Groves misses out as flying Dutchman Kooij wins at Giro
Queenslander Kaden Groves has found the going too hot on a sprinters' day at the Giro d'Italia as he missed out on a second stage win of the race and watched flying Dutchman Olav Kooij take the honours in another chaotic bunch finish at Viadana.
Having set off from Modena, the birthplace of Enzo Ferrari, Thursday's race ended with the race's purest F1 rockets duelling after 172km in the saddle, with Groves hopeful after prevailing in the previous mass sprint denouement on the wet, crash-hit sixth stage in Naples a week earlier.
This time, despite a striking late surge which looked momentarily as if it could earn him his 10th Grand Tour win as riders attacked the line all across the road, Kooij prevailed for his first win of the tour while Mexico's overall leader Isaac Del Toro slightly extended his advantage in the pink jersey.
Kooij owed a great debt to his luxury Visma lead-out man Wout van Aert, whose lung-busting, long effort delivered him towards victory, with another Dutch rider Casper van Uden and Britain's Ben Turner grabbing the other podium spots, while Groves had to settle for fifth behind triple-stage winner Mads Pedersen.
After nearly four hours in the saddle, van Aert, who won Sunday's ninth stage, did a great job from the front to make the key final corner first and lead Kooij into the final 200 metres as he went on to secure the first Giro stage win of his career.
"Only Wout can do such a long lead out like today's," Kooij said.
"I got an extraordinary support."
Earlier, 21-year-old del Toro had picked up a two-second time bonus from an intermediate sprint to pad out his lead to 33 seconds over his UAE Emirates teammate Juan Ayuso and he was 1:09 ahead of Italian Antonio Tiberi.
Michael Storer (Tudor Pro) remains the top Australian in the race in 14th place, 3:22 behind, while Chris Harper (Jayco AlUla) is 4:37 down in 19th.
Red Bull Bora-hansgrohe's Primoz Roglic, the 2023 champion, remains sixth, 1:26 behind del Toro, the first Mexican to lead the race.
Friday's stage 13 will take the riders 180km from Rovigo to Vicenza.
With agencies
Queenslander Kaden Groves has found the going too hot on a sprinters' day at the Giro d'Italia as he missed out on a second stage win of the race and watched flying Dutchman Olav Kooij take the honours in another chaotic bunch finish at Viadana.
Having set off from Modena, the birthplace of Enzo Ferrari, Thursday's race ended with the race's purest F1 rockets duelling after 172km in the saddle, with Groves hopeful after prevailing in the previous mass sprint denouement on the wet, crash-hit sixth stage in Naples a week earlier.
This time, despite a striking late surge which looked momentarily as if it could earn him his 10th Grand Tour win as riders attacked the line all across the road, Kooij prevailed for his first win of the tour while Mexico's overall leader Isaac Del Toro slightly extended his advantage in the pink jersey.
Kooij owed a great debt to his luxury Visma lead-out man Wout van Aert, whose lung-busting, long effort delivered him towards victory, with another Dutch rider Casper van Uden and Britain's Ben Turner grabbing the other podium spots, while Groves had to settle for fifth behind triple-stage winner Mads Pedersen.
After nearly four hours in the saddle, van Aert, who won Sunday's ninth stage, did a great job from the front to make the key final corner first and lead Kooij into the final 200 metres as he went on to secure the first Giro stage win of his career.
"Only Wout can do such a long lead out like today's," Kooij said.
"I got an extraordinary support."
Earlier, 21-year-old del Toro had picked up a two-second time bonus from an intermediate sprint to pad out his lead to 33 seconds over his UAE Emirates teammate Juan Ayuso and he was 1:09 ahead of Italian Antonio Tiberi.
Michael Storer (Tudor Pro) remains the top Australian in the race in 14th place, 3:22 behind, while Chris Harper (Jayco AlUla) is 4:37 down in 19th.
Red Bull Bora-hansgrohe's Primoz Roglic, the 2023 champion, remains sixth, 1:26 behind del Toro, the first Mexican to lead the race.
Friday's stage 13 will take the riders 180km from Rovigo to Vicenza.
With agencies
Queenslander Kaden Groves has found the going too hot on a sprinters' day at the Giro d'Italia as he missed out on a second stage win of the race and watched flying Dutchman Olav Kooij take the honours in another chaotic bunch finish at Viadana.
Having set off from Modena, the birthplace of Enzo Ferrari, Thursday's race ended with the race's purest F1 rockets duelling after 172km in the saddle, with Groves hopeful after prevailing in the previous mass sprint denouement on the wet, crash-hit sixth stage in Naples a week earlier.
This time, despite a striking late surge which looked momentarily as if it could earn him his 10th Grand Tour win as riders attacked the line all across the road, Kooij prevailed for his first win of the tour while Mexico's overall leader Isaac Del Toro slightly extended his advantage in the pink jersey.
Kooij owed a great debt to his luxury Visma lead-out man Wout van Aert, whose lung-busting, long effort delivered him towards victory, with another Dutch rider Casper van Uden and Britain's Ben Turner grabbing the other podium spots, while Groves had to settle for fifth behind triple-stage winner Mads Pedersen.
After nearly four hours in the saddle, van Aert, who won Sunday's ninth stage, did a great job from the front to make the key final corner first and lead Kooij into the final 200 metres as he went on to secure the first Giro stage win of his career.
"Only Wout can do such a long lead out like today's," Kooij said.
"I got an extraordinary support."
Earlier, 21-year-old del Toro had picked up a two-second time bonus from an intermediate sprint to pad out his lead to 33 seconds over his UAE Emirates teammate Juan Ayuso and he was 1:09 ahead of Italian Antonio Tiberi.
Michael Storer (Tudor Pro) remains the top Australian in the race in 14th place, 3:22 behind, while Chris Harper (Jayco AlUla) is 4:37 down in 19th.
Red Bull Bora-hansgrohe's Primoz Roglic, the 2023 champion, remains sixth, 1:26 behind del Toro, the first Mexican to lead the race.
Friday's stage 13 will take the riders 180km from Rovigo to Vicenza.
With agencies
Queenslander Kaden Groves has found the going too hot on a sprinters' day at the Giro d'Italia as he missed out on a second stage win of the race and watched flying Dutchman Olav Kooij take the honours in another chaotic bunch finish at Viadana.
Having set off from Modena, the birthplace of Enzo Ferrari, Thursday's race ended with the race's purest F1 rockets duelling after 172km in the saddle, with Groves hopeful after prevailing in the previous mass sprint denouement on the wet, crash-hit sixth stage in Naples a week earlier.
This time, despite a striking late surge which looked momentarily as if it could earn him his 10th Grand Tour win as riders attacked the line all across the road, Kooij prevailed for his first win of the tour while Mexico's overall leader Isaac Del Toro slightly extended his advantage in the pink jersey.
Kooij owed a great debt to his luxury Visma lead-out man Wout van Aert, whose lung-busting, long effort delivered him towards victory, with another Dutch rider Casper van Uden and Britain's Ben Turner grabbing the other podium spots, while Groves had to settle for fifth behind triple-stage winner Mads Pedersen.
After nearly four hours in the saddle, van Aert, who won Sunday's ninth stage, did a great job from the front to make the key final corner first and lead Kooij into the final 200 metres as he went on to secure the first Giro stage win of his career.
"Only Wout can do such a long lead out like today's," Kooij said.
"I got an extraordinary support."
Earlier, 21-year-old del Toro had picked up a two-second time bonus from an intermediate sprint to pad out his lead to 33 seconds over his UAE Emirates teammate Juan Ayuso and he was 1:09 ahead of Italian Antonio Tiberi.
Michael Storer (Tudor Pro) remains the top Australian in the race in 14th place, 3:22 behind, while Chris Harper (Jayco AlUla) is 4:37 down in 19th.
Red Bull Bora-hansgrohe's Primoz Roglic, the 2023 champion, remains sixth, 1:26 behind del Toro, the first Mexican to lead the race.
Friday's stage 13 will take the riders 180km from Rovigo to Vicenza.
With agencies
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- The Advertiser
Aussie Adcock leaps to gold in Diamond League meet
Australian long jumper Liam Adcock has carved up the 'big boys' by breaking through in emphatic style for his maiden Diamond League gold medal. Still hurting from his runner-up finish at the April meet in Xiamen where the Queenslander led into the final round before being pipped, Adcock did the same to his world-class rivals in Rome on Friday. Lying third after five rounds, Adcock leapt 8.34m (-0.2) to grab first by 21cms from world leader Mattia Furlani (Italy) and two-time Olympic champion Miltiadis Tentoglou (Greece). "That happened to me in Xiamen, I was leading the whole way and then in the last round got overtaken, so I was like it's my turn to clutch up now," the World Indoor medallist said. "I reckon I have a bit of clutch factor so it was great to be able to express that and jump a PB. "I wasn't feeling that great leading into it, but Furlani got the crowd fired up, obviously a home crowd for him, and it got me going too." It was the joint furthest jump outdoors this year, with the 28-year-old now revelling in the company of the 'big boys' and enjoying a breakthrough season after overcoming a series of injuries. "I'm old now which is tough, it's making it difficult to get any interest from sponsors, but I just keep showing up and doing what I can," he added. "I had a lot of years of injuries and this is my first year on the big boy circuit." It was a great night for Australia with Adcock joined on the podium by Sarah Billings and Abbey Caldwell. The middle-distance duo both registered career-best times in the 1500m, with Billings taking second in 3:59.24 followed by Caldwell in third (3:59.32). The race came to life with a bunched field at the bell and Billings coming with her strong run on the turn, but the Victorian was run down by Sarah Healy. "I wanted to be in striking distance in the last lap tonight. I felt really good with 200m to go and just told myself to go for it," Billings said. National record-holder Oliver Hoare aso qualified for the 2025 world championships, clocking 3:31.15 in the 1500m to finish ninth. The Commonwealth champion bided his time at the back of the field in the patiently-run race, mustering a finishing burst to move up the rankings and finish well under the 3:33.00 qualifying standard. Meanwhile, Kenyan Beatrice Chebet came close to breaking the women's 5000m world record when she clocked 14:03.69, a meeting record that was just 2.5 seconds shy of Gudaf Tsegay's 1997 world mark of 14:00.21. Chebet also recorded the second-fastest ever time in the women's 3000m - running 8:11.56 in Rabat last month behind Wang Junxia's 8:06.11 set in 1993. Jamaica's Andrenette Knight dominated the women's 400m hurdles, finishing in 53.67 seconds, while American Anavia Battle won the women's 200m in 22.53 seconds. The men's 110m hurdles produced the evening's closest finish, with Swiss athlete Jason Joseph clocking 13.14 and snatching victory from American Cordell Tinch, who finished in the same time. There was also a nail-bitting race in the men's 400m, with American Quincy Hall finishing in 44.22 secs, just a hundredth of a second ahead of South African Zakithi Nene. In the men's 1500m, France's Azeddine Habz surged in the closing stages to beat former world champion Kenya's Timothy Cheruiyot. Habz won by three-hundredths of a second with a time of 3:29.72, while Cheruiyot finished in 3:29.75. American Trayvon Bromell claimed victory in the 100m, finishing in 9.84 seconds, while Tokyo Olympics high jump gold medallist Gianmarco Tamberi failed to reach the podium as South Korea's Woo Sanghyeok took the win with a jump of 2.32m. with Reuters Australian long jumper Liam Adcock has carved up the 'big boys' by breaking through in emphatic style for his maiden Diamond League gold medal. Still hurting from his runner-up finish at the April meet in Xiamen where the Queenslander led into the final round before being pipped, Adcock did the same to his world-class rivals in Rome on Friday. Lying third after five rounds, Adcock leapt 8.34m (-0.2) to grab first by 21cms from world leader Mattia Furlani (Italy) and two-time Olympic champion Miltiadis Tentoglou (Greece). "That happened to me in Xiamen, I was leading the whole way and then in the last round got overtaken, so I was like it's my turn to clutch up now," the World Indoor medallist said. "I reckon I have a bit of clutch factor so it was great to be able to express that and jump a PB. "I wasn't feeling that great leading into it, but Furlani got the crowd fired up, obviously a home crowd for him, and it got me going too." It was the joint furthest jump outdoors this year, with the 28-year-old now revelling in the company of the 'big boys' and enjoying a breakthrough season after overcoming a series of injuries. "I'm old now which is tough, it's making it difficult to get any interest from sponsors, but I just keep showing up and doing what I can," he added. "I had a lot of years of injuries and this is my first year on the big boy circuit." It was a great night for Australia with Adcock joined on the podium by Sarah Billings and Abbey Caldwell. The middle-distance duo both registered career-best times in the 1500m, with Billings taking second in 3:59.24 followed by Caldwell in third (3:59.32). The race came to life with a bunched field at the bell and Billings coming with her strong run on the turn, but the Victorian was run down by Sarah Healy. "I wanted to be in striking distance in the last lap tonight. I felt really good with 200m to go and just told myself to go for it," Billings said. National record-holder Oliver Hoare aso qualified for the 2025 world championships, clocking 3:31.15 in the 1500m to finish ninth. The Commonwealth champion bided his time at the back of the field in the patiently-run race, mustering a finishing burst to move up the rankings and finish well under the 3:33.00 qualifying standard. Meanwhile, Kenyan Beatrice Chebet came close to breaking the women's 5000m world record when she clocked 14:03.69, a meeting record that was just 2.5 seconds shy of Gudaf Tsegay's 1997 world mark of 14:00.21. Chebet also recorded the second-fastest ever time in the women's 3000m - running 8:11.56 in Rabat last month behind Wang Junxia's 8:06.11 set in 1993. Jamaica's Andrenette Knight dominated the women's 400m hurdles, finishing in 53.67 seconds, while American Anavia Battle won the women's 200m in 22.53 seconds. The men's 110m hurdles produced the evening's closest finish, with Swiss athlete Jason Joseph clocking 13.14 and snatching victory from American Cordell Tinch, who finished in the same time. There was also a nail-bitting race in the men's 400m, with American Quincy Hall finishing in 44.22 secs, just a hundredth of a second ahead of South African Zakithi Nene. In the men's 1500m, France's Azeddine Habz surged in the closing stages to beat former world champion Kenya's Timothy Cheruiyot. Habz won by three-hundredths of a second with a time of 3:29.72, while Cheruiyot finished in 3:29.75. American Trayvon Bromell claimed victory in the 100m, finishing in 9.84 seconds, while Tokyo Olympics high jump gold medallist Gianmarco Tamberi failed to reach the podium as South Korea's Woo Sanghyeok took the win with a jump of 2.32m. with Reuters Australian long jumper Liam Adcock has carved up the 'big boys' by breaking through in emphatic style for his maiden Diamond League gold medal. Still hurting from his runner-up finish at the April meet in Xiamen where the Queenslander led into the final round before being pipped, Adcock did the same to his world-class rivals in Rome on Friday. Lying third after five rounds, Adcock leapt 8.34m (-0.2) to grab first by 21cms from world leader Mattia Furlani (Italy) and two-time Olympic champion Miltiadis Tentoglou (Greece). "That happened to me in Xiamen, I was leading the whole way and then in the last round got overtaken, so I was like it's my turn to clutch up now," the World Indoor medallist said. "I reckon I have a bit of clutch factor so it was great to be able to express that and jump a PB. "I wasn't feeling that great leading into it, but Furlani got the crowd fired up, obviously a home crowd for him, and it got me going too." It was the joint furthest jump outdoors this year, with the 28-year-old now revelling in the company of the 'big boys' and enjoying a breakthrough season after overcoming a series of injuries. "I'm old now which is tough, it's making it difficult to get any interest from sponsors, but I just keep showing up and doing what I can," he added. "I had a lot of years of injuries and this is my first year on the big boy circuit." It was a great night for Australia with Adcock joined on the podium by Sarah Billings and Abbey Caldwell. The middle-distance duo both registered career-best times in the 1500m, with Billings taking second in 3:59.24 followed by Caldwell in third (3:59.32). The race came to life with a bunched field at the bell and Billings coming with her strong run on the turn, but the Victorian was run down by Sarah Healy. "I wanted to be in striking distance in the last lap tonight. I felt really good with 200m to go and just told myself to go for it," Billings said. National record-holder Oliver Hoare aso qualified for the 2025 world championships, clocking 3:31.15 in the 1500m to finish ninth. The Commonwealth champion bided his time at the back of the field in the patiently-run race, mustering a finishing burst to move up the rankings and finish well under the 3:33.00 qualifying standard. Meanwhile, Kenyan Beatrice Chebet came close to breaking the women's 5000m world record when she clocked 14:03.69, a meeting record that was just 2.5 seconds shy of Gudaf Tsegay's 1997 world mark of 14:00.21. Chebet also recorded the second-fastest ever time in the women's 3000m - running 8:11.56 in Rabat last month behind Wang Junxia's 8:06.11 set in 1993. Jamaica's Andrenette Knight dominated the women's 400m hurdles, finishing in 53.67 seconds, while American Anavia Battle won the women's 200m in 22.53 seconds. The men's 110m hurdles produced the evening's closest finish, with Swiss athlete Jason Joseph clocking 13.14 and snatching victory from American Cordell Tinch, who finished in the same time. There was also a nail-bitting race in the men's 400m, with American Quincy Hall finishing in 44.22 secs, just a hundredth of a second ahead of South African Zakithi Nene. In the men's 1500m, France's Azeddine Habz surged in the closing stages to beat former world champion Kenya's Timothy Cheruiyot. Habz won by three-hundredths of a second with a time of 3:29.72, while Cheruiyot finished in 3:29.75. American Trayvon Bromell claimed victory in the 100m, finishing in 9.84 seconds, while Tokyo Olympics high jump gold medallist Gianmarco Tamberi failed to reach the podium as South Korea's Woo Sanghyeok took the win with a jump of 2.32m. with Reuters Australian long jumper Liam Adcock has carved up the 'big boys' by breaking through in emphatic style for his maiden Diamond League gold medal. Still hurting from his runner-up finish at the April meet in Xiamen where the Queenslander led into the final round before being pipped, Adcock did the same to his world-class rivals in Rome on Friday. Lying third after five rounds, Adcock leapt 8.34m (-0.2) to grab first by 21cms from world leader Mattia Furlani (Italy) and two-time Olympic champion Miltiadis Tentoglou (Greece). "That happened to me in Xiamen, I was leading the whole way and then in the last round got overtaken, so I was like it's my turn to clutch up now," the World Indoor medallist said. "I reckon I have a bit of clutch factor so it was great to be able to express that and jump a PB. "I wasn't feeling that great leading into it, but Furlani got the crowd fired up, obviously a home crowd for him, and it got me going too." It was the joint furthest jump outdoors this year, with the 28-year-old now revelling in the company of the 'big boys' and enjoying a breakthrough season after overcoming a series of injuries. "I'm old now which is tough, it's making it difficult to get any interest from sponsors, but I just keep showing up and doing what I can," he added. "I had a lot of years of injuries and this is my first year on the big boy circuit." It was a great night for Australia with Adcock joined on the podium by Sarah Billings and Abbey Caldwell. The middle-distance duo both registered career-best times in the 1500m, with Billings taking second in 3:59.24 followed by Caldwell in third (3:59.32). The race came to life with a bunched field at the bell and Billings coming with her strong run on the turn, but the Victorian was run down by Sarah Healy. "I wanted to be in striking distance in the last lap tonight. I felt really good with 200m to go and just told myself to go for it," Billings said. National record-holder Oliver Hoare aso qualified for the 2025 world championships, clocking 3:31.15 in the 1500m to finish ninth. The Commonwealth champion bided his time at the back of the field in the patiently-run race, mustering a finishing burst to move up the rankings and finish well under the 3:33.00 qualifying standard. Meanwhile, Kenyan Beatrice Chebet came close to breaking the women's 5000m world record when she clocked 14:03.69, a meeting record that was just 2.5 seconds shy of Gudaf Tsegay's 1997 world mark of 14:00.21. Chebet also recorded the second-fastest ever time in the women's 3000m - running 8:11.56 in Rabat last month behind Wang Junxia's 8:06.11 set in 1993. Jamaica's Andrenette Knight dominated the women's 400m hurdles, finishing in 53.67 seconds, while American Anavia Battle won the women's 200m in 22.53 seconds. The men's 110m hurdles produced the evening's closest finish, with Swiss athlete Jason Joseph clocking 13.14 and snatching victory from American Cordell Tinch, who finished in the same time. There was also a nail-bitting race in the men's 400m, with American Quincy Hall finishing in 44.22 secs, just a hundredth of a second ahead of South African Zakithi Nene. In the men's 1500m, France's Azeddine Habz surged in the closing stages to beat former world champion Kenya's Timothy Cheruiyot. Habz won by three-hundredths of a second with a time of 3:29.72, while Cheruiyot finished in 3:29.75. American Trayvon Bromell claimed victory in the 100m, finishing in 9.84 seconds, while Tokyo Olympics high jump gold medallist Gianmarco Tamberi failed to reach the podium as South Korea's Woo Sanghyeok took the win with a jump of 2.32m. with Reuters
The Advertiser
9 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Raiders eye winning send-off for record-breaker Papalii
Ahead of becoming Canberra's most-capped NRL player, Josh Papalii has been heralded as the key to a long-awaited title for his beloved Raiders. Sia Soliola, Papalii's former Raiders teammate on the field and long-term friend off it, says the young Raiders squad have what it takes to win the club's first premiership in more than three decades. And Big Papa's experience will be crucial. "We always relied on him, and a lot was put on Paps' shoulders," Soliola told AAP. "He has always stepped up in crucial times when we've needed someone. He's the guy that still produces the moments in a game where you need something special. That's where Paps' presence really comes to life, and I think that'll play a big part for the Raiders this year." His second-half spell to help inspire the Raiders' comeback win against the Sydney Roosters was a case in point. Papalii will be the first to admit his athleticism isn't where it once was, but even at 33 the copious Queenslander is still a vital cog for coach Ricky Stuart's side. Sunday's clash against South Sydney will be another crucial one for the Green Machine, who could go top with a win, before a much-needed first bye of the season. His comrades will be even more determined to get the two points to celebrate Papalii notching 319 games with the Raiders to surpass fellow one-club man Jason Croker as the most-capped player in Canberra's history. But it's the "off-field stuff" the boy from Logan will look back on most fondly. "The club's been so loyal to me. If you sort of think about what I've been through off-field, I probably should have been sacked 12 years ago, so the club's been such a loyal base for myself and my family," said Papalii, who has admitted this season will be his last for the Raiders. "I hope I've repaid that with love and sacrifice and in the way I've gone about my craft." Despite the inexperienced roster, Stuart has his squad firing on all cylinders, and there is a sense among the Raiders faithful - with GIO Stadium set for another sold-out crowd - that this season could be a special one. It would be a fairytale ending at the club for Papalii after missing out on a title in an agonising grand-final loss to the Roosters in 2019. "You see all these really great players that never really get to lift it, but the Raiders have got a really good opportunity this year," Soliola said. "If they keep going the way they're going they're definitely going to give themselves a shot at the business end. I think everyone in rugby league would want that to happen for someone like Paps." The Raiders would also dearly love to send off Jamal Fogarty on a high note. A part of club folklore even before he joined - Papalii's 2020 Dally M tackle of the year-winning ankle tap on the then-Titans halfback was immortalised on commemorative Budgy Smugglers - Fogarty has become a fan favourite since, but is bound for Manly next season. The playmaker has been one of the league's outstanding halves this season and is a welcome boost to the Raiders' starting line-up after a one-week lay-off with a groin injury. Fellow Queenslander Corey Horsburgh will also hit a milestone on Sunday, playing his 100th NRL game. It's the last audition for "Big Red'' ahead of selection for State of Origin II, with the hulking prop's red-hot form making him a favourite for inclusion in Billy Slater's Maroons squad. Ahead of becoming Canberra's most-capped NRL player, Josh Papalii has been heralded as the key to a long-awaited title for his beloved Raiders. Sia Soliola, Papalii's former Raiders teammate on the field and long-term friend off it, says the young Raiders squad have what it takes to win the club's first premiership in more than three decades. And Big Papa's experience will be crucial. "We always relied on him, and a lot was put on Paps' shoulders," Soliola told AAP. "He has always stepped up in crucial times when we've needed someone. He's the guy that still produces the moments in a game where you need something special. That's where Paps' presence really comes to life, and I think that'll play a big part for the Raiders this year." His second-half spell to help inspire the Raiders' comeback win against the Sydney Roosters was a case in point. Papalii will be the first to admit his athleticism isn't where it once was, but even at 33 the copious Queenslander is still a vital cog for coach Ricky Stuart's side. Sunday's clash against South Sydney will be another crucial one for the Green Machine, who could go top with a win, before a much-needed first bye of the season. His comrades will be even more determined to get the two points to celebrate Papalii notching 319 games with the Raiders to surpass fellow one-club man Jason Croker as the most-capped player in Canberra's history. But it's the "off-field stuff" the boy from Logan will look back on most fondly. "The club's been so loyal to me. If you sort of think about what I've been through off-field, I probably should have been sacked 12 years ago, so the club's been such a loyal base for myself and my family," said Papalii, who has admitted this season will be his last for the Raiders. "I hope I've repaid that with love and sacrifice and in the way I've gone about my craft." Despite the inexperienced roster, Stuart has his squad firing on all cylinders, and there is a sense among the Raiders faithful - with GIO Stadium set for another sold-out crowd - that this season could be a special one. It would be a fairytale ending at the club for Papalii after missing out on a title in an agonising grand-final loss to the Roosters in 2019. "You see all these really great players that never really get to lift it, but the Raiders have got a really good opportunity this year," Soliola said. "If they keep going the way they're going they're definitely going to give themselves a shot at the business end. I think everyone in rugby league would want that to happen for someone like Paps." The Raiders would also dearly love to send off Jamal Fogarty on a high note. A part of club folklore even before he joined - Papalii's 2020 Dally M tackle of the year-winning ankle tap on the then-Titans halfback was immortalised on commemorative Budgy Smugglers - Fogarty has become a fan favourite since, but is bound for Manly next season. The playmaker has been one of the league's outstanding halves this season and is a welcome boost to the Raiders' starting line-up after a one-week lay-off with a groin injury. Fellow Queenslander Corey Horsburgh will also hit a milestone on Sunday, playing his 100th NRL game. It's the last audition for "Big Red'' ahead of selection for State of Origin II, with the hulking prop's red-hot form making him a favourite for inclusion in Billy Slater's Maroons squad. Ahead of becoming Canberra's most-capped NRL player, Josh Papalii has been heralded as the key to a long-awaited title for his beloved Raiders. Sia Soliola, Papalii's former Raiders teammate on the field and long-term friend off it, says the young Raiders squad have what it takes to win the club's first premiership in more than three decades. And Big Papa's experience will be crucial. "We always relied on him, and a lot was put on Paps' shoulders," Soliola told AAP. "He has always stepped up in crucial times when we've needed someone. He's the guy that still produces the moments in a game where you need something special. That's where Paps' presence really comes to life, and I think that'll play a big part for the Raiders this year." His second-half spell to help inspire the Raiders' comeback win against the Sydney Roosters was a case in point. Papalii will be the first to admit his athleticism isn't where it once was, but even at 33 the copious Queenslander is still a vital cog for coach Ricky Stuart's side. Sunday's clash against South Sydney will be another crucial one for the Green Machine, who could go top with a win, before a much-needed first bye of the season. His comrades will be even more determined to get the two points to celebrate Papalii notching 319 games with the Raiders to surpass fellow one-club man Jason Croker as the most-capped player in Canberra's history. But it's the "off-field stuff" the boy from Logan will look back on most fondly. "The club's been so loyal to me. If you sort of think about what I've been through off-field, I probably should have been sacked 12 years ago, so the club's been such a loyal base for myself and my family," said Papalii, who has admitted this season will be his last for the Raiders. "I hope I've repaid that with love and sacrifice and in the way I've gone about my craft." Despite the inexperienced roster, Stuart has his squad firing on all cylinders, and there is a sense among the Raiders faithful - with GIO Stadium set for another sold-out crowd - that this season could be a special one. It would be a fairytale ending at the club for Papalii after missing out on a title in an agonising grand-final loss to the Roosters in 2019. "You see all these really great players that never really get to lift it, but the Raiders have got a really good opportunity this year," Soliola said. "If they keep going the way they're going they're definitely going to give themselves a shot at the business end. I think everyone in rugby league would want that to happen for someone like Paps." The Raiders would also dearly love to send off Jamal Fogarty on a high note. A part of club folklore even before he joined - Papalii's 2020 Dally M tackle of the year-winning ankle tap on the then-Titans halfback was immortalised on commemorative Budgy Smugglers - Fogarty has become a fan favourite since, but is bound for Manly next season. The playmaker has been one of the league's outstanding halves this season and is a welcome boost to the Raiders' starting line-up after a one-week lay-off with a groin injury. Fellow Queenslander Corey Horsburgh will also hit a milestone on Sunday, playing his 100th NRL game. It's the last audition for "Big Red'' ahead of selection for State of Origin II, with the hulking prop's red-hot form making him a favourite for inclusion in Billy Slater's Maroons squad.
West Australian
9 hours ago
- West Australian
Raiders eye winning send-off for record-breaker Papalii
Ahead of becoming Canberra's most-capped NRL player, Josh Papalii has been heralded as the key to a long-awaited title for his beloved Raiders. Sia Soliola, Papalii's former Raiders teammate on the field and long-term friend off it, says the young Raiders squad have what it takes to win the club's first premiership in more than three decades. And Big Papa's experience will be crucial. "We always relied on him, and a lot was put on Paps' shoulders," Soliola told AAP. "He has always stepped up in crucial times when we've needed someone. He's the guy that still produces the moments in a game where you need something special. That's where Paps' presence really comes to life, and I think that'll play a big part for the Raiders this year." His second-half spell to help inspire the Raiders' comeback win against the Sydney Roosters was a case in point. Papalii will be the first to admit his athleticism isn't where it once was, but even at 33 the copious Queenslander is still a vital cog for coach Ricky Stuart's side. Sunday's clash against South Sydney will be another crucial one for the Green Machine, who could go top with a win, before a much-needed first bye of the season. His comrades will be even more determined to get the two points to celebrate Papalii notching 319 games with the Raiders to surpass fellow one-club man Jason Croker as the most-capped player in Canberra's history. But it's the "off-field stuff" the boy from Logan will look back on most fondly. "The club's been so loyal to me. If you sort of think about what I've been through off-field, I probably should have been sacked 12 years ago, so the club's been such a loyal base for myself and my family," said Papalii, who has admitted this season will be his last for the Raiders. "I hope I've repaid that with love and sacrifice and in the way I've gone about my craft." Despite the inexperienced roster, Stuart has his squad firing on all cylinders, and there is a sense among the Raiders faithful - with GIO Stadium set for another sold-out crowd - that this season could be a special one. It would be a fairytale ending at the club for Papalii after missing out on a title in an agonising grand-final loss to the Roosters in 2019. "You see all these really great players that never really get to lift it, but the Raiders have got a really good opportunity this year," Soliola said. "If they keep going the way they're going they're definitely going to give themselves a shot at the business end. I think everyone in rugby league would want that to happen for someone like Paps." The Raiders would also dearly love to send off Jamal Fogarty on a high note. A part of club folklore even before he joined - Papalii's 2020 Dally M tackle of the year-winning ankle tap on the then-Titans halfback was immortalised on commemorative Budgy Smugglers - Fogarty has become a fan favourite since, but is bound for Manly next season. The playmaker has been one of the league's outstanding halves this season and is a welcome boost to the Raiders' starting line-up after a one-week lay-off with a groin injury. Fellow Queenslander Corey Horsburgh will also hit a milestone on Sunday, playing his 100th NRL game. It's the last audition for "Big Red'' ahead of selection for State of Origin II, with the hulking prop's red-hot form making him a favourite for inclusion in Billy Slater's Maroons squad.
