AFL: West Coast trounce Bulldogs in Perth
AFL: it’s all over in Perth, and the home side have given the visitors from Melbourne an absolute shellacking. Final score, West Coast 21.7 (133)-10.12 (72) Western Bulldogs.
And that’s all from me, too. Thank you for your company and comments today.
Tennis: the French Open is continuing at Roland Garros and our liveblog there is in the hands of Daniel Harris.
Cricket: if you’re looking for the liveblog of the Bangladesh v South Africa game at the World Cup, Rob Smyth has got you covered.
AFL: it’s three-quarter time in Perth, and what was a tight game up to half-time, is no more. The homeboys have almost twice the score of the visitors from Melbourne. It’s West Coast 16.5 (101)-7.10 (52) Western Bulldogs.
Football: Andy Hunter has analysed Jürgen Klopp’s transformative effect at Liverpool over the past four years. “Every campaign under the 51-year-old has yielded progress.”
Cricket: Tanya Aldred has written a lovely piece about the joys of the Cricket World Cup.
AFL: it’s half-time in Perth in a tight game, and it’s West Coast 7.3 (45)-4.10 (34) Western Bulldogs.
NRL: final score Gold Coast 4-6 North Queensland
NRL: it’s all over in the Queensland derby. Final score, Gold Coast 4-6 North Queensland.
From AAP:
Brave Cowboys grind NRL win over Titans
A last-gasp tackle in the corner by Kyle Feldt has secured an undermanned North Queensland a hard-fought NRL win over Gold Coast.
The winger flung himself at Brian Kelly as the Titans’ centre dived for the left corner on the fulltime siren, denying him the try and ensuring a 6-4 win for the Cowboys on Sunday at Cbus Super Stadium.
Already going into the match without State of Origin players Michael Morgan and Josh McGuire, as well as injured pair Justin O’Neill and Matt Scott, the Cowboys played the second half with just two fit players on the bench after Gideon Gela-Mosby (shoulder) and Corey Jensen (concussion) succumbed to injury.
The loss is heartbreaking for the Titans, who had missed penalty goal shots through Ash Taylor and Tyrone Roberts to level at 6-6 and failed to register a point in the second half against their 15-man opponents.
Dale Copley opened the scoring midway through the first half to set up a 4-0 halftime lead for the hosts, before Jason Taumalolo’s burrowing effort in the second term put the Cowboys in front.
The Titans kept coming at their flagging opponents, and had their first chance to tie up the scores when Feldt was penalised for blocking Copley when he was attempting to get under a high ball.
Taylor shanked his kick well wide.
With six minutes to go, the Titans believed they’d broken the Cowboys’ resistance when Kevin Proctor gathered a Roberts kick but the try was disallowed for a knock-on.
Despite the four-pointer being ruled out, the Titans were given a penalty for Kurt Baptiste attacking the legs of Roberts, with the Cowboys’ utility being placed on report.
Taylor passed up the opportunity to take the resulting penalty goal, with Roberts steering his kick just wide.
There was still time for one last Titans’ charge with Tyrone Peachey’s grubber and regather allowing him to fling the ball wide to Kelly with the tryline beckoning.
Just as the home fans rose to their feet, however, Feldt came across to knock Kelly into touch and seal the Cowboys’ third win in a row.
The defeat leaves the Titans second last on the competition ladder with six points, while North Queensland move up to one of five teams around the top eight with 12 points.
Updated
AFL: the second quarter has just started in the third game of the day. It’s West Coast 19-19 Western Bulldogs.
AFL: final score, Essendon 11.8 (74)-4.9 (33) Carlton
AFL: it’s all over at the MCG. Final score, Essendon 11.8 (74)-4.9 (33) Carlton.
From AAP:
Bombers thump dire Blues in AFL slugfest
A depleted Essendon have consigned AFL rivals Carlton to more misery, thumping the Blues by 41 points in a wet-weather grind at the MCG.
Sunday’s 11.8 (74) to 4.9 (33) defeat leaves the Blues with four wins from their past 43 games and fourth-year coach Brendon Bolton under growing pressure.
Save for two Charlie Curnow majors in the third quarter, the Blues were held goalless after quarter-time in another dire showing.
Bombers skipper Dyson Heppell (36 disposals, seven clearances) starred in the midfield, Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti booted three majors and Michael Hurley and Cale Hooker’s intercept marking was enormous down back.
Second-gamer Dylan Clarke was given the task of tagging Patrick Cripps and performed admirably, restricting Cripps to just 11 touches and gathering 23 of his own.
Ed Curnow’s tagging job on Zach Merrett (22 disposals) was similarly effective but Heppell, Darcy Parish and Matt Guelfi continued to find the footy.
Missing star quartet Dylan Shiel, Jake Stringer, Joe Daniher and Orazio Fantasia to injuries, the inconsistent Bombers looked ripe for the picking for a bottom-place Blues side desperate to bank their second win of the season.
But the tone was set in the opening minutes when Nic Newman’s kick-in went straight to Heppell to gift Essendon their first goal.
The Bombers led narrowly at quarter-time, kicked three goals to none in the second term and did enough from there to deny Carlton momentum.
By halftime, Carlton had 30 inside-50s but a score of just 2.4 as intercept-marking specialists Hurley and Hooker feasted on the Blues’ dismal kicking.
The Essendon duo had a combined 10 marks and 30 disposals by halftime.
In a season of close finishes, the fact Carlton scored 0.1 in the fourth quarter when the margin was just 21 points at three-quarter time will only add to the many criticisms of the club and Bolton’s coaching methods.
With veteran Dale Thomas exiled to the VFL for an off-field incident and Mitch McGovern and Kade Simpson unavailable, the Blues recalled forgotten recruits Darcy Lang and Alex Fasolo.
Lang finished with eight disposals and Fasolo six.
Bottom-placed Carlton host Brisbane next Saturday then face the Western Bulldogs in their final game before their mid-season bye.
Updated
NRL: there are 16 minutes left to go in the Queensland derby, but the game so far has not caused too much stress for whoever’s doing the scoreboard. It’s Gold Coast 4-6 North Queensland.
Updated
AFL: it’s early in the fourth quarter at the MCG and the Bombers are leading. Essendon 53-32 Carlton.
AFL: St Kilda shanghaied by Port Adelaide in China
AFL: it’s all over in Shanghai in what was a very one-sided contest. Final score: St Kilda 9.15 (69)-22.7 (139) Port Adelaide.
From AAP:
Geary hurt again, Power shine in China AFL
St Kilda captain Jarryn Geary has suffered another serious leg injury, with Port Adelaide mauling his team by 70 points at Jiangwan Stadium in China.
Plagued by ill health before their first Shanghai match, the Saints’ China crisis was capped on Sunday with the 22.7 (139) to 9.15 (69) belting.
Geary returned in this match from surgery that left a gruesome scar on his right upper leg.
He has a suspected fracture and has been taken to hospital for x-rays.
He went down in the last quarter and could not put any weight on his right leg as two trainers helped him from the field.
The fact that one of the AFL’s toughest players was in agony was a bad sign.
While the hospitality marquees at the ground were pumping in the warm and muggy weather, the grandstands were less than half full after a sellout crowd had been spruiked.
Power Midfielder Travis Boak shone with 33 disposals and two goals.
It is Port’s highest score since round six in 2017 and their first 100 point-plus score this season gives them a 6-5 record heading into the bye.
Port’s China campaign is working beautifully on the field, with three convincing wins.
The Saints had been playing with plenty of spirit before their first Shanghai trip, but this was a return to the worst of last year’s struggles.
They are 5-6 and have much to work on during their week off, especially in attack.
They missed too many easy shots on goal and, eventually, the dam wall broke.
The Saints only trailed by 15 points, 11 minutes into the second term, when Ben Long kicked a goal.
Port then went on a nine-goal run.
The Power also had struggled in attack before this game and the move of Dougal Howard into their forward line paid immediate dividends when he kicked the opening goal.
Half-back Riley Bonner, Robbie Gray and St Kilda’s Jade Gresham kicked three goals apiece.
Bonner’s recall freed Dan Houston for a move into the midfield and that also worked.
Gray and Saints defender Josh Battle will come under review for a scuffle on the wing that also had drawn the attention of the emergency umpire.
The last goal of the first half summed up the game - St Kilda could not stop a chain of handballs and Bonner snapped brilliantly on his non-preferred side.
It was the sort of opportunist goal that St Kilda did not look like kicking.
The bout of illness that hit St Kilda over the past couple of days forced two late changes.
Defenders Dan McKenzie and Jonathon Marsh went out and Nick Coffield and Darragh Joyce took their spots.
Ben Paton and Nick Hind arrived after a last-minute overnight flight in case other players didn’t recover in time.
Blake Acres also was ruled out on Friday because of a virus that he already had when the team arrived in Shanghai.
Updated
Super Netball: Giants beat Thunderbirds 65-54
Super Netball: it’s all over in Sydney and the women from Western Sydney have prevailed. Final score: Giants 65-54 Thunderbirds.
From AAP:
Giants surge into Super Netball top four
Australian pair Caitlin Bassett and Jamie-Lee Price have shown why they’ll be major Diamonds assets in this year’s World Cup, dominating as Giants Netball picked up a 65-54 win over the Adelaide Thunderbirds in Sydney.
Bassett scored 31 points while national teammate Price was sensational in midcourt in a victory that inserts them back into the Super Netball top four.
It was close for the majority of the opening half-hour, with both sides unwilling to give the other an inch, but the Giants took a slim advantage into the break after costly Thunderbirds errors and duly romped home. Jo Harten scored her 1000th Super Netball goal in the first quarter and put her side on the front foot for the entire hour, finishing with 32 points.
The hosts extended their lead to eight points heading into three-quarter time as their stars up front delivered sublime shooting performances, while their urgency in defence continued to thwart Thunderbirds opportunities.
It was not so pretty for the South Australians, meanwhile, with both Maria Folau and Sasha Glasgow struggling in front of goal.
Both sides will be hungry for a win next weekend when they take on the West Coast Fever and Sunshine Coast Lightning respectively.
Updated
Super Netball: the third quarter has just ended in Sydney and the women from Western Sydney have again widened their lead. It’s Giants 49-41 Thunderbirds.
AFL: back in Terra Australis, it’s half-time and the score is not quite so dramatic. Essendon 5.4 (34)-2.4 (16) Carlton.
AFL: it’s three-quarter time in China and St Kilda are being shanghaied. It’s St Kilda 7.10 (52)-18.3 (111) Port Adelaide.
Updated
Super Netball: it’s half-time in Sydney and the women from Western Sydney have widened their lead. It’s Giants 32-27 Thunderbirds.
AFL: the first quarter has just ended at the MCG and it’s Essendon 2.3 (15)-2.2 (14) Carlton.
Super Netball: it’s quarter-time in the second netball game of the day and it’s Giants 15-14 Thunderbirds.
Updated
AFL: it’s half-time in Shanghai and playing in China seems to suit the South Australian visitors. It’s St Kilda 5.8 (38)-12.3 (75) Port Adelaide.
Updated
Football: Andy Hunter reports that Jürgen Klopp was ‘relieved and emotional’ after Liverpool’s Champions League win. Well, he would be, wouldn’t he?
AFL: it is quarter-time in Shanghai and it’s the South Australians with the lead. St Kilda 3.4 (22)-5.3 (31) Port Adelaide.
Updated
Super Netball: Swifts beat Magpies 68-52
Super Netball: we have our first final score of the day, and it’s a home win. Swifts 68-52 Magpies.
From AAP:
Super Sam takes Swifts to top of ladder
Sam Wallace has continued her stellar Super Netball run of form, scoring 54 points as the NSW Swifts picked up a convincing 68-52 win over the Collingwood Magpies.
The Trinidad and Tobago superstar was at her scintillating best at Qudos Bank Arena on Sunday and continues to grow in confidence, while her skipper Maddy Proud finished with a game-high 28 assists.
The Swifts were able to jump out of the gates strongly in the first two quarters and got themselves out to an 11-point lead at one stage during the second quarter against a Magpies outfit struggling to make their mark.
Wallace was responsible for the majority of the shooting for the hosts after a few uncharacteristic misses early on from Helen Housby. However the England national star was providing plenty of energy and finished the game with 16 assists.
The visitors made three substitutions during the second quarter after a poor start across the court but Shimona Nelson was not letting any of that phase her as she reached 22 points by the break despite her side trailing heavily on the scoreboard.
The Swifts took their lead to 11 points by the end of the third quarter and were in complete control of their opposition for most of the 60 minutes.
It was a dominant win for the Swifts against a Magpies side sitting inside the competition’s top four and the likes of Wallace and Proud will no doubt put the rest of the league on notice with their performances.
Updated
Football: Jürgen Klopp and Liverpool are rightly praised by Barney Ronay at the Estadio Metropolitano.
Tennis: Ashleigh Barty is emerging as a serious contender in France after overnight results. This from AAP:
A steeled Ashleigh Barty is sure she’s ready to handle the occasion as she enters the second week of the French Open as a genuine contender in a wide open field.
The Australian’s path to a grand slam title on the Paris clay was turned on its head during a dramatic Saturday at Roland Garros, when both Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka fell.
Eighth seed Barty was calm among the chaos, comfortably booking a maiden fourth-round appearance with a 6-3 6-1 defeat of former world No.9 Andrea Petkovic.
Up next stop is a Monday tussle with Sofia Kenin, who blasted Williams off the court to the 10th seed’s hunt for a record-equalling 24th major title.
World No.1 Osaka had won the last two majors but her defeat means defending champion Simona Halep (third seed) is now the only higher-ranked woman between Barty and a Roland Garros final.
She has now reached the final 16 of her last three grand slams, while an unbeaten run to the Fed Cup final and a title in Miami have corresponded with a steady rise into the world’s top 10.
“I think overall, me being able to handle different occasions is getting better and better,” Barty said.
“Regardless of whether it’s a slam, a big tournament, Fed Cup, all of these different occasions I’ve been thrown into, I feel like we’ve been able to deal with it really well and, in a way, bring it back to the way I want to play and just simplify it.”
Barty is vying to become the first Australian champion in Paris since Margaret Court in 1973 but the level-headed 23-year-old isn’t thinking beyond Monday.
“(Kenin) is an incredible competitor, she really is,” Barty, who is now poised to enter the world’s top five, said of the 20-year-old.
“I got a little bit of a taste of that at Fed Cup earlier this year.
“She certainly respects every opponent but doesn’t play their reputation.
“She plays them just on the other side of the net and that’s one of her best attributes.
“It’s going to be an extremely tough match come Monday.”
First she will return to the courts on Sunday, due to partner Victoria Azarenka in the second round of women’s doubles, having teamed with the former world No.1 to win in Rome last month.
A current top-10 doubles player, Barty reached the final in Paris with compatriot Casey Dellacqua two years ago.
Super Netball: back to the netball, where it’s three-quarter time and the home side has the advantage. Swifts 49-38 Magpies.
Cricket: Australia’s cricketers were in little hurry to get to the finish line against Afghanistan, but they got there eventually.
Football: it was not a good night in Eindhoven for the Matildas, as our man Richard Parkin reports:
Football: I’m sure you are all aware by now that Liverpool beat Tottenham Hotspur in the European Champions League final, but you may not have yet read the Guardian’s report. Something you can rectify right now.
Boxing: and let us not forget that the female boxing world is also very exciting. My countrywoman Katie Taylor is now the undisputed champion.
Boxing: in case you’ve somehow missed it, we’ve already had one shock in the world of sport today. Andy Ruiz Jr showed Anthony Joshua who’s really the boss.
Super Netball: in our first port of call today, at half-time it’s: Swifts 36-22 Magpies.
Updated
Preamble
Good afternoon (or good morning, depending on where you’re reading this), and welcome to another busy day of Australian sport.
We will be tracking Swifts v Magpies and Giants v Thunderbirds in netball, St Kilda v Port, Essendon v Carlton and West Coast v Bulldogs in AFL, Titans v Cowboys in the NRL and, later in a separate liveblog, the Cricket World Cup match between South Africa and Bangladesh.
