Ghanaian-Australian AFL players making their mark in the league.
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7NEWS
20 minutes ago
- 7NEWS
Australian netballers Kelsey and Madi Browne heartbroken by death of ‘beautiful' mum Chris
The Australian sporting community is in mourning after the mother of two former Diamonds netball stars died following a battle with cancer. Chris Browne died on Saturday night surrounded by husband Mark, a former Geelong player, and their daughters Madi and Kelsey. The Browne sisters paid tribute on Sunday, saying 'our beautiful wife and mum became our angel'. 'Loved so dearly and already missed so deeply we will never meet another Chris Browne,' they wrote. 'A lover of life who truly lived it to the fullest with unparalleled energy, passion and kindness. 'Mum was the backbone of the family with a spirit stronger and more resilient than anything. So strong we still and will always feel her right here. 'The sheer amount of messages of love and concern and just how many people have wrapped their arms around our family shows how special she was to so many and how far her impact reached. All we can say is thank you. 'We love you Mum, 'to the moon and back' as you would say. 'You are the brightest light in our sky. Rest easy.' Tributes flowed from around netball and football, while the wider Geelong community also mourned the former primary school teacher and leader. Kelsey's AFL star partner Luke Jackson shared the Browne sisters' post with Tina Turner's Simply the Best attached. 'The most beautiful and kind person I've ever come across,' he wrote. 'Forever grateful I got to build a relationship with you and for how much you have helped me grow. I love your Wally! Love you Chris, Luke.' Madi's prominent former teammate Renae Ingles simply said: 'Chris made the world a better place.' Channel 7's Abbey Holmes wrote: 'Oh Kels. This is just heartbreaking! Thinking of your family. Sending so much love & strength xx.' Cats legend Joel Selwood said: 'Thinking of you guys.' Renee Enright, the wife of Geelong great Corey, wrote: 'Oh beautiful family, sending so much love. Your mum lit up every room she entered, she was truly effervescent with the biggest heart, I'll never forget the moments she helped our family and supported our kids at different ages and stages. She had such a positive wonderful energy and she was so proud of you girls. She beamed when she spoke of her family. Thinking of you all at this time.' Diamonds star Jo Weston wrote: 'Big love to you and the fam. Chris was a ray of sunshine and always cared deeply for people, she will be deeply missed.' Ex-Diamonds coach Lisa Alexander said: 'Oh so sad. Love to you both Madi and Kelsey and to Mark. Such a wonderful person and mum to all of us.' The Brownes thanked Chris's care teams at Geelong cancer centres and hospitals, suggesting donations in lieu of flowers. Nearly $8000 has been raised at the time of writing. Madi, 37, and Kelsey, 33, have stepped into netball media roles since retiring in 2020 and 2024 respectively. Madi won two Liz Ellis Medals during her stellar career while Kelsey stepped up into the Diamonds squad after her sister's international retirement in 2018. Their father Mark played 87 VFL/AFL games for Geelong across 1974-78.
News.com.au
4 hours ago
- News.com.au
‘Looked like Mumbai': Geelong coach Chris Scott takes aim at SCG pitch
The SCG surface is again under fire, but this time for a 'rock-hard centre wicket' which 'looked like Mumbai', according to Geelong coach Chris Scott. The dual premiership coach was shown pre-game examining the turf, ahead of his side's 43-point win over Sydney, shaking his head in apparent frustration. It is a different part of the ground to the one which caused controversy earlier in the season, when the Paddington End was unstable and slippery, causing players to fall over during games. FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every match of every round in the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season LIVE in 4K, with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1. That problem was blamed on a pre-season Andrea Bocelli concert held at the SCG whereas this issue is related to the ground's decision not to use a drop-in pitch for cricket purposes. 'The actual surface looks beautiful. The rye grass is quite soft,' Scott explained. 'I know there's been a lot of rain up here, but it's the contrast between the quite soft area outside the centre square and then pretty rock-hard centre wicket area that's just not conducive to AFL football. And so the strange part with so much rain is that it's covered all the time, and you've got this baked, you know, it looked like (a) Mumbai (cricket pitch) out there. 'So that's, again, that's for them to work through. But I mean, my position would be, if you think that's optimal for AFL football, you don't understand what's optimal for AFL football. 'But again, not my concern really. Well, it was my concern today, but I wouldn't read too much into my body language, if there was someone filming me and I didn't know. 'Well, I guess it's my chance to explain it - I wasn't that worried. It was exactly what we expected. We rocked up here yesterday and the centre wicket's covered. 'Not sure there's having there's much point having a training session the day before when the pitch is covered. It's pretty much the reason we're here.'
News.com.au
4 hours ago
- News.com.au
AFL set to investigate Adelaide Crows star over alleged slur
The AFL is investigating Adelaide Crows forward Izak Rankine over allegations of a homophobic slur in his side's win over Collingwood on Saturday. The Crows defeated Collingwood by three points in one of the games of the year to claim their eighth consecutive victory and lock in a top two finish, while the Magpies must win their final game of the year to make finals. FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every match of every round in the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season LIVE in 4K, with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1. According to Code Sports, the AFL is set to get involved in the alleged vilification probe following an alleged on-field comment — there is no suggestion Rankine said the comment or has done anything wrong, only that an allegation has been made. The AFL, Adelaide and Collingwood are yet to comment on the allegation. If Rankine is found guilty of making the slur, he would be in danger of missing Adelaide's entire finals campaign. The Crows take on lowly North Melbourne in the final round of the season and are set to finish on top of the ladder — a stunning result given they haven't made finals since 2017, the last year they made the grand final. Adelaide's win over Collingwood guaranteed the Crows two home finals at Adelaide Oval, but it would be a huge blow to their premiership hopes if they were to be without a player with Rankine's X-factor. Last month West Coast's Jack Graham was suspended for four matches for making a homophobic slur about a GWS player. Graham self-reported the incident, prompting an AFL integrity investigation, which found him guilty of conduct unbecoming. Gold Coast defender Will Powell copped a five-match ban for a homophobic slur last year and Port Adelaide's Jeremy Finlayson was suspended for three matches over a similar incident. AFL Head of Integrity and Security Tony Keane said in a statement after the Graham suspension: 'The AFL is very clear that homophobia has no place in our game, nor in the community. We have come a long way as a code, but this incident demonstrates there is so much more to be done, and we will continue to work together to improve our game as a safe and inclusive environment for all. 'The AFL will continue to consider the specific circumstances in each incident in determining appropriate responses. Graham's sanction would have been higher if he hadn't self-reported and understood his comment was totally inappropriate.' Last week the AFL Integrity Unit closed off an investigation into an incident of 'potential inappropriate touching' by a Brisbane player to a Sydney opponent in round 22. The incident occurred shortly after Sydney's Nick Blakey had taken an intercept mark deep inside Brisbane's forward line. As Blakey lay on the Gabba turf, Lions forward Henry Smith stood over the top of him before stumbling backwards and then pushing up off his rival and standing the mark. The moment however raised eyebrows after a still image and slow motion footage appeared to show Smith making contact with Blakey's backside. Former Melbourne captain Garry Lyon said the young Lions star was lucky to avoid being sanctioned by the league. 'The first photo I looked at I went 'hang on a minute'. And then the other bit of vision which turned up I said 'hang on a minute...',' he said. 'They needed to look at that and this young man, I think that's unnecessary. The AFL have cleared him of any wrongdoing, there's no complaint from Sydney or Nick Blakey. A statement from the league read: 'Following inquires by the AFL Integrity Unit into an incident during the Brisbane Lions and Sydney Swans match on Saturday, it has been determined that no further action is required.' Brisbane said: 'The club is aware the AFL Integrity Unit is looking into an alleged incident from Saturday's match against Sydney. While this process is being conducted, the club will not be commenting at this point.'
