logo
Kangaroos gun Wardlaw returns, Cats get Miers back

Kangaroos gun Wardlaw returns, Cats get Miers back

The Advertiser09-05-2025

Geelong welcome back Gryan Miers from concussion in round nine as George Wardlaw returns for North Melbourne against a Brisbane Lions outfit bolstered by the return of two premiership forwards.
The ladder-leading Lions have regained Logan Morris (calf) and Kai Lohmann (shoulder) for Sunday's trip to Hobart, where they face a Kangaroos side desperate to snap a six-match losing run.
Wardlaw's inclusion after a week off with a corked thigh is a boost for Alastair Clarkson's side, who have also called up defenders Aidan Corr and Toby Pink.
Jackson Archer (hamstring) is unavailable while Kallan Dawson and Will Phillips have been dropped.
Sam Day (hamstring) is out for Brisbane, who have left out Conor McKenna and Will McLachlan, while premiership tall Darcy Fort is back to help No.1 ruckman Oscar McInerney.
Geelong forward Miers is back to take on GWS at GMHBA Stadium on Sunday after he was concussed by a high blow from Hawthorn's Connor Nash on Easter Monday, which earnt Nash a four-match ban.
The Cats have also recalled Ted Clohesy and Jed Bews, who is back from a finger injury, while Lawson Humphries (concussion), Rhys Stanley (hamstring) and Oli Wiltshire (omitted) are out.
The Giants have handed a debut to draftee Cody Angove and recalled Jake Riccardi, with Toby Bedford (eye) and Darcy Jones (knee) unavailable.
Also on Sunday, Richmond will give key forward Tom Sims his debut against winless West Coast.
Kane McAuliffe returns for the Tigers, with Maurice Rioli and James Trezise dropped.
The Eagles have lost Jeremy McGovern (concussion) and Bo Allan (suspended), and dropped tall forward Jack Williams, for their first trip to the MCG this season.
Sandy Brock and Tom Gross will play at the home of football for the first time, while Bailey Williams has also been recalled.
Geelong welcome back Gryan Miers from concussion in round nine as George Wardlaw returns for North Melbourne against a Brisbane Lions outfit bolstered by the return of two premiership forwards.
The ladder-leading Lions have regained Logan Morris (calf) and Kai Lohmann (shoulder) for Sunday's trip to Hobart, where they face a Kangaroos side desperate to snap a six-match losing run.
Wardlaw's inclusion after a week off with a corked thigh is a boost for Alastair Clarkson's side, who have also called up defenders Aidan Corr and Toby Pink.
Jackson Archer (hamstring) is unavailable while Kallan Dawson and Will Phillips have been dropped.
Sam Day (hamstring) is out for Brisbane, who have left out Conor McKenna and Will McLachlan, while premiership tall Darcy Fort is back to help No.1 ruckman Oscar McInerney.
Geelong forward Miers is back to take on GWS at GMHBA Stadium on Sunday after he was concussed by a high blow from Hawthorn's Connor Nash on Easter Monday, which earnt Nash a four-match ban.
The Cats have also recalled Ted Clohesy and Jed Bews, who is back from a finger injury, while Lawson Humphries (concussion), Rhys Stanley (hamstring) and Oli Wiltshire (omitted) are out.
The Giants have handed a debut to draftee Cody Angove and recalled Jake Riccardi, with Toby Bedford (eye) and Darcy Jones (knee) unavailable.
Also on Sunday, Richmond will give key forward Tom Sims his debut against winless West Coast.
Kane McAuliffe returns for the Tigers, with Maurice Rioli and James Trezise dropped.
The Eagles have lost Jeremy McGovern (concussion) and Bo Allan (suspended), and dropped tall forward Jack Williams, for their first trip to the MCG this season.
Sandy Brock and Tom Gross will play at the home of football for the first time, while Bailey Williams has also been recalled.
Geelong welcome back Gryan Miers from concussion in round nine as George Wardlaw returns for North Melbourne against a Brisbane Lions outfit bolstered by the return of two premiership forwards.
The ladder-leading Lions have regained Logan Morris (calf) and Kai Lohmann (shoulder) for Sunday's trip to Hobart, where they face a Kangaroos side desperate to snap a six-match losing run.
Wardlaw's inclusion after a week off with a corked thigh is a boost for Alastair Clarkson's side, who have also called up defenders Aidan Corr and Toby Pink.
Jackson Archer (hamstring) is unavailable while Kallan Dawson and Will Phillips have been dropped.
Sam Day (hamstring) is out for Brisbane, who have left out Conor McKenna and Will McLachlan, while premiership tall Darcy Fort is back to help No.1 ruckman Oscar McInerney.
Geelong forward Miers is back to take on GWS at GMHBA Stadium on Sunday after he was concussed by a high blow from Hawthorn's Connor Nash on Easter Monday, which earnt Nash a four-match ban.
The Cats have also recalled Ted Clohesy and Jed Bews, who is back from a finger injury, while Lawson Humphries (concussion), Rhys Stanley (hamstring) and Oli Wiltshire (omitted) are out.
The Giants have handed a debut to draftee Cody Angove and recalled Jake Riccardi, with Toby Bedford (eye) and Darcy Jones (knee) unavailable.
Also on Sunday, Richmond will give key forward Tom Sims his debut against winless West Coast.
Kane McAuliffe returns for the Tigers, with Maurice Rioli and James Trezise dropped.
The Eagles have lost Jeremy McGovern (concussion) and Bo Allan (suspended), and dropped tall forward Jack Williams, for their first trip to the MCG this season.
Sandy Brock and Tom Gross will play at the home of football for the first time, while Bailey Williams has also been recalled.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Fremantle Dockers coach Justin Longmuir wary of much more than North Melbourne big man Tristan Xerri
Fremantle Dockers coach Justin Longmuir wary of much more than North Melbourne big man Tristan Xerri

West Australian

time44 minutes ago

  • West Australian

Fremantle Dockers coach Justin Longmuir wary of much more than North Melbourne big man Tristan Xerri

Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir says dominant ruckman Tristan Xerri is not the only midfield force the Dockers need to be wary of heading into Saturday night's away game against North Melbourne at Optus Stadium. Xerri is in white-hot form, ranked fifth for hit-outs with 440 this season, but it's his efforts at ground level that will clearly challenge the Dockers. The Roos ruck is ranked second in the competition for clearances, with 94, behind only Dockers midfielder Caleb Serong (103), 10 of them coming in last Sunday's narrow win over West Coast in Bunbury. He is poised to take on Fremantle's much-talked about combination of Luke Jackson and Sean Darcy for the first time. 'Clearly, he is in great form. He'd have to be All-Australian ruck at the moment or close to,' Longmuir said. 'That's going to be important. But they've got a lot of mids who go through there and get their hands on it and put good pressure on. 'The last four (games) they've been number one pre-clearance, number one pressure. So they make it a good, honest battle in there, and have been getting it going their way more often than not.' Xerri and Jackson are both cat like at ground level, but Roos prime movers Tom Powell, Colby McKercher, Luke Parker, Luke Davies-Uniacke, Dylan Stephens and Jy Simpkin combined for 25 clearances against the Eagles. The Dockers coach said they would look at structure and strategy, rather than major midfield change, backing in the proven combination of Andrew Brayshaw, Caleb Serong, Shai Bolton and Jackson, who are all clearance kings. 'Just understanding what they're going to bring and rolling up our sleeves and getting to work just on that,' he said. Veteran Nat Fyfe returned from injury for his first AFL game this season before the bye, having a major impact as the sub in the last quarter. Longmuir said Fyfe's impact was also big off the field and they were weighing up whether to again start the dual Brownlow medallist as the sub or on limited minutes in the starting 22. 'It is important when games get tough and tight to have wise calm heads, especially as a sub against Gold Coast,' Longmuir said. 'Every time someone comes to the bench, they look at the back of the bench and they've got someone who's really measured and calm talking to them and helping them problem solve and work through those situations.' The Dockers will stick with their forward line structure of three talls - Josh Treacy, Jye Amiss and Patrick Voss - which could stretch a North Melbourne defence missing the in-form key back Charlie Comben, who is out for two to three weeks with a shoulder injury suffered against the Eagles. 'I'm sure they've got some coverage to come in and replace but I think we can utilise that,' Longmuir said. 'The beauty about our talls is, they can provide good aerial targets and threaten aerially, but I feel like they're good at ground level as well, Vossy, Jye and JT. 'They join in at ground level and put pressure on and you don't even realise that we're playing three talls at times down there. 'So everything is an advantage there, but we also think we don't lose anything by playing those three talls.' The Dockers are coming off a hot run of form, with confidence inspiring road wins over GWS and Gold Coast, with a comfortable home victory against Port Adelaide wedged in between. But they are coming off the bye and have lost in the last three seasons off their mid-season break. Longmuir said they had made minor tweaks to their preparation. 'Slightly different,' he said. 'We've been changing up our schedule a bit, so it hasn't been specifically to the bye, but it's probably been specific to long breaks, the way we come out of the weekend in particular we've changed up, and probably most importantly, we've tried not to make it a narrative,' he said. 'We're a different team. We understand that the things that we've been doing prior to the bye have been working. 'So it's probably been more getting back to that process, rather than getting caught up in we need to win off the bye or that previous byes haven't worked for us. A few tinkers to the schedule, but it's mainly been getting players back to the process. ' North Melbourne will be playing its second successive 'home game' in WA, having edged the Eagles in Bunbury last Sunday in front of 12,700 fans with ticket sales for Saturday's game at Optus Stadium tracking on 30,000. The Dockers coach said it was 'critical' Freo fans turned up to the game, even though it was not included in their membership package. 'It's going to be unique. Clearly, it's an away game at Optus and it's not against West Coast, which is something new,' he said. 'It's something new for our players and we are desperate for our fans to get there. 'We understand it's not part of their membership, but we'd love them to fork out a few bucks and come and support us. 'We want to make our home ground a fortress and we need the purple army there to support us. The weather looks like it's clearing up, which may have held a few people back early in the week. 'I'm not 100 per cent on the financials, I don't get involved in that, but it was a bit like Gather Round, in some sense, to the Adelaide teams, where they get to stay at home for an extra week. 'It's an important part of our season, but it's also important part of equality of the fixture, in some sense. So yeah, we want, we want as many to get there as possible.'

Fremantle Training Notes: Sean Darcy, Michael Walters, Nat Fyfe and Jaeger O'Meara keep low profiles
Fremantle Training Notes: Sean Darcy, Michael Walters, Nat Fyfe and Jaeger O'Meara keep low profiles

West Australian

timean hour ago

  • West Australian

Fremantle Training Notes: Sean Darcy, Michael Walters, Nat Fyfe and Jaeger O'Meara keep low profiles

Four big names were conspicuously absent from Fremantle's last training session before Saturday's clash with North Melbourne at Optus Stadium. Sean Darcy and Michael Walters walked laps before training, but did not appear in the main session, Nat Fyfe made a fleeting appearance and did some solo skills work, while Jaeger O'Meara was also a no show. There may be no reason to panic, however, as the Dockers have made a habit of changing up their major sessions between Tuesday and Thursday in recent weeks. Darcy and Fyfe returned from injury in Fremantle's last game, a stunning road win against Gold Coast at People First Stadium. Darcy was on managed minutes while Fyfe wore the subs vest and had a major impact when he was injected into the game in the final quarter. Walters is due to play his first game of the season after recovering from a knee injury and will also be on managed minutes. O'Meara has been sidelined with hamstring and foot injuries since round seven and was this week listed as a test. WALKER WALKS THE WALK Brandon Walker has sped through his recovery from a shoulder injury and has resumed training with teammates. Walker hasn't played since round two but could be available to return next week. He was listed as three weeks away prior to the Dockers' bye last round but has leapt to the front of the queue within a week, now rated just one week away from resuming, probably in the WAFL. Walker trained at high intensity yesterday at Cockburn and will be welcomed back, given fellow running half-back Cooper Simpson is sidelined for another six to seven weeks after surgery on an A-C joint. Walker was spotted talking to teammates on the boundary line yesterday with his arm in a sling. YOU CAN'T TAKE THE TASSIE OUT OF THE BOY There was a mid-winter chill in the air at Cockburn, but it didn't matter to Tasmanian native Alex Pearce. The injured captain was spotted on the boundary line walking around with his shirt off. It is not an unfamiliar sight. Pearce hails from the wind-whipped north coast of the Apple Isle, and it probably seemed quite balmy. The key defender has been ruled out of Saturday's game against North Melbourne but the club is hopeful he will be cleared of a leg injury in time to play against Essendon next week. Pearce sat out the team's win over Gold Coast before the bye after a scan uncovered a stress reaction in his leg. WAITING IN THE WINGS Winger Nathan O'Driscoll is close to resuming his AFL career, but might have to wait another week in the WAFL. O'Driscoll has had a frustrating syndesmosis injury, suffered in the Dockers' round four win over the Western Bulldogs. He resumed a month ago, but the ankle flared up, forcing him to sit out another week. But he has strung together successive games with Peel Thunder with no recurring soreness and might be set to play against Essendon in round 15.

Collingwood vice-captain Brayden Maynard rejects North Melbourne to sign new deal
Collingwood vice-captain Brayden Maynard rejects North Melbourne to sign new deal

7NEWS

time2 hours ago

  • 7NEWS

Collingwood vice-captain Brayden Maynard rejects North Melbourne to sign new deal

Collingwood premiership defender Brayden Maynard has resisted the lure of free agency to re-sign with the Magpies for another four years. North Melbourne had come hard for Magpies vice-captain Maynard, 28, but he has instead signed with Collingwood until the end of 2029. Maynard had long appeared likely to remain at the club where he has played 218 games since he was drafted at pick No.30 in 2014 and won a premiership in 2023. 'I'm incredibly proud and excited to be wearing the black and white for another four years,' Maynard said. 'I love this club. From the players and staff to our incredible fans, everyone contributes to making Collingwood the club it is. 'To the Magpie Army - it's a privilege to represent you each week. 'No matter where we play, you show up in force with passion and loyalty, and I can't wait to keep running out in front of you for years to come. Up the Maggies!' Collingwood had always been keen to retain the heart-and-soul defender, one of their most important players and an All-Australian in 2022. 'Everyone at our club universally loves Brayden, but especially his teammates. He is a heart and soul player who leads from the front in every aspect,' list boss Justin Leppitsch said. 'It's great to have 'Bruz' recommit. He is the ultimate club-person, epitomising a team-first mentality on and off the field. 'We are excited to see Brayden in the black and white for the next four years and beyond.' Maynard has been sidelined with a rupture plantar fascia but is expected to be available after Collingwood's bye this week.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store