Footy star reveals commentators and fans have been getting his name wrong for five YEARS
Brisbane Lions defender Jack Payne wants to set the record straight - many commentators and footy fans have been getting his name wrong dating back to his debut in 2020.
For whatever reason, the fullback is often referred to as 'Jackson Payne' - and the premiership-winner is tired of it.
'It is probably frustrating for Mum and Dad, more than anything,' Payne told AFL.com.au.
'They don't come down to every game, there's a few they watch on TV.
'Whenever (the name) Jackson comes up, they are the first to let me know about it.
'I've got to let everyone know that my name is Jack, not Jackson.'
Payne has become a key player for the Lions in recent seasons, where the 25-year-old uses his height (6'6) to his advantage.
After keeping Coleman Medal leader Ben King to just one goal in Brisbane's last start win over Gold Coast, Payne faces another litmus test this weekend in the form of North Melbourne star Nick Larkey.
'Each week I love taking the opposition's best forwards and trying to nullify their influence on the game,' he said.
'He (Larkey) has had another good year....I'm really looking forward to the battle.'
Earlier this year, Payne was a revered figure after bringing the AFL premiership cup to popular holiday spot Noosa while in town for the Lions' AFL Community Camp.
Payne represented the Noosa Tigers as a youngster before he was selected to join the Brisbane Lions Academy at the age of 13.
The towering fullback missed the 2023 Grand Final defeat due to injury - but was on-field at the MCG last September when the Lions won their first flag since 2003.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Glasgow Times
an hour ago
- Glasgow Times
Rugby league star Sir Billy Boston's knighthood ‘a little bit late', says son
Sir Billy, who scored 478 tries in 488 matches for Wigan after making the switch from rugby union in 1953, was knighted by the King in a private ceremony at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday. The 90-year-old, who was born in Wales, revealed in 2016 that he was living with vascular dementia. Speaking after his father was knighted, Sir Billy's son Stephen said: 'It's a really great honour. I think it has come a little bit late. It could have come a little bit earlier.' Sir Billy's knighthood was awarded before the latest round of honours has been publicly announced amid concerns for his health. It comes after a campaign by local councillors, MPs and leading figures in the sport to get him honoured – and Sir Billy's family were supported by Josh Simons, the MP for Wakerfield, near Wigan, at the event. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer described Sir Billy Boston as a 'trailblazer' (Aaron Chown/PA) 'It should have been a lot, a lot sooner,' Sir Billy's son told the PA news agency. '130 years before a rugby league player got knighted. 'We're all really appreciative and very appreciative of all the support we've got from Wigan the rugby league club, the local MP and all the fans.' Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said it was a 'historic wrong' that no rugby league player had been knighted before. Sir Billy Boston shakes the King's hand (Aaron Chown/PA) He said: 'Billy Boston is a true trailblazer whose contributed hugely to rugby league. It is a historic wrong that a sport which is the backbone of so many communities has waited so long to receive this honour. 'Boston is a legend of the game who overcame prejudice to represent Great Britain and opened the door to a more diverse game. 'He's left a truly enduring legacy and the first knighthood in rugby league could not go to a more deserving player.' Billy Boston during a Rugby League Challenge Cup final at Wembley (PA) It is understood the Prime Minister has written to Sir Billy to congratulate him on the honour. In 1954, he made history as the first non-white player to be selected for a Great Britain rugby league Lions tour, scoring 36 tries in 18 appearances around Australia and New Zealand, including a then-record four in one match against the Kiwis. He made two more Lions tours in 1958 and 1962 and ended with 24 tries in 31 Test appearances for Great Britain. Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Speaker of the House of Commons and former president of the Rugby Football League, said: 'Billy is a rugby league legend and his name is synonymous with the sport, having played for Wigan, as well as representing Great Britain. 'Billy was one of the 'codebreakers' from the Cardiff Bay area, who took the brave decision to switch from rugby union to rugby league – and faced hostility and prejudice as a result. However, his courage not only inspired future rugby greats to switch codes but it also encouraged generations of youngsters to take up the sport. The former rugby league star with Charles on Tuesday (Aaron Chown/PA) 'Billy's strong running style, pace and agility were feared and admired by supporters and opponents alike and he remains Wigan's top try scorer to this day. 'He was a pioneer in the 1950s when he switched codes and is a pioneer to this day by ensuring rugby league gets the recognition it deserves. His story shows there should be no barriers to achieving your potential and that is what makes the knighthood so fitting.'
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
High stakes and a shot at silverware: WTC final will sparkle despite critics
It was the pandemic that forced the first World Test Championship final to be staged at the biosecure Rose Bowl in 2021, then commercial snags that led to it being held at the Oval two years later. But having been intended for both, Lord's finally gets its chance this week, the defending champions Australia taking on South Africa for the right to lift the oversized Chupa Chup that is the ICC Test Championship Mace. This will probably prompt eyerolls in some territories, even if June ruled out a fair number of them from acting as hosts. Another argument in favour of Lord's is the ground's history and prestige coupled with London's diversity. Despite England not making the final, likewise India and their jet- set supporters, the first four days in St John's Wood are sold out. Where else in the world could guarantee this turnout for a 'neutral' final? We may find out in time, with Jay Shah, the chair of the International Cricket Council, having stated a desire to move the final elsewhere (and almost certainly to India, one can surmise). But for the next five days – six if a reserve day is triggered by weather – it is the self-styled Home of Cricket that serves as the backdrop for what, in theory, is the pinnacle of the sport's most storied format. And in practice? That is where things get complicated. Only last week, Virat Kohli won the Indian Premier League and immediately placed it 'five levels' below anything he had achieved in Test cricket. Given Kohli's status as the most successful captain in India's history and trend-setting galactico, it should follow that the final this week – a match with a cheque worth £2.6m waiting for the victors – is the most important fixture in cricket's overstuffed calendar. Yet for all the joy of New Zealand's underdog triumph in 2021, or Australia two years later, the WTC final is still to receive this kind of billing. Even this time around there is a case to say that the most impressive feat witnessed during the two-year cycle involved a couple teams who did not make it this far. Whether it is Pat Cummins or Temba Bavuma holding the mace aloft at the end of the week, New Zealand ending 12 years of Indian home dominance last November – storming that spin-heavy citadel for a 3-0 sweep – probably surpasses it. But then perhaps this is missing the point of the WTC. Individual series wins can still sparkle in isolation and to know the best Test team in the world at any point in time, there are rankings available (rankings that currently have Australia in first ahead of England). Instead, its final is about the jeopardy of a one-off shot at silverware, the agony and the ecstasy of high-stakes cricket, and, perhaps more importantly, the journey that saw nine teams whittled down to two. It is here where the detractors pipe up, citing the imbalance of the fixture list and a points percentage table that needs an enigma machine to decode it. As has been widely pointed out – albeit through no fault of their own – South Africa finished top on a diet of quickfire series and despite facing neither England or Australia. The flaws are obvious, the criticisms valid. But while the 2025-27 edition will have the same system, there are moves afoot to create a more coherent competition. Assuming the red weed of franchise T20 cricket has not strangled the sport entirely – and, somewhat grimly, South Africa have no Test cricket at all in their next home summer – a personal view is that an all-plays-all format with (minimum) three-Test series must come in. And if this means four-day Test cricket for some and a four-year cycle, so be it. The only question here would be working out how to divvy up the points when India and Pakistan inevitably don't play each other. Sign up to The Spin Subscribe to our cricket newsletter for our writers' thoughts on the biggest stories and a review of the week's action after newsletter promotion But whatever shape it takes in future, and however messy or tacked-on it has felt to date, the founding principle of the WTC – to give a wider context to bilateral Test series beyond the established rivalries – can be said to have been achieved already. You only have to rewind to Centurion last December for one such example, South Africa booking their place in the final with a nerve-shredding chase against Pakistan and the marauding Mohammad Abbas. As for the head-to-head that day has produced, it may be that an Australia side with more than twice the number of Test caps in its squad still proves too strong. Both teams boast penetrative attacks capable of inducing a collapse but even with Marnus Labuschagne strong-armed into opening, the Australians look better equipped to withstand one. A day before the toss a flat beige pitch was unveiled, when a low-scoring shootout would possibly better suit the Proteas. Although Bavuma's players have had Stuart Broad in their corner this week, with his full-kit cameo as a coaching consultant proving that one of the sport's best wind-up merchants can still do it in retirement. Having swapped the bails during his Ashes farewell, perhaps Broad's insight will help flip the script at Lord's.
Times
2 hours ago
- Times
Nick Kyrgios's role as Wimbledon pundit to end after only one year
Nick Kyrgios will not be part of the BBC's Wimbledon coverage this year and the Australian is set to miss the tournament as a player too. The BBC was criticised for hiring the 30-year-old for Wimbledon last year after he admitted assaulting an ex-girlfriend. Sources close to the broadcaster have confirmed that Kyrgios will not be part of the line-up for the 2025 event, which starts on June 30. Kyrgios confirmed last week that his hopes of playing in SW19 for the first time since 2022, when he reached the final, had been dashed by a setback in his recovery from injury. In 2023 Kyrgios admitted to assaulting his ex-girlfriend Chiara Passari when he pushed her over during an argument, but avoided a criminal conviction after a magistrate ruled that the offence was 'low-level'. He was also criticised for sharing social media posts by the misogynist influencer Andrew Tate — he later deleted them. Last year the BBC was forced to defend its decision to hire Kyrgios, saying: 'We are in no way condoning his cited previous actions or behaviours, on and off the court, and he is employed to share his views on tennis only.' Kyrgios has also been outspoken in recent months about the leniency of a three-month ban given to the French Open finalist and world No1 Jannik Sinner after two positive drugs tests in 2024. Kyrgios, who has been open about his mental health struggles, said the sanction showed that 'fairness in tennis does not exist'. Last year he told the interviewer Louis Theroux it was 'impossible' that the pyramids had been built by humans and also indicated he believed there was evidence to back up other conspiracy theories, including whether the moon landings had actually taken place.
