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News.com.au
28 minutes ago
- News.com.au
‘A dream of mine': Keaon Koloamatangi looms as perfect Payne Haas replacement
At a time when all the spotlight is on players defecting from Australia to rising Pacific powerhouses, South Sydney star Keaon Koloamatangi says he'd be open to playing for the Kangaroos in the Ashes if he's selected. There's a spot available in the middle after Payne Haas declared he'd represent Samoa at the Pacific Championships later this year, and no one deserves a spot like Koloamatangi, who has been outstanding for the Rabbitohs in 2025. Koloamatangi worked tirelessly in the off-season to get in the best shape of his career, and it's paid off with the 27-year-old starring on the edge and at prop where he's had to fill in given how many injuries Souths have had. And he hasn't just filled in, with the one-time Blue cracking 200m three times and punching out big minutes this season, which is why so many people were shocked he didn't earn an Origin recall. He will be playing rep footy at the end of the year, but it's just a question of whether he adds to his 10 Tongan caps or if he gets to travel to the UK and pull on the green and gold jersey for the first time. 'My mum is Australian and my dad is Tongan, so playing for the Kangaroos is a dream of mine, as was Tonga,' he said. 'If I was able to get the chance, I'd obviously give it a thought. 'But I'm just taking it a week at a time and I need to be picked first. I'm not too stressed about that. 'I haven't spoken to anyone (from the Kangaroos) so whatever happens, happens. I live day by day and everything happens for a reason, so I'm sure the right thing will come.' International footy wasn't even on Koloamatangi's radar when he suffered a high-grade syndesmosis injury in round 20 that required surgery and was meant to keep him out for the rest of the season. But Koloamatangi was desperate to get back given Souths were missing so many stars, with the mobile forward also wanting to be there when Alex Johnston broke Ken Irvine's try-scoring record. Koloamatangi returned in Thursday's win over the Dragons and ran for more metres than any other forward, while Johnston grabbed a try to move within two of tying the record. Keaon Koloamatangi will go for scans on a right ankle injury after getting his boot caught in the turf during a tackle. Mechanism involved foot turning to the outside - brings concern for syndesmosis injury. Was said to be the initial concern from the sideline - considering… — NRL PHYSIO (@nrlphysio) July 18, 2025 'With the year that we've had and the forwards that we've missed, I pride myself on being available each week,' he said after the game. 'I was upset when I got injured because I love playing for this team. I was upset, but I didn't have too bad of an injury. I came back in a month, and there are lots of worse injuries out there, so I'm grateful for that. 'It's a pretty easy (injury to rehab). As soon as you finish surgery, they want you moving it to get the range back because the injury tightens everything up. 'I got my range back pretty quickly, which I was grateful for, so everything went ahead of schedule. I don't know how, but I'm grateful. 'I was pretty disappointed when I got injured and was told that I'd be out for the rest of the year, so I took that as a bit of a challenge and tried to come back. 'Obviously 'AJ' was one thing (motivating me) because I want to be part of history, so hopefully he gets it done this year. 'I don't want to say that to him, but I think everyone wants to be a part of history because I don't think it'll ever be done again. It's too hard to get too many tries.'
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Smart buy Petit Artiste chasing first 3YO win at The Valley on Saturday
Smart filly Petit Artiste has already proven to be a shrewd piece of business irrespective of how she performs at The Valley on Saturday. The budget buy has already cemented her stud value with a two-year-old Listed win in Adelaide in April but will chase the first win of her three-year-old campaign in Saturday's Drummond Golf Plate. Co-trainer Amy Yargi said finding the daughter of dual European Group 1 winner Earthlight was a source of pride for herself and her husband Ash, with whom she trains in partnership. 'We only buy a couple of yearlings a year so to get a stakes-winning filly for 15 grand, we're very proud of her,' Yargi said. Petit Artiste has had two runs over 1000m this time in, finishing on the heels of the placegetters when resuming in a strong race at Flemington and running on well behind the unbeaten Esha at The Valley at her last appearance. Yargi said the sectionals of Petit Artiste's latest run showed she was working up to a win. Moonee Valley Race 6 | Esha The ultra-impressive Esha makes it two-from-two to begin her promising career with a stunning wire-to-wire win for @lanedamian & @shanenicholsrac 😤 ðŸ'° Ch. 78/68, Foxtel 529, Kayo or via our app REPLAYS: — (@Racing) August 9, 2025 'Esha was very impressive on the day but we ran a quicker last 600m, 400 and identical last 200m to her,' Yargi said. 'Our pattern of getting back like that makes it hard to make ground over the 1000(m) at The Valley but she was excellent.' Yargi said Petit Artiste's work at Mornington on Tuesday morning indicated she had continued on her upward spiral after her promising second-up run. 'She'd taken nice natural improvement going into The Valley and she's come on again,' Yargi said. 'She worked great on the course proper at Mornington and we're very pleased with how she's come into it.' Petite Artiste will tackle five rivals in Saturday's $150,000 assignment, which could develop into a tactical affair. Yargi said the camp would dissect the form before deciding on a plan for the race but added jockey Daniel Stackhouse was likely to keep things simple. 'Naturally she's going to be that little bit closer with the small field so we're not going to overcomplicate things just yet,' Yargi said. Petite Artiste is a $7 chance in early betting on The Valley's opening race.
ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
Every great team must overcome adversity. Izak Rankine has just provided Adelaide its own opportunity
There comes a time in every great team's rise to a premiership where they come face to face with adversity. Adversity can come in many forms in sport, whether it is a rival team undoing your best-laid plans or perhaps an unexpected injury. It can also be self-inflicted, as is the case for the AFL's ladder-leaders Adelaide, which will now be without Izak Rankine for the next four matches as it looks to end a 27-year premiership drought. Rankine's suspension comes as no surprise, and while it is a detriment to Adelaide's premiership chances, it should be celebrated because the importance of finals matches and premierships pale in comparison to the problem that is widespread homophobia. The real surprise is the length of the ban. AFL boss Andrew Dillon did himself and the league no favours by refusing to elaborate on the "compelling medical submissions" that saw Rankine given a slim chance of reappearing this season, should the Crows make it to a grand final. In their apparent pursuit of trying to appease all the parties involved, the widespread reaction to the Rankine verdict suggests the AFL may have somehow achieved the exact opposite. Prior to this week, Adelaide was one of the best stories to come out of the home and away season, courtesy of a meteoric rise from 15th last year. In an era where many teams prioritise stopping the opposition before scoring themselves, Matthew Nicks's Crows have been an offensive juggernaut while being stout defensively, becoming one of the most watchable teams to grace the AFL in several years. Rankine has been at the heart of that, along with Adelaide captain Jordan Dawson, who has elevated himself into the Brownlow Medal conversation this year. There is no way to spin the on-field impact of Rankine's absence as a positive for Adelaide; he will be sorely missed. The bedrock of all great footy teams is reliability and consistency, and the Crows have delivered in spades on both this season. If you switch a Crows game on, you know what you're going to get. A sturdy defence that gets a job done week-in, week-out, a team that is able to turn defence into offence in a heartbeat, and a forward line featuring three key forwards that have beaten opposing defences to a pulp. Rankine is the X factor in all of this that lifts the Crows from a team that is really good, to one that is a genuine shot at winning the premiership. Every great team has this: the one player whose magnet the coach is willing to move around the board to really make things happen. It was Dustin Martin on the great Richmond teams, Jason Akermanis on the three-peat Lions, Cyril Rioli on the three-peat Hawks, and it's Rankine on this year's Crows. A game-breaker like Rankine is doubly important on the finals stage, where games are often tense affairs where teams have scouted each other to the nth degree. Adelaide came from behind to beat Hawthorn in Round 21 in a match that was played at finals-like intensity, and it was the perfect example of how important Rankine is to this Crows outfit. His final numbers, three goals and 16 disposals, don't tell the full story, but they never do with players like Rankine. With the Crows trailing by eight points heading into the final quarter, Nicks activated the Rankine switch. After attending just one centre bounce for the first three quarters, Rankine was plugged into the middle in the final term and wreaked havoc, picking up seven disposals, two clearances, and kicking two backbreaking goals while setting up another with a direct assist as one of five score involvements. What other players might manage in terms of impact stats in an entire match, Rankine can conjure up in 10 minutes of football; it's what makes him special. Outside of Dawson, Rankine is the only real game-breaker for Adelaide who can toggle seamlessly between the midfield and the forward line, unless you include big man Riley Thilthorpe, who often logs minutes as a ruckman while the Crows' first-choice ruckman, Reilly O'Brien, rests. With Rankine sidelined, even more of an emphasis will fall on Thilthorpe to ignite the Crows, something which he's shown an ability to do throughout the course of the year. Making matters worse for Adelaide, Rankine won't be the only dangerous small forward missing from the Crows' finals push, with Josh Rachele (25 goals in 13 appearances this season) also sidelined with a knee injury. Rachele has returned to running this week and no longer requires a knee brace, and is expected to be available in "two to three weeks". However, requiring him to go from rehab straight into making a major impact on a finals match seems like a tough ask, even if Rachele has shown a penchant for making the difficult look easy during his short career. For now, replacing Rankine and Rachele's output will have to be done by committee. There are simply no like-for-like replacements for players like them. Ben Keays has shown his ability to play at his best when the stakes are at their highest, and Nicks will be able to rely on him to rise to the occasion. Alex Neal-Bullen has proven to be an inspired recruit, and his finals experience from a number of deep runs with Melbourne, including a premiership win in 2021, will also prove invaluable. Rankine's presence has allowed Dawson to float in and out of the midfield during the course of the season, but it is now likely he will have to log full-time midfield minutes, and with it some potentially heavy tags. Adversity, such as what is currently on Adelaide's doorstep, offers an opportunity for growth and can often define an entire era for a club, both on and off the field. It is an opportunity for the club to grow as a whole as it looks to actually stamp out homophobia. Adelaide's powerbrokers need to drive home the fact that no-tolerance should mean exactly that, and no less. It may not seem like it right now, but this is also an incredible opportunity for Rankine. Rankine will turn 26 in the early months of next season, his seventh in the AFL system. He is no longer a precocious young talent, but rather someone required to set an example for the teenagers coming through at Adelaide. If he harbours aspirations of being a legitimate leader at the club, his behaviour following this incident will determine whether he is able to achieve that dream. There is also an opportunity for Rankine's teammates as his absence forces someone else to step up and be a game-breaker. The Crows adopting a next-man-up mentality on the field will make them a better outfit when Rankine returns to the fold. Nicks would have anticipated his team's first real test of their premiership mettle would come when they take the field for their first final and beyond. But after a home and away season that has been relatively smooth sailing, gut-check time is here a little earlier than anticipated.
