Summary
That’s all from me folks, I’m done (well, I’ll do a bit of tidying up on the blog but then I’m done). It’s been a full-on day and, to be perfectly honest, I was distracted by the cricket at times, but then again who wasn’t?
Well done to Melbourne City and Perth Glory, commiserations to the Jets and Adelaide. Two very similar A-League games, with a couple of mistakes proving costly despite the losers playing pretty well. Not that it makes it any easier to take. And at this time of year, please remember those people less fortunate than ourselves. Like Jordan Elsey.
That’s me done for the year. Thanks for joining me, I’ll see you in the amazing futuristic world of 2019. Merry Festivus, and in the words of Tiny Tim Cahill, god bless us - everyone *drops crutch and punches corner flag theatrically*.
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A-League: Adelaide United 0-2 Melbourne City
AAP: Melbourne City banked a precious 2-0 away win against Adelaide United to keep in touch with the A-League pacesetters. City capitalised from two errors by Adelaide’s Jordan Elsey, whose first-half own goal at Coopers Stadium was followed a blunder which led to a Luke Brattan goal.
City leapfrog Adelaide and Wellington to take fourth spot on the ladder and sit one point shy of third-placed Sydney FC. Brattan secured the vital victory with a powerful 50th minute shot which was seemingly covered by United’s goalkeeper Paul Izzo but crashed through him and into the net.
The 28-year-old Brattan, who dreams of turning into a professional golfer and playing on the senior PGA Tour when aged 50, celebrated by plucking out a corner flag and practising his golf swing. Brattan’s blow from about 15 metres out came after Elsey turned the ball over on the edge of the box when failing to control a routine back-pass.
The strike came after City took the lead in the 25th minute when Elsey deflected the ball into Adelaide’s net. After some slick build-up, Wales played Riley McGree into space near the byline and his cut-back pass cannoned into Elsey, whose attempted block went into the side netting.
The goals were just reward for City, who rallied after an early injury to marquee signing Ritchie De Laet. The Belgian, on return after knee soreness kept him out last week, went down in the 21st minute and was helped from the field with medicos checking his right knee.
Adelaide’s best scoring chance came via Craig Goodwin - just before halftime, the unmarked United star aimed a header wide from six metres. And, in the 73rd minute, former Reds captain and now City ‘keeper Eugene Galekovic produced a top-shelf one-handed reflex save to deny a close-range Scott Galloway shot.
City next face home-town rivals Melbourne Victory in a Saturday night derby while Adelaide have an extended break before hosting Western Sydney on Boxing Day.
Full-time: Adelaide United 0-2 Melbourne City
There we go, City finally get their hands on the three points. Adelaide only have themselves to blame - two goals that could’ve been prevented, and plenty of chances to make amends. None of which were taken.
90+2 mins: Solid stuff from City. Unspectacular but Warren Joyce won’t mind. Malik comes on for Baccus.
89 mins: One last surge from Adelaide. They’ve not played badly but they’ve paid heavily for two lapses in concentration. Elsey goes down in the box while rising for a challenge - the replay shows he got a bit of a smack but nothing intentional. VAR is looking at it... but that’s all. No penalty. Thank the footballing gods. That would’ve been daft.
87 mins: Konstandopoulos comes on for Ilso. The Reds are running out of ideas though.
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85 mins: Cheeky stuff from Goodwin. After wasting two chances from close range, he catches City out with a pinpoint corner to the near post that almost creeps in while they’re not paying attention. Only a last-ditch block saves them.
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84 mins: I think that might be it from Adelaide. They’ve finally created a few openings but it looks like City have weathered the storm... barring some late drama.
81 mins: Fair play to Adelaide. About 10 minutes ago I was saying they’d not created much in terms of chances. Since then they’ve had a handful, with only some desperate defending/goalkeeping/both keeping them out.
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78 mins: Baccus gets a Christmas card of the yellow variety for a clumsy challenge from behind on Isaias. Moments later, Galekovic is finally beaten by a shot from Galloway - but it flies inches wide of the far post.
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76 mins: Galekovic again! Not quite as good as his last save, but just as crucial. Excitement she wrote.
75 mins: Delbridge to the rescue this time, sliding in to block another low cross into the danger area.
74 mins: Galekovic with a superb stop to deny a Galloway volley - he was diving the wrong way but still managed to palm it away with a strong hand. Excellent work sir.
72 mins: Corner to City as the clock ticks down. Time running out for the Reds. They’ll need a goal soon if they want to get something from this - very difficult to see where it’s going to come from though.
70 mins: Griffiths on for Vidosic. Boos from Adelaide fans. Not sure which player they’re directed at.
67 mins: Goodwin you [insert another expletive here]! He gets in around the back, brings the ball back from the byline to give him all the goal to aim at, and duly curls it wide from close range. Not his day.
64 mins: Who needs Fornaroli when you can rely on poor defending to get you goals? City look comfortable at the minute. Adelaide have shown energy and urgency but little in terms of incision. Another little spell of pressure from the hosts but nothing at the end of it.
61 mins: It’s looking dodgy for Adelaide, and I’m not just talking about Ken Ilso’s man bun. One or two players don’t seem to have their head in the game.
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58 mins: Good work from Atkinson, recovering well to deny Goodwin... who possibly took a little too long to get his shot away. Good block by the City man nevertheless.
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56 mins: Lia off the pitch while he gets treatment for a cut. Oh no, here he comes. He looks unperturbed. Trouble is, neither do City. This is looking a little too comfortable for them. Adelaide need to rattle some cages.
53 mins: Good defensive header from Marrone. It had to be. Danger was looming at the back post from a deep cross. City get a corner. Dangerous times for the Reds. The cross comes in, Delbridge gets the header but Izzo gets down well at his near post to deny him.
GOAL! Adelaide 0-2 Melbourne City (Brattan)
50 mins: Oh dear. Hapless defending from Elsey (I’m being kind) allows City to gain possession on the edge of the box. A few passes later, and just when it looks like the chance might have passed - boom - Brattan runs in and smashes home, the ball somehow squeezing under Izzo.
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Second-half: Adelaide 0-1 Melbourne City
We’re under way again. Can Adelaide fashion another chance like the one at the end of the first half? Kitto on for Mileusnic at the break as the Reds shake things up.
Newcastle Jets 0-2 Perth Glory
AAP: Perth veteran Neil Kilkenny converted an opening-minute penalty to help stretch Glory’s unbeaten start to the A-League season to an historic eighth game. Jason Davidson also made it onto the scoresheet in Sunday’s 2-0 win over a Newcastle side who had 21 shots compared to four. The only problem was only six of their attempts were on target.
The Jets also had almost twice as much ball as Perth but were frustrated by what was effectively a five-man defence deployed by coach Tony Popovic. Newcastle counterpart Ernie Merrick even made the surprise decision to sacrifice defender Ivan Vujica in the 37th minute in a formation change. But it mattered little in front of a McDonald Jones Stadium crowd of 6701, as an unyielding Perth defence rarely were seriously troubled in wet conditions.
Newcastle star Jair should have opened the scoring after 12 seconds but struck his volley straight into Glory gloveman Liam Reddy. Moments later, Joel Chianese was on a breakaway run and stopped on a dime, only to be brought down by a sliding Glen Moss. Kilkenny made no mistake from the spot, firing to the bottom right with Moss diving in the opposite direction.
“That shows a lot about the team at the moment in terms of the attacking side where we’re always dangerous,” Popovic said. “Keeper’s made a great save and yet, at any moment, we feel that in the front third, players can create something and bring about an opportunity for us.”
The Jets weren’t without opportunities to equalise, with Jair being denied again by Reddy and a third time by the post. Merrick admitted it was also going to be difficult once the Glory went two goals up and put players behind the ball.
“The final pass became frustrating for our players, but you can understand there’s eight players in front of them and they’d left two up,” he said. “It’s very hard to get past eight players camped on the 18-yard box.”
Half-time: Adelaide 0-1 Melbourne City
That’s half-time. City a goal to the good - although it should be all square. Catch you in 15.
45mins: Goodwin! Oh you... [insert expletive here]. He rises, unchallenged, in the six-yard box - gets a clean header from a deep cross, and steers it wide. He should have buried it. That would’ve set the second half up nicely.
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41 mins: Adelaide looking for a leveller before the break. City don’t seem keen to oblige, some solid defending from the visitors thwarting a couple of crosses. Wales douses himself with water after seeming to take a knock. Think that only works for actual whales.
38 mins: City seem a little more relaxed now, happy to pass it around, probing patiently. The Reds still have that urgency though, as you’d expect - still very little in terms of clear-cut chances though.
35 mins: Well it’s taken a while but Adelaide seem to be back on their feet after that suckerpunch from City. It’s the Tyson Fury approach. We’re back to even stevens on the pitch, if not on the scoreline.
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31 mins: Jamieson on the deck now. On comes the physio. With Schenkeveld’s situation they’ll be hoping it’s nothing serious. He seems OK though. Odd.
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29 mins: Well that’s quietened the crowd. Not that City mind. Here they come again, tails up. McGree takes a shot from distance - it smashes into Elsey but, thankfully, doesn’t go anywhere near goal this time.
Adelaide 0-1 Melbourne City (own goal - Elsey)
25 mins: What should have been a fairly routine clearance for Adelaide becomes a nightmare as Elsey sticks a leg out to block a cross and - thwack - it bounces off his shin, beyond Izzo and into the net.
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24 mins: Weirdness from Schenkeveld, who isn’t quite sure whether a ball has crossed the line as he shepherds it out, so takes out a magnifying glass and tries to make the right call - all the while he’s under pressure from Halloran. In his own area. OK, I made the magnifying glass bit up but at one stage it looked like he was going to pick it up to check - thankfully he doesn’t.
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22 mins: Looks like De Laet is coming off. He’s been limping for a while. City playing with 10 while they wait for a break in play.
21 mins: Excellent defending from Schenkeveld, sliding in to deny a pass along the face of goal as the defence raced back.
19 mins: Wales almost played in again, but it’s another slightly heavy pass that Izzo gathers. Not quite as comfortable as last time though. The Reds race up the other end but it comes to nothing. It seems like that’s where a goal is most likely to come from - on the break while the other team is tracking back.
16 mins: Very much an arm wrestle at the minute, with the odd flash of flair as garnish. Both teams up for it, neither quite able to create something clear cut.
13 mins: A ball through to Wales is just a tad too heavy and Izzo gathers comfortably. Adelaide move the ball back up the field in a flash and Halloran gets a whiff of goal... but wastes it. Neck and neck at the minute (no offence meant to McGree after his throttling).
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10 mins: Adelaide have started well although there isn’t much in it at the minute. McGree goes down right on the edge of the box, looking for a penalty... nothing doing from the referee. Isaias is furious though and grabs the youngster by the neck. A more cynical player might have duly rolled on the floor, but credit to McGree, he just gives a bemused look and walks off.
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8 mins: Look no hands! Some silky footwork from Jamieson on the left wing.
5 mins: Handball by Jamieson? Not for my money. He didn’t see it until it was on him - and even then it looks like he tries to get out of the way.
Kick-off: Adelaide United 0-0 Melbourne City
And away we go... the pitch looks a lot smoother than the drenched one in the Hunter in the earlier game. De Laet with a great tackle to deny Goodwin with an early chance.
Our team is in for tonight's clash against Adelaide #ADLvMCY pic.twitter.com/51g55nPC47
— Melbourne City FC 🏙️ (@MelbourneCity) December 16, 2018
ICYMI: This is how we line up tonight against Melbourne City! #AUFC #ADLvMCY pic.twitter.com/emgnJuH8U4
— Adelaide United (@AdelaideUnited) December 16, 2018
A-League: Shall I blog the Adelaide v City game as well? Well that’s pretty rude of you but I’m going to do it anyway.
Full-time: Newcastle Jets 0-2 Perth Glory
There’s just time enough for Topor-Stanley to glance another Jets header wide of goal... and that’s all she wrote. Three points, Glory back on top of the table. It wasn’t pretty - but it was pretty effective.
89 mins: Mrcela down with cramp. Boos all round from the Jets fans who think he’s time wasting. They probably have a point. Perth are playing the part of pantomime villain very well. Or bad guy wrestler. I’m expecting Keogh to distract the referee while Tony Popovic smashes Ernie Merrick over the head with a steel chair any second now.
86 mins: Perth are the masters of killing time - they’ve been doing it since the 20th minute. Fair play to Reddy, who lets out an almighty spray at his defence for allowing a shot to come near his goal. So much passion for a clean sheet.
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83 mins: Ikonomidis with a chance for Perth. The shot’s too weak though and Moss gathers it comfortably. There’s a pun about gathering Moss there somewhere but I don’t have time to think about. Where’s Mick Jagger when you need him? I can’t remember the last time the Jets keeper was tested.
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81 mins: So Perth then? At the risk of, deliberately I might add, tempting fate with 10 mins to go, can they go all the way this season? They’ve been outplayed today and barely got out of third gear... but it looks like the three points are heading west again.
78 mins: I think the Jets are out of gas. And ideas.
74 mins: We’re back to more Jets possession. Some slick passing moves but little incision. Even when they do break through they waste it. Cowburn comes on for Jair. Last throw of the dice for the Jets.
71 mins: I reckon it’s going to be one of those days for the Jets. They could play for another hour and still wouldn’t score. Perth finally seeing a bit more of the ball after barely getting a touch for much of this half. It’s possible the Jets are tiring after huffing and puffing for so long.
68 mins: Bit better from Perth - well, they’ve managed to get the ball into the Jets half, which is something. Perth get ready to make a change. Ferreira on for Chianese.
Gee it's frustrating being a Jets supporter. We build so well but just can't finish. Come on @NewcastleJetsFC #NEWvPER
— Leich23 (@leichy23) December 16, 2018
65 mins: Both teams make a change. Perth: Brimmer on for Wilson. Jets: Ridenton on for Sheppard.
63 mins: Vargas scuffs a shot... and almost (completely unintentionally) plays in Hoffman. He just can’t get on top of it though. The Jets have dominated the last 15 minutes.
62 mins: Georgievski hits the side-netting from a tight angle. He was offside anyway. They’re getting closer and closer though.
59 mins: Glory defending deeper and deeper. Far be it for me to question Popovic’s tactics - especially given the current scoreline and league table - but isn’t that just a tad risky at this stage of the game? Ten minutes to go, fair enough. But there’s still half an hour of this. Georgievski with a hapless cross from a dangerous position.
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56 mins: It’s Georgievski’s turn to take a swing and a miss. The only way the Jets are going to score is if something bizarre happens, like the Glory keeper has a brain snap, comes running out of his area, makes a ridiculous diving save while a yard outside his box and duly gets sent off. But that would be silly.
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54 mins: Ooo, Hoffman with a flicked header from a cross... but it flashes across goal and goes out. Is it going to be one of those nights for the Jets?
52 mins: Wahey! The referee books Lowry for time wasting from a free-kick. Perth can’t say they weren’t warned. The Jets fans lap it up - and why not. It’s been slim pickings so far.
50 mins: Hoffman treads on Lowry’s ankle. Ouchie. Accidental but still... Hoffman then manages to nutmeg the referee. Sort of. Unconventional stuff.
Second half: Newcastle Jets 0-2 Perth Glory
46 mins: Away we go. Can the Jets get themselves back into this? Hard to see what more they could have done in terms of attack. The defence though. *Cough*. Kantarovski with an early sliding chance for the Jets but he can’t get enough on it and Reddy gathers comfortably.
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WBBL round-up
AAP: Brisbane Heat found form with the bat to secure a 21-run win over Melbourne Renegades at Geelong Cricket Ground and haul themselves off the bottom of the WBBL ladder.
The Heat batted aggressively from the outset on Sunday afternoon reaching 50 in just the fourth over before eventually posting a massive 8-174. The home side were briefly on track in their run chase, but fell away in their middle order to reach 7-153 off their allotted overs.
The Heat had numerous contributors with the bat but Sammy-Jo Johnson was most destructive, hitting 31 off just 10 balls as the Queenslanders were off to a flyer.
Elsewhere, Ellyse Perry has led the way again for WBBL champions the Sydney Sixers who have continued their strong early-season form with a confident 17-run win over the Hobart Hurricanes. The Hurricanes were always behind the required run rate in pursuit of the Sixers’ 3-158 and were eventually dismissed for 141 after 19.1 overs on Sunday at Bellerive Oval.
Opener Perry batted throughout Sixers’ innings for an unbeaten 72 off 55 balls, and shared a 104-run stand for the third wicket with Erin Burns (44 off 40). Despite the Sixers’ dominance on the scoreboard, the Hurricanes did themselves few favours and incredibly dropped Burns six times.
Georgia Redmayne top-scored down the order with an impressive 47no, sharing a WBBL-record ninth-wicket stand of 55 with Brooke Hepburn (15).
Earlier in the day, Sydney Thunder’s batting depth was again on display as the WBBL leaders mowed down a challenging victory target with room to spare against Adelaide Strikers at Bellerive Oval. The Strikers posted 5-145 but Thunder paced their run-chase to perfection, reaching 5-146 with 10 balls remaining.
Star opener Rachael Priest fell to the very first ball of the Thunder innings and Naomi Stalenberg (1) followed, but the Strikers’ hopes of an upset were soon dashed. Harmanpreet Kaur once again impressed, continuing recent rich form with a rapid-fire 52 not out off 34 balls. Opener Stafanie Taylor was named player of the match for her 55 off 42 balls, including three sixes.
And in the other early game, Melbourne Stars rebounded in style to knock over WBBL heavyweights Perth Scorchers with a three-wicket victory. Skipper Kristen Beams led the way with the ball to restrict the Scorchers to just 7-90 off their allotted 20 overs at Casey Fields in Melbourne.
In reply, the Stars also found run-scoring challenging but reached 6-91 to secure victory with 4.3 overs remaining. It was a marked turnaround for the Stars who had lost two on the trot, including a hefty eight-wicket loss against the same opponents just 24 hours earlier.
Beams ran through the middle-order with her wrist spin, collecting 3-13 as the visitors struggled for momentum under heavy cloud. Player of the match Katie Mack contributed 33 off 31 balls as the Stars coasted home despite a late flurry of wickets.
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NBL: Illawarra Hawks 68-83 Sydney Kings
AAP: Two days after a stunning last-second win over NBL leaders Perth, the Sydney Kings racked up a fourth straight victory with Sunday’s 83-68 defeat of Illawarra at WIN Entertainment Centre.
The Kings led at every change, boosting their record to 9-4 to remain in second spot on the ladder heading into the Christmas period. Two-time NBL MVP Kevin Lisch (16 points) top-scored for Sydney, while American forward David Wear, who hit the clutch game-winner against Perth, and Brad Newley each added 13.
Former NBA star Andrew Bogut shrugged off a quiet opening quarter to finish with 10 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks. Illawarra were led by Todd Blanchfield’s 12 points, while American guard Jordair Jett had 10.
The Kings face four important games over the coming weeks, taking on last-placed Cairns in North Queensland on Thursday before hosting titleholders Melbourne United on Sunday. They have a home meeting with Brisbane on December 29 and return to Wollongong on January 5 for a re-match with the Hawks.
Sydney led 18-17 at quartertime and 36-33 at halftime before stretching the margin to eight heading into the final period. They were ahead by as many as 17 and kept the home team at arm’s length down the stretch.
W-League: Brisbane Roar 4-3 Melbourne Victory
I figured half-time would be the perfect chance to post the Roar v Victory result. Silly me, they’re still going - 10 minutes of injury time in a seven-goal thriller. Brisbane 4-3 Victory. Scratch that - the referee has just blown. The Roar hold on for an upset win. Two own goals and a red card too. I’ll post a report with all the action later.
AAP: Surprise W-League pacesetters Melbourne Victory saw their undefeated start to the season finally come to an end as Brisbane Roar won an action-packed seven-goal contest on Sunday. The 4-3 win in pelting rain at Lions Stadium came at a cost for the Roar who saw key imports Chioma Ubogagu and Carson Pickett taken off injured, while midfield dynamo Katrina Gorry was sent off in the final minute.
Roar forward Allira Toby opened the scoring with a long-range effort and the home side were never headed despite Christine Nairn’s equally impressive strike for the Victory, which sent the teams into the half-time break on level terms. The Roar scored twice in quick succession soon after the break through a pair of own goals, including one from the league’s leading goalscorer Natasha Dowie.
The goalmouth action was unrelenting at both ends, but the Roar could finally breathe easy when former Japan international Yuki Nagasato scored a late sealer. Victory’s first defeat of the campaign saw their lead at the summit trimmed to three points amid a congested ladder.
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Half-time: Newcastle Jets 0-2 Perth Glory
Thar she blows. A heavy touch from Jair deines the Jets one last chance, Reddy smothering it with vigour. Time for me to do some sportwatch house-keeping but I’ll be back in the Hunter in 15mins.
45+2 mins: Half-time almost upon us and Perth will be happy enough, if only because of the scoreline. The Jets have done everything but score. Another cross from Hoffman is blocked by the first man. Stubborn Perth defending.
44 mins: Glory have a rare foray forward to relieve some of the pressure. Keogh gets a telling off from the referee for something. Delayed throw-ins? Those tattoos? Possibly.
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41 mins: Excellent stop from Reddy to deny Hoffman, his best save so far. The Jets still pushing and probing - but even when they do break through, Reddy is waiting to pounce like a big pink lemur.
38 mins: That’s been the difference between the sides - the defence. The Jets attack has looked far more threatening than their counterparts but so far every attack has been rebuffed. At the other end, the Jets defence has basically given Perth two gifts. All that’s missing is the frankincense.
Hoffman comes on for Vujica. Early tactical switch from Merrick.
34 mins: Bit better from the Jets, who have worked up some nice combos without producing a killer finish. Perth have barely touched the ball in the past five minutes ... although the defence looks solid enough.
30 mins: Perth haven’t played particularly well in the opening half hour but they’re still looking comfortable - a reminder of the old adage about champions playing poorly but still picking up points. Another piece of evidence of their potential title credentials. The Jets, for all their chances, have looked flustered at the back. Simple errors, simple goals.
GOAL! Newcastle Jets 0-2 Perth Glory (Davidson)
26 mins: Dear oh dear. Poor defending, poor keeping. A deep free-kick into the box, Perth win not one but two headers in the Jets area. Moss flaps at the ball, misses it and Davidson fires into the roof of a crowded net from close-range.
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25 mins: Vargas with a chance for the Jets. A nice team move to set up the on-running Ronnie, but he sidefoots it well over the bar under pressure. Boogaard sees yellow for tripping Keogh on the counter.
22 mins: Jair with another strike, forcing Reddy into a sharp dive. The keeper always had it but, on this surface, who knows where it could have ended up. Perth escape again.
21 mins: Having said that, the Jets don’t exactly inspire confidence at the back. Kantarovski taking a safety first approach as the ball bobbles around the box dangerously.
19 mins: Some warning signs for Perth despite the scoreline. Six shots for the Jets, with Jair coming closest. Someone should tell him his drought ended last week.
17 mins: Oooyah! Jair with a cracking header that smacks the post and bounces to safety. Lovely flick goalwards by the Brazilian.
12 mins: Neither team look particularly comfortable on this deck, the ball flying off feet if the control is just a fraction off. Could be interesting later on if the pitch gets scuffed up. As it is, both teams struggling to get the ball under control without two or three touches. How did Keogh describe Bolt’s first touch? Like a trampoline? Not quite that bad but some out there are struggling.
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10 mins: Petratos swings a decent cross in but Reddy is equal to it. Scrub out that opening minute and the Jets haven’t started too badly. Perth look dangerous on the counter though.
8 mins: Arnie in the stands, running the rule over potential Socceroos. I’d be surprised if they play in conditions like this in the UAE next month though.
5 mins: Unsurprisingly, the game has calmed down a bit after that frenetic opening 60 seconds. The slippery surface definitely played a part in that penalty, bodies sliding faster than the Sydney housing market - don’t think the Jets had got their feet by then. Vargas with a long-range effort that flies wide. Struck it cleanly enough, but off target.
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GOAL! Newcastle Jets 0-1 Perth Glory (Kilkenny - pen)
2 mins: Kilkenny slots it home, Moss nowhere near it.
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Penalty to Perth!
1 min: Blimey, Jair with a chance within, what, 10 seconds? He wastes it, Perth break and a clumsy challenge brings Chianese down in the box. Penalty. Less than 60 seconds played. As I said. Blimey. What a start.
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Almost under way in the Hunter. Looks a bit slippery out there. Should make things interesting. As a slow defender, I was always partial to a bit of rain, slowed everyone down to my one-gear pace.
Ernie Merrick goes in with an unchanged starting XI for this afternoon's clash with the Glory! #NEWvPER #ALeague #MadeOfNewcastle pic.twitter.com/MYK5IwjKvV
— NEWCASTLE JETS FC ✈️ (@NewcastleJetsFC) December 16, 2018
A-League: OK people, it’s A-League time.
Chianese returns to the starting line-up as Keogh dons the armband today in Newcastle.
— Perth Glory FC (@PerthGloryFC) December 16, 2018
COME ON YOU GLORY BOYS!#NEWvPER pic.twitter.com/8k2LQ0CQe2
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WBBL: The Heat bowlers finally making some inroads against the Renegades, who flew out of the traps. Their still giving it a go though. Six overs with 69 runs to get. Four wickets down.
W-League: It’s 1-1 at half-time between the Roar and Victory. Here’s that free-kick from Nairn... could it be any closer to the penalty area? (Helps if you say this in a Chandler voice)
WBBL: Sixers beat Hurricanes
That’s it, the Sixers have done it - not quite as comfortable as I thought it was going to be, thanks largely to some late heroics from Redmayne. Hartley run out first ball of the final over. And that’s all she wrote.
WBBL: Just when it looks like the Hurricanes are going to really ramp up the nerves for the final over, Kapp bowls Hepburn with the final ball of the over. They’re down to they’re last wicket needing 18 off six balls. Perry to bowl.
WBBL: Things are getting tense in Hobart, Redmayne overseeing a superb fightback from the Hurricanes. She’s 42 off 31 as we head into the final two overs. They need 25 off 12 balls though.
NBL: Illawarra Hawks 68-83 Sydney Kings
It’s all over at the Gong, the Kings comfortably seeing out the game after stepping things up a notch towards the end of the third quarter. It had shaped up as a tight one before that but the Kings are full of confidence at the minute. Jerome Randle: “The great thing about the team right now is no one really cares who scores ... we take pride in defence but that’s what’s helping us.”
W-League: Victory restore parity. That didn’t take long. Christine Nairn the goal scorer - a free-kick finding the top left. Here’s that earlier goal from Toby. Poor defending but great awareness to take the shot.
👌👌👌
— Westfield W-League (@WLeague) December 16, 2018
Allira Toby with a superb solo effort! #WLeague #BRIvMVC
🎥 @FOXFOOTBALL pic.twitter.com/SBKuG9pJpy
WBBL: The Sixers closing in on victory against the Hurricanes, who need 56 runs off 36 balls. Not an impossible task by any means - in fact in terms of runs the Sixers had the same total at the same stage - but the Hurricanes are eight wickets down. Redmayne crucial for the Hurricanes. She’s 16 off 16.
NBL: Time-out and the Kings are 13 points to the good at 74-61. Two minutes to go. Hawks heads are dropping. Kings on the verge of making it four straight wins.
W-League: Roar have drawn first blood against Victory, Allira Toby firing into the bottom right corner after 10 minutes. Cracking goal. Brisbane 1-0 Victory. Natasha Dowie has a chance to equalise almost straight from the kick-off but wastes it.
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NBL: Back to Wollongong and the Kings are still keeping the Hawks at arm’s length as we enter end-game. Still six minutes to go in the fourth quarter but Sydney are nine points ahead. Time running out for the Hawks - 70-61.
WBBL: The Hurricanes are 6-70 now. That didn’t take long. Knight the latest wicket to fall, 23 off 17 balls. They’re actually not too far off the pace but they’re looking low on wickets. Over in Geelong, the Renegades are trying to chase down a target of 175 against the Heat. They’ve started off well enough, 0-31 after three overs.
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WBBL: Over to Hobart, where the star-studded Sixers have set the Hurricanes a target of 159, thanks largely to an unbeaten 72 off 55 from Ellyse Perry. The Hurricanes are 4-61 after seven overs, with Perry having just bowled her first over - going for a grand total of one. In fact here she is taking a catch too. Such a key player.
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NBL: We’re back on in Illawarra in the third quarter, and - surprise, surprise - it’s still tight. Spoke too soon. Kings nail back-to-back three-pointers to stretch the lead to 49-40. My fingers can’t keep up.
WNBL: The women’s games are pretty much at the same stage in the WNBL. Dandenong’s 54-31 lead over Bendigo looks pretty healthy, while the Capitals’ 50-25 lead over Perth is positively glowing. Bit tighter between the Boomers and Lightning - Adelaide lead 37-32.
NBL: Right, before we go anywhere else, we’re heading to Illawarra where the in-form Kings are three ahead of their old rivals the Hawks. It’s 36-33 to the visitors at half-time, and it’s as tight as the scoreline suggests. The Hawks have led at several stages but the Kings have dragged them back each team. Loving the indigenous kit on the Hawks. No standout players on either side, just two committed teams battling it out. I’ll head back there when play resumes.
Preamble
Afternoon everyone, I hope you’ve got your mince pies and mulled wine handy as there’s a veritable festive feast of sport on today, so much in fact that you’ll get two sport blogs for the price of one. It’s a Festivus miracle. But while our cricket blog brings you all the drama from Perth, I’ll be here to stick a selection box filled with basketball, football and Twenty20 in your sports stocking. The Muppets’ Christmas Carol isn’t on TV either (yes, I checked) so there’s no excuse not to tune in.
Several games are under way, and some have already been wrapped up (why does everything I say sound like a Christmas pun?). The Kings (see!) and the Hawks are currently scrapping it out in the NBL, I’ll bring you an update on that shortly. It’s also a big day of Women’s Big Bash League action - two games have already finished, with the Thunder wrapping a double success over the Strikers in Hobart this weekend. And the Stars have bounced back in style against the Scorchers, beating them this morning having lost to the same team yesterday. The Hurricanes and the Sixers are currently scrapping it out, as are the Renegades and Heat. More on those in a bit.
Elsewhere, there’s plenty of WNBL action with games between the Melbourne Boomers and Adelaide Lightning; Dandenong Rangers and Bendigo Spirit; and UC Capitals and Perth Lynx.
Football wise, Brisbane take on the high-flying Melbourne Victory at 4pm in today’s W-League game. And wrapping up the day are two A-League games, with the battle between Perth and the Jets representing a kind of passing of the torch between last year’s surprise packets and this year’s. That kicks off at 5pm. Straight after it’s Adelaide v Melbourne City, where Bruno Fornaroli is still on Warren Joyce’s naughty list. Not sure if I’ll still be blogging by that stage but I’ll chuck on a match report at the very least.
Anyway, that’s the run-down for the day, although I’ll chuck in any other bits and bobs that seem relevant.
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