logo
They've already won the series. But Blues want to pile misery on Maroons

They've already won the series. But Blues want to pile misery on Maroons

The Age26-05-2025
Blues back-rower Yasmin Clydsdale is primed to help NSW clinch a historic State of Origin whitewash this week – before returning for another crack at Queensland next year.
The Blues have already won the series after victories in the first two games of the inaugural three-match campaign, and will be aiming to complete a shut-out at Newcastle's McDonald Jones Stadium on Thursday.
Whereas their male counterparts might be inclined to rub Queensland's noses in it, if they were in the same position, the motivation for the women's Blues is simply to deliver the first-ever 3-0 clean sweep.
'We still haven't finished our job,' Clydsdale said. 'We've still got one more to get ... I think we'd just like to come away with the win and do the whitewash because it hasn't been done before.
'So we would love to start, like, a legacy of us having whitewashed the Queenslanders. I know that they'll come out blazing because they're playing for their pride. And we want to be able to get that whitewash win.'
Blues utility Jocelyn Kelleher expressed similar sentiments.
'It's about having that record,' Kelleher said. 'We would be the first team to ever do that in the women's space and that record will never be broken again after that. So if we get that, that's ours forever. It's more about the legacy of that.'
To put it in context, the NSW men's team needed five attempts before they first swept the Maroons in 1986.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

AFL chief: Injuries not fixture to blame for 2025 season blowouts
AFL chief: Injuries not fixture to blame for 2025 season blowouts

Courier-Mail

time2 minutes ago

  • Courier-Mail

AFL chief: Injuries not fixture to blame for 2025 season blowouts

Don't miss out on the headlines from AFL. Followed categories will be added to My News. AFL boss Andrew Dillon concedes there have been 'too many' lopsided games in 2025 but says lengthy injury lists and not fixture imbalances are to blame. But with the impending entry of a 19th team in Tasmania, the league chief executive said the view on fixturing would continue to 'evolve' with a focus on trying to avoid double-ups between inferior teams. While there were five matches decided by under 10 points in round 22, it was an outlier in an otherwise one-sided season. The previous week there were three matches with winning margins in excess of 80 points from the nine games and two 90-point margins the week before. Port Adelaide lost by a combined 186 points in rounds 21 and 22. The fight for finals also ended early and only one team outside the top eight remains a chance to break in by the final round. Port Adelaide copped back-to-back thrashings. Picture:It has left a large number of no-meaning matches across the final two rounds, with three games between non-finalists in round 23 alone. The ongoing need to fixture two derbies in Perth, showdowns in Adelaide, Q-clashes in Queensland and clashes between Sydney and GWS remains a hurdle in a more balanced fixture. Dillon said it was hard to predict which teams would rise and fall, and Essendon's unprecedented injury battles in 2025 had unavoidable impacts on games. But Dillon said fixturing needed to be addressed as a potential way to balance out the competition going forward. 'It's nice to have nine trying to get into eight, but it would be better if it was 14/15 teams trying to get into finals,' he said. 'What you also have this year is three or four teams that weren't top eight last year like Adelaide and Gold Coast. As things move, it is difficult to predict. 'I'm finding it hard to predict what happens this weekend let alone trying to do it in October for next year. 'We need to continue to evolve. Whether that's having a formula to remove subjectivity, we will continue to assess. We have an opportunity in a couple of years with Tassie coming in to have a look at how the fixture is set and how the season runs. The Bombers have been decimated by injury. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images 'Our sport has stood the test of time. You want to evolve but you don't have to revolutionise at the same time. 'There is reasons for that. If you study injury lists, there is almost a direct correlation to where you are on the ladder. It's not where we want to be. 'We want a competition where you go to the game each week and you think you're a chance. We have had too many games this year that it wasn't the case.' Dillon also confirmed that players were 'all in' on a potential return for State of Origin next February. 'Absolutely (players are all in). as we saw with the All Stars game, it works when the players are all in. When the players are all in, then clubs are in and fans buy in,' he told SEN. 'Conversations I have had with the players they are all in. Then we work out how often we play it and when you play it. The first part is to get it going again. 'The clubs understand we have to continue to evolve as a competition. Some traditional thinking has to be modified but not to the detriment of home-and-away season and finals.' Originally published as AFL boss Andrew Dillon blames 2025 blowouts on injury lists

Queensland Reds set to blood host of rookies against Tonga
Queensland Reds set to blood host of rookies against Tonga

News.com.au

time11 minutes ago

  • News.com.au

Queensland Reds set to blood host of rookies against Tonga

Fullback Jock Campbell will captain a Queensland Reds team including up to eight potential debutants in Friday's battle with Tonga in Nuku'alofa. In the absence of a host of Wallabies representatives, Reds coach Les Kiss has named a side that blends some experienced campaigners with a host of rookies. 'Playing against Tonga is a wonderful opportunity both for our seasoned players and for our young players earning their first cap,' Kiss said. 'We know what the Tongans will bring in terms of power and intent because they've chosen the Reds as final preparation for their World Cup qualifiers. 'Senior players like Jock Campbell, Sef Fa'agase, Seru Uru, Kalani Thomas, Josh Canham and Lachie Anderson will be very important for us. 'We have some exciting young players stepping up.' Friday's clash against Tonga Rugby Union will be broadcast live on the Queensland Reds' YouTube channel! — Queensland Reds (@Reds_Rugby) August 13, 2025 A certain debutant is former Australian under-18 captain Tom Robinson, the son of former Wallaby Brett Robinson. 'It's definitely made a big difference training against the Reds squad this season,' the 19-year-old flanker said. 'Each level you go up, it forces you to lift your skills in a stronger and faster environment.' The other seven players with a chance of making a debut – Theo Fourie, Ollie Harris, Trevor King, Charlie Brosnan, James Martens, Xavier Rubens and Will McCulloch – have been named on Queensland's bench. Junior Wallabies halfback Martens is the son of former Sharks and Springboks No.9 Hentie Martens. 'Mentally, I always see space and opportunities on the field,' the young half said. 'That's always something Dad has helped me with in terms of when to quick tap or why you might do things. 'Playing first grade this season (for GPS) has really helped me control games a lot better.' Reds: Sef Fa'agase, George Blake, Nick Bloomfield, Connor Vest, Josh Canham, Seru Uru, Tom Robinson, Joe Brial, Kalani Thomas, Harry McLaughlin-Phillips, Tim Ryan, Dre Pakeho, Isaac Henry, Lachie Anderson, Jock Campbell. Bench: Theo Fourie, Ollie Harris, Trevor King, Charlie Brosnan, Hamish Muller, James Martens, Xavier Rubens, Will McCulloch.

Lismore Rowing Club struggles to survive in flood-prone city
Lismore Rowing Club struggles to survive in flood-prone city

ABC News

timean hour ago

  • ABC News

Lismore Rowing Club struggles to survive in flood-prone city

In one of Australia's most flood-prone cities, a sporting club that used to be responsible for performing flood rescues is in need of rescuing itself. The Lismore Rowing Club has trophies dating back to the late 1880s in its cabinet, and in the 1960s and 1970s was a powerhouse of NSW school rowing. It also used to be called the Lismore Water Brigade and Rowing Club, and in the 1920s and 1930s, maintained up to 12 rescue boats, crewed by rowers from the club to perform flood rescues. Sadly, the club is now down to fewer than 20 active rowers, and most of those are aged between 60 and 80. Lismore Rowing Club President Laurie Lynch said unless they could attract "new blood", the club was facing an uncertain future. The club lost 20 boats during the 2022 floods, when water ripped through their shed at Loftville, beside the Wilsons River. There is still debris from the floods stuck high in a tree near where they launch their boats on the river. "It has been a very trying time for the Lismore Rowing Club since COVID, and then the 2022 floods, which had a devastating effect on our club," club president Laurie Lynch said. "We lifted boats and equipment above the 2017 levels but still got caught out. It was a major flood and reached 3.5m inside the shed." The NSW rowing fraternity rallied around Lismore in the wake of the 2022 floods, with clubs like Sydney, Leichhardt, Nepean, Abbotsford, Drummoyne and UTS donating boats as replacements. But having enough equipment has become the least of the club's problems. "The river was unusable for many months after that because of the potential hazard due to pollution in the river," Laurie Lynch said. "More recently, with Cyclone Alfred and all the rain events, it made access to the river from our boat launching ramp fairly dangerous because of all the mud and sludge. But there are some signs of hope for the Lismore Rowing Club's future. A couple of the big schools in Lismore, Trinity and Richmond River High have recently returned to the water as part of their school sport program. "At the moment the prospects for the club aren't brilliant because we don't have any senior rowers to go to regattas," club coach Peter Wallace said. "If we can get some of these kids going that may attract some more older people to come to it." The rowing club is one of the few organisations in Lismore that embraces the river and does not try to shut it out. On a good day, the river's steep banks shelter the boats from the wind to create a perfectly smooth surface for rowing. "The river when it is at its best is just magnificent," Laurie Lynch said. "It is such a peaceful place and a great picturesque view you get of the river, which you don't get any other way, by walking the bank or sitting by the river. "It is such a beautiful feeling to be working with a group of like-minded people who are enjoying that great waterway."

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store