Sling tackles again in the spotlight; Tasmania's AFL saga ‘embarrassing', says Tim Paine

The Age

06-06-2025

Dawson converted for Adelaide's third goal in six minutes, handing the hosts their first lead since the opening term. Further majors to Josh Rachele and Ben Keays – the recipient of a remarkable 'tunnel-ball' assist from Darcy Fogarty – made it five unanswered for the Crows and an 11-point advantage.
Needing a scalp to fully mark their obvious 2025 improvement, Adelaide landed the biggest one there is, knocking the reigning kings of the jungle down to size, while improving their record to 11-2 in fourth quarters.
But it wasn't without an almighty fight.
Brisbane charged to the finish line, racking up 20-8 fourth-quarter inside-50s at the Cathedral End, including the last 11 of the night. But they let themselves down horribly with shoddy finishing.
'You get lucky because you deserve it,' Nicks said. 'The footy gods work in funny ways. We haven't had any luck in the last three or four years. Things have gone against us – things that you just couldn't believe would.
'We said eventually some will go our way, and tonight we got a little bit of luck to win that game.'
Zac Bailey (twice) and Eric Hipwood shanked shots for goal out on the full, while the visitors' scoreboard return for the stanza read an eye-popping 0.8.
Neale narrowly missed on the run with a minute to go to make it a six-point ballgame, before Adelaide's desperate defence punched Bailey's last shot through for a rushed behind in the dying stages.
'That was a game we should have won, in my view,' Fagan said. 'We did so many things right and didn't win the game. We were all over them, we just couldn't kick it through the goals.'
Led by Will Ashcroft, Jarrod Berry and Neale, the Lions dictated at stoppage and led at every change, but couldn't quite make their buffer insurmountable in the wet, slippery conditions.
If Adelaide Oval's scoreboard pocket belongs to the great Eddie Betts, then the opposite one in the south-west is now Rachele's. After catching Noah Answerth holding the footy, Rachele threaded the long-range needle from the boundary line before turning to the crowd and following with his trademark, Dwyane Wade-style 'my house' signature celebration to cut the deficit down before half-time.
Tasmania's AFL saga 'embarrassing' for our state, says Tim Paine
AAP
Former Australia cricket captain Tim Paine has lashed Tasmania as 'self-sabotaging', admitting he's embarrassed by the political upheaval that threatens to kill off the island's planned AFL team.
The Tasmania Devils are at risk of extinction before they have even played a game, after Liberal Premier Jeremy Rockliff on Thursday lost a no-confidence motion. It means Tasmanians are set to return to the polls, likely delaying construction of a new stadium in Hobart.
The proposed 23,000-seat roofed venue, which is now slated to cost $945 million, is a condition of the Devils entering the AFL in 2028. Devils chief executive Brendon Gale and chairman Grant O'Brien fear an early election would delay the stadium project and put the club's licence at serious risk.
The saga has prompted an emotional response from Devils staff, politicians and public figures.
'It is staggering that we do this to ourselves, we are a self-sabotaging state,' Paine said on SEN.
'I'm as proud as anyone to be a Tasmanian but at times it is embarrassing.
'I was with [Brisbane Lions coach] Chris Fagan the last few days at the football club, everyone you speak to, they ask if it's gonna happen. Even Fages, a proud Tasmanian, you could see in his face and the look in his eye, he was shocked that once again we have gone out of our way to stuff something up that would be great for our state.
'It's a doomsday scenario, but what if the AFL revokes the licence?'
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The former Test wicketkeeper felt Tasmania would continue to be the butt of jokes if it can't deliver an AFL team.
'Tassie has for a long time been the laughingstock for the other states because of our inability to get stuff done,' Paine said.
'When I was playing cricket people would say, 'Oh you're heading back to 'Slowbart', nothing ever happens'. It's the same as it was 10 years ago, and we keep proving people right. It's embarrassing when you're involved in national or international sports and businesses, and you go to carnivals or Tests and people just continually shit-can us.
'They talk down to us and we continually prove them right.'
Rockliff has vowed to fight and win a snap election, but speculation is growing his Tasmanian Liberal colleagues will deny him the chance.
The prevailing political wisdom is the Rockliff government will lose an election, with veteran Liberal political operative Brad Stansfield saying they would be 'annihilated' in a winter campaign.
However, parliament's dissolution is not due until after Tuesday, given the need to pass a stop-gap budget bill before the campaign.
The delay across the King's Birthday long weekend gives the 17 members of the Liberal party room – including 14 who will put their seats at risk in a campaign – plenty of time to rethink their support for Rockliff.
'It's probably 70 to 80 per cent likely that either over the weekend or following the appropriation bill going through on Tuesday, Jeremy won't be leader,' former premier David Bartlett said.
'It won't be a coup. It will be a smooth transition of power to a new leader and Jeremy will be under all sorts of pressure from internal Liberal party people to make that happen. I'm not even convinced Jeremy Rockliff wants to go to another election. He'd probably rather retire to the farm.'
After losing the no-confidence vote, Rockliff gave an emotional address where he revealed he fought off internal opponents to stand by the billion-dollar Macquarie Point stadium.
'I've been advised by all the hard-heads in my party not to go down that track. Why? Because it's bad for votes,' he said.
'Well, I've always said, 'Stuff votes' ... I'll say it for the stadium for as long as I damn well live, because I believe in it.'
'Bro can't have fun': Ginnivan's social media post after goal celebration
Jon Pierik and Scott Spits
Jack Ginnivan made no apologies for showing his Western Bulldogs opponent the ball as he raced in to goal late in Hawthorn's victory at Marvel Stadium on Thursday night.
In fact, he made it clear that he felt his critics were out of touch.
The Hawks forward posted on X about midnight: 'why everyone wanna be so serious, bro can't have fun', and signed off with a couple of dinosaur emojis.
Ginnivan was at his provocative best with the showboating goal that extended the Hawks' lead to 27 points. The Hawks won by 22.
As he took a couple of bounces, Ginnivan grinned widely and showed the footy to opponent Bailey Dale before booting it into the stands.
Teammate Mabior Chol wasn't impressed and simply said afterwards: 'It's Ginnivan. What can you do? It's him. It's his personality.'
Chol was at his athletic best and booted four goals himself. He was honest in his appraisal of Ginnivan's celebration.
'Look, I wasn't a fan of it, to be honest,' Chol told Fox Footy.
'I'm just kinda glad [about his form] … he's had a massive two weeks. Hopefully he can carry that into next week, and have a good well-earned rest.'
Another teammate, Dylan Moore, was unfazed. 'That's Ginni being Ginni. When he's at his best he's showboating. He's causing frustration for the opposition. I absolutely love that,' Moore told ABC Radio after the game.
Ginnivan kicked two goals and had 23 touches, and Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge said his antics could be a case of 'winners are grinners'.
'Sometimes I think with the contemporaries these days, it doesn't even go in the memory banks,' Beveridge said.
'Next time we play the Hawks they won't even remember it, and I won't show it. That's what he [Ginnivan] does, that's the way he rolls.'
The Hawks needed to find a way to resuscitate their season, having dropped their previous three games.
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They were without skipper James Sicily and irrepressible forward Nick Watson.
The Bulldogs needed to reaffirm why they are seen as legitimate finals contenders.
By late Thursday night, with Prime Minister and Hawks fan Anthony Albanese still in the house, the result was clear: the Hawks, stung by a week of criticism, are top-four and premiership threats. The Bulldogs, now 6-6, have much work to do if they are simply to make the eight.
Having laid just 74 tackles over the previous fortnight, the Hawks finished this clash with 82.
'It was a clear focus for us coming into the game,' coach Sam Mitchell said.
'Part of it is player attitude, but part of it is the way we set up the game. When you work together on those things and prioritise them at the top of the list, you get that performance, which is going to give you a much better chance to beat good teams, which the Bulldogs are.'