick to Todd Goldstein, with 40 seconds remaining. Bad mistake by the young ruckman in Sean Darcy. HE MISSES!
AFL Q4 01:04 remaining North Melbourne 12.9 (81) v Fremantle 13.8 (86)
A minute to go in this one and the ball is deep in the North Melbourne forward line. A goal will win it by 1 point.
AFL Q4 02:19 remaining North Melbourne 12.8 (80) v Fremantle 13.8 (86)
Just jumping over to this game to let you know that the debutant Nyhuis has kicked his FOURTH goal to put the Dockers in front with a couple of minutes to go. What an unbelievable game from him - the Dockers will be (oddly) glad Mundy withdrew!
Updated
AFL Q1 08:33 remaining Carlton 3.1 (19) v Melbourne 0.1 (1)
Big, strong contested mark to Charlie Curnow after a nice 50m entry by Kade Simpson. That’s three goals to none to the Blues.
Scores are LEVEL in the clash between the Kangaroos and the Dockers after a third goal to debutant Ryan Nyhuis and behind to Shane Kersten. I’ll keep you updated on that one. The Kangaroos have had several shots at goal this quarter, but missed chances.
AFL Q1 11:00 remaining Carlton 2.1 (13) v Melbourne 0.1 (1)
Match alert: Clayton Oliver is already up to 8 disposals (all handballs, but 4 contested possessions and one clearance)
Gawn has 8 hit-outs and is dominating Kreuzer in the ruck so far.
Casboult is off the ground with an ankle injury, it seems.
AFL Q1 14:06 remaining Carlton 2.1 (13) v Melbourne 0.1 (1)
Some nice defensive work from Liam Jones before against Jesse Hogan. No wonder Carlton want him to sign on after years in the wilderness. Couldn’t find him that time though, with Hogan out on his own. He had a clear shot at goal, no pressure, but misses to the left.
Carlton make Melbourne pay with a running goal to Jack Silvagni down the other end.
(Just keeping an eye on the NMFC v Fremantle score and the Kangaroos have hit the lead by 5).
AFL Q1 19:02 remaining Carlton 1.1 (7) v Melbourne 0.0 (0)
Wayward set shot by Kreuzer to open the scoring for the Blues. Some spite in this clash already, with a down-field free kick being paid to Carlton in the goal square - off the boot of Matthew Wright.
St Kilda legend Nathan Burke has tweeted in with this classic:
Is there any truth to the rumour that @Larnell13 is actually Navi Nina when she isn't captaining the Blues AFLW?
— Nathan Burke (@Nathan3Burke) July 9, 2017
Here’s a photo of Lauren and Kelli from my time in the ABC Grandstand box last weekend. They were brilliant - great fun and so professional!
AFL Q1 Carlton 0.0 (0) v Melbourne 0.0 (0)
We’re about to get going here at the MCG, and there are no late changes to either team.
F1
A touch over 5 minutes to go until the start of the Carlton v Melbourne clash, which I’ll get to shortly.
In Formula 1 news, Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas has taken pole position in the Austrian Grand Prix – and is in much better position than his teammate Lewis Hamilton, whose gearbox problems meant he took a five-place grid penalty into racing. Hamilton finished third, but will start from eighth with the penalty. Sebastian Vettel, meanwhile, will start in second and has a 14-point lead in the world championship. Starting from third will be Vette’s teammate in Kimi Raikkonen, while Red Bulls Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen round out the top five.
AFL three-quarter-time North Melbourne 8.4 (52) v Fremantle 9.6 (60)
North Melbourne are right back in this one at Etihad and we are set for another tight finish between these two sides. Nat Fyfe remains the leading disposal-winner with 26 (12 contested possessions, 8 clearances, 81% disposal efficiency) and Michael Walters remains their leading goal-scorer with 3. Darcy Tucker and debutant Ryan Nyhuis have 2 each. Lachie Neale is not far behind Fyfe, with 24 disposals (10 contested possessions, 7 clearances).
For the Kangaroos, Higgins now has 22 disposals (15 kicks and a goal), while Jack Ziebell kicked one not long before the three-quarter-time siren to inspire his team. Ziebell has 19 possessions (10 contested possessions, 6 clearances).
This one looks set to go down to the wire. The momentum is with the Kangaroos. Joel Hamling looks sore with a right hip injury but is still out on the ground.
V8 Supercars
There’s also some Watpac Townsville 400 V8 Supercars action today, and Ford’s Scott McLaughlin’s dominance looks set to continue after he took provisional pole for the 200km race. He took the championship lead by winning Saturday’s race, and then broke his lap record with a time of one minute and 12.0307 seconds.
UFC
In UFC news, thanks to Associated Press, Bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes was scratched from her title defense against Valentina Shevchenko after she was hopsitalised on Saturday a few hours before UFC 213. The UFC simply cited ‘illness’ without elaborating.
Yoel Romero’s interim middleweight title bout against Robert Whittaker will be the main event of the pay-per-view show at T-Mobile Arena. I’ll bring you news of that as soon as it comes in.
Rugby League
In State of Origin news (thanks to AAP), Billy Slater is in some trouble ahead of potentially his final Origin clash, rolling his ankle in a late training drill on Sunday. Queensland have said they still expect Slater to play in game three, after he was able to walk from the ground unassisted. While it might be Slater’s last game, Queensland will say farewell to Jonathan Thurston with a pre-match tribute on Wednesday, after Thurston was forced to retire his 37 Origin game career after a shoulder injury. Queensland may also say goodbye to Cooper Cronk, pending a decision on his future after he announced earlier in the year that he’ll move to Sydney at the end of 2017.
In the NSW camp, Andrew Johns has urged critics to lay off Mitchell Pearce in the lead-up to the decider on Wednesday. Johns said Pearce had been unfairly criticised and scrutinised, and was confident he would walk away a winner at the end of Wednesday night.
NSW go into the game with plenty of injury woes, with Tedesco, Frizzell, Cordner, Dugan and De Belin all injured. Tedesco and Dugan however look certain to play. The long list of injuries is a dramatic decline from game one for the Blues, who had a clean bill of health when they dominated Queensland.
Updated
Tennis
It has been a bad news week for tennis, particularly Australian tennis, with Bernard Tomic fined 11,600 pounds (approx. $20,000 AUS) after his controversial first-round exit. He earned 35,000 for the tournament.
Tomic lost in straight sets to Mischa Zverev on Tuesday, and said in his press conference that he was ‘bored’ during the match.
“I couldn’t care less if I make a fourth round at the US Open or I lose the first round. To me everything is the same. I’m going to play another 10 years, and I know after my career I won’t have to work again.”
He also admitted calling for the trainer even though he wasn’t injured. He was subsequently dumped by sponsor Head, who said “his opinions in no way reflect our own attitude for tennis, our passion, professionalism and respect for the game”.
Meanwhile, Daniil Medvedev (the Russian who knocked out Stan Wawrinka) was also fined three times for $14,500 for ‘unsportsmanlike conduct’. He was fined $7500 after he threw coins at umpire Mariana Alves – presumably a subtle reference to her having been ‘paid off’ by his opponent - when he lost in the second-round to Belgium’s Ruben Bemelmans.
I’ll check in on Wires now to bring you other sports news.
Tennis
In other news at Wimbledon, there has been further disconcertment amongst the players over the state of the courts. Both Andy Murray and Roger Federer have now added their voices to the chorus of complaints about the slipperiness of the surface at Wimbledon. Murray said he had noticed divots on Centre Court, and said the condition of the courts was not up to its usual standard.
This follows the devastating knee injury suffered by Bethanie Mattek-Sands on Thursday night. Sands was crying and screaming for help on court before she was taken to hospital, and complaints followed about the condition of the courts, and the delay in treatment.
On the same day on another outside court, Kristina Mladenovic (12th seed) and Alison Riske (unseeded) had both unsuccessfully asked for the umpire to stop play because they felt the court’s surface was unsafe. Mladenovic claimed that there were holes in the courts, and that the grass had also disappeared. She said the court was very slippery, making it dangerous for both players, who were nonetheless told they could not stop play.
Tennis
While we’re waiting on the start of the Blues v Dees match, I’ll recap some of the tennis action from Wimbledon, and also check in on what else is happening via Wires.
In the men’s draw, Roger Federer has won in straight sets 7-6 (7-3), 6-4, 6-4 over German and 27th seed Mischa Zverev. Zverev is now yet to beat Federer in five matches between the pair – but it was an improvement for him on grass given he failed to qualify in 2016 (as well as 2013 and 2012). The contest was closer than the scoreboard intimates, but it was an impressive showing from Federer nonetheless, given he is fighting a cold. Still, he will want to be on song for his clash with Grigor Dimitrov on Monday, who eased through his third-round match with Dudi Sela who pulled out with a groin injury after being down 6-1, 6-1. Dimitrov has been in impressive form, but like Zverev, has never beaten Federer after five attempts.
Meanwhile, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga technically lost in four minutes, as he returned to court to face Sam Querrey after their game was suspended for bad light on Friday night. Tsonga was down 6-5 in the final set, on serve, but was broken by Querrey.
In the women’s draw, Angelique Kerber survived a scare against Shelby Rogers, when she trailed by a set and 4-2 before advancing 4-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-4. Kerber lost in last year’s final to Serena Williams and will be hoping to go one better this year. She’ll face Garbiñe Muguruza – the 2015 runner-up – in the next round. Muguruza by comparison cruised through her match, winning 6-2, 6-2 over Romania’s Sorana Cirstea.
Meanwhile, Agnieszka Radwanska and Caroline Wozniacki both came from a set down in their matches to advance to the fourth round. Radwanska defeated 19th seed Timea Bacsinszky 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 and will face Svetlana Kuznetsova – the seventh seed. Wozniacki trailed Anett Knotaveit a set and 5-4, 0-30 before claiming victory 3-6, 7-6 (7-3), 6-2. She’ll play Coco Vandeweghe – the 24th seed. Finally, Magdalena Rybarikova showed she’s no one-round wonder, after following up her shock defeat of Karolina Pliskova with a win over Lesia Tsurenko to go into the fourth round for the first time.
AFL half-time North Melbourne 6.3 (39) v Fremantle 9.4 (58)
This game is already well under way at Etihad stadium, with the Dockers leading 9.4 (58) to 6.3 (39) at half-time. Nat Fyfe looks on his way to his best, with 23 disposals at 83% disposal efficiency, including 11 contest possessions and 7 clearances. Michael Walters is also continuing his hot vein of form with 3 goals and 13 disposals at 100% efficiency. He was phenomenal last week, with 32 disposals and 6 goals against St Kilda in their narrow loss. Debutant Ryan Nyhuis (pictured below) also has 2 goals after coming in late to replace David Mundy (illness).
For the Kangaroos, Shaun Higgins has 16 disposals (11 kicks, 75% disposal efficiency) and Ben Brown has 2 goals (6 marks).
Both teams have struggled coming into this game. North Melbourne have lost their last four in a row, while Fremantle have lost their last five and are without ruckman and veteran Sandilands with a hamstring for the season. Sean Darcy has stepped up in his absence, and has 15 hit-outs at half-time. Has had 30 disposals and 73 hit-outs across two games so far. The Kangaroos are also without Jarrad Waite for the next month, but regained Ben Cunnington.
It looks like this will be another close one. These two sides met in round five – when the Roos were up by 29 points in the third-quarter only to get overrun in the last. Shane Kersten kicked the winner with 40 seconds to go.
I want to say Fremantle will close this one out, but every time I do they lose. Players are back out on the ground for the second half.
Hello everyone, and welcome to another Sunday edition of Guardian Sportwatch. I’m Kate O’Halloran, and here we keep up to date with what’s happening in the world of Australian sport, whatever your preferred shape of ball, with our rolling liveblog. Don’t forget to tweet us @GdnAusSport with the hashtag #sportwatch.
Today’s feature match is the Carlton v Melbourne clash 3:20pm at the MCG, and it should be an interesting one. Melbourne would seem the logical favourites, but on form and injury the Blues are a fighting chance. The Demons have plenty of injury woes – with co-captains Nathan Jones and Jack Viney out alongside Jack Watts and Christian Salem. Thomas Bugg is also out - for the next 6 - in a penalty that would seem ‘manifestly adequate’. The Dees do welcome back Jesse Hogan in a spiritual boost to the side, after his scare with testicular cancer. In the absence of the Dees’ midfield brigade, I’m backing the Blues’ playmakers to fire, with Gibbs in career-best form and Patrick Cripps hitting form at the right end of the season. Sam Docherty has also excelled as the Blues’ general down back, and should give them plenty again this week. I’m looking forward to seeing who wins the ruck battle in this one, with in-form ruckman of the competition Matthew Kreuzer up against Max Gawn who is approaching top gear again after his injury-interrupted season.
These two sides met in round two, in a spiteful clash which saw Jordan Lewis suspended for three weeks for striking Patrick Cripps – who was left with a fractured jaw. Carlton led by three points at three-quarter-time before being overrun six goals to two in the fourth term. History favours the Blues, however, having won seven of their past nine against Melbourne (since 2010). The two sides play very different styles of football – Melbourne with a fast-paced, handball-happy game, while the Blues rely on their big, contested marks and long, pinpoint kicking. I’m going for an upset here, with the Blues to capitalise on the Demons’ run of injuries, as well as their own hot form.
I’ll also endeavour to take you around the grounds as much as possible, during quarter-time, half-time and three-quarter-time for all your AFL and NRL action. In the NRL, we’ve got the Canterbury v Newcastle game at Belmore Oval at 4pm. This will be one of Josh Reynolds’ final games for the Bulldogs – his last at Belmore – before taking up his four-year deal at Wests Tigers. It’ll be an emotional day for Bulldogs fans, who are devastated to see the club let the five-eighth go. If anyone bleeds blue and white, it’s heart-and-soul Reynolds, and it is hard to fathom that he’ll be in Tigers’ colours next season. Fascinating to see how this one plays out. The Dogs have only won the one game at Belmore since it re-opened, and also lost last week – going down by a golden point to the Parramatta Eels – which left them 6 points outside of the top 8 (they currently sit 13th). They’ve only won 1 of their last 7 games, but have beaten the Knights in their last four clashes.
Meanwhile, the Knights played Reynolds’ future club in the Tigers last week, and were extremely disappointing in the fight to avoid last place. 20-0 down at half time, they were booed by their own fans – a half coach Nathan Brown called ‘embarrassing’. They eventually fell to the Tigers, who themselves had lost 7 games on the run before coming into the match. That’s five-straight defeats for the Knights and coach Brown is feeling the pressure.
I’m tipping the Bulldogs in this one – you’d think they’ll get up for Reynolds, and the fans will be out in force on the hill named in his honour.
I’ll get back to you in a moment with an update from Etihad stadium.
Kate will be with you shortly. In the meantime, check out her report on the women making their mark in AFL commentary.
