Plenty of son shine as Bulldogs blast lowly Eagles
Western Bulldogs star Sam Darcy (dad Luke, 226 games) handballed to Tom Liberatore (dad Tony, 283 games), who passed to debutant Jordan Croft (dad Matthew, 186 games), who took a great mark and kicked his first goal on debut.
With Rhylee West (dad Scott, 324 games) also busy in attack, the Bulldogs thrashed wooden spooners West Coast by 94 points on Sunday at Marvel Stadium.
The 19.12 (126) to 4.8 (32) win left the Bulldogs eighth on the ladder and sets up a massive clash next Sunday against Fremantle at the same venue. If Gold Coast win at least one of their two games in round 24 as expected, the loser of the Bulldogs-Dockers clash will miss the finals.
There is plenty of ongoing commentary about the father-son rule, which the AFL has decided against changing.
St Kilda in particular have been vocal in saying it skews the draft too much. Under the rule, the Bulldogs had easy access to Liberatore, Darcy, West and now Croft because their fathers played at least 100 games for the club.
Much of the pre-game chat had been around how many goals Darcy would kick, and he looked ready for a day out with the first two of the game in the opening 11 minutes.
But Croft then lit up the second term, first taking a great mark. His kick from 50m was marked on the goal line by teammate Aaron Naughton, who duly converted.
Two minutes later the three father-sons combined for Croft's first AFL goal, with Matthew celebrating in the stands.
Croft kicked another goal in the second term as the Bulldogs romped to a 56-point lead at the main break.
Lachie McNeil was hurt in a third-term collision and subbed out with a hip injury.
Darcy, West, Naughton and Sam Davidson all kicked three goals, while captain Marcus Bontempelli added two among his 31 disposals and 10 clearances in another best-afield performance.
The season cannot end quickly enough for the last-placed Eagles. Jamie Cripps' final-term goal meant they avoided their lowest score at Marvel Stadium, by just two points.
Eagles star Liam Baker worked his backside off in defence. Young key forward Job Shanahan looks likely, but his finishing let him down and he kicked three behinds.
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News.com.au
3 hours ago
- News.com.au
‘Not good enough': Footage exposes Nick Daicos' horror lapse
Essendon legend Matthew Lloyd has called out Nick Daicos over a costly defensive lapse on Saturday night. The Crows secured a nailbiting three-point win over Collingwood, 9.5 (59) to 8.8 (56), to clinch a top two spot on the ladder. 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. But with a little over nine minutes left on the clock and the Crows holding a two-point advantage, Daicos slipped up. As both sides awaited a boundary throw in deep inside Adelaide's forward 50, Daicos moved clear of his opponent James Peatling. The 22-year-old positioned himself in clear air in front of Darcy Cameron, but it quickly went pear-shaped. The throw from the boundary umpire fell short as Cameron stuck his left boot at the ball, which trickled off the side of his boot and ended up in the hands of Peatling who was all alone. The 24-year-old midfielder collected the ball and snapped to extend the Crows' lead out to eight points. The final quarter moment was highlighted by Crows great Rory Sloane, who said Daicos failed to put a body on his rival when it was needed most. 'This was the only breakdown for the Pies the entire game and it came at a crucial time,' Sloane said on Channel 9's Sunday Footy Show. 'Your job at a D50 stoppage is to go man first, defend first and then worry about the ball. 'Nick's too far away from Peatling, who picks that ball up and kicks the snap. 'I know why Daicos did it, he's reading this play (and) it dropped short. He's thinking Cameron might take it and give the handball. 'But that was a huge error.' Lloyd doubled down and said the mistake couldn't be forgiven. 'That's not good enough. 'I'm not cutting anyone slack in that regard. You have to have body contact. 'What is Nick doing there? You must grab a player. Peatling is sitting there saying all my Christmases have come at once, there's no-one on me. 'So whether it fell short or it didn't you must be locked on D50, there should be no spare players.' The moment came after Daicos raised eyebrows earlier in the contest when he was awarded a contentious free kick. The Collingwood superstar was going toe-to-toe with Adelaide's Brodie Smith when he drew the umpire's whistle. The push and shove between the pair kicked off when Daicos planted a forceful right hand into Smith's chest only for the Crows veteran to respond with a left shove and then a right to the chest. It was Smith's final blow however that left Daicos hunched over on the turf grabbing his chest as the whistle blew to award the free kick.
The Advertiser
6 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Plenty of son shine as Bulldogs blast lowly Eagles
Depending on your outlook, it was either a glorious endorsement of the AFL's father-son rule, or the damning indictment of why the system needs changing. Western Bulldogs star Sam Darcy (dad Luke, 226 games) handballed to Tom Liberatore (dad Tony, 283 games), who passed to debutant Jordan Croft (dad Matthew, 186 games), who took a great mark and kicked his first goal on debut. With Rhylee West (dad Scott, 324 games) also busy in attack, the Bulldogs thrashed wooden spooners West Coast by 94 points on Sunday at Marvel Stadium. The 19.12 (126) to 4.8 (32) win left the Bulldogs eighth on the ladder and sets up a massive clash next Sunday against Fremantle at the same venue. If Gold Coast win at least one of their two games in round 24 as expected, the loser of the Bulldogs-Dockers clash will miss the finals. So the Bulldogs and Fremantle effectively start their finals series next Sunday, with coach Luke Beveridge noting they had to beat GWS this time last year to make the eight. "It (the West Coast win) is a promising day on a number of fronts ... for both clubs, (next Sunday) is a big day," Beveridge said. "It was a mixture tonight - our stoppage strength wasn't really on show, but our offence and defensive elements were pretty good." There is plenty of ongoing commentary about the father-son rule, which the AFL has decided against changing. St Kilda in particular have been vocal in saying it skews the draft too much. Under the rule, the Bulldogs had easy access to Liberatore, Darcy, West and now Croft because their fathers played at least 100 games for the club. "It's a beautiful thing. Family in footy, it's something special," Beveridge said. "It doesn't matter what I say, because people will say 'well, you're going to say that'. "I'm hoping they protect it." Much of the pre-game chat had been around how many goals Darcy would kick, and he looked ready for a day out with the first two of the game in the opening 11 minutes. But Croft then lit up the second term, first taking a great mark. His kick from 50m was marked on the goal line by teammate Aaron Naughton, who duly converted. Two minutes later the three father-sons combined for Croft's first AFL goal, with Matthew celebrating in the stands. Croft kicked another goal in the second term as the Bulldogs romped to a 56-point lead at the main break. Lachie McNeil was hurt in a third-term collision and subbed out with a hip injury. Darcy, West, Naughton and Sam Davidson all kicked three goals, while captain Marcus Bontempelli added two among his 31 disposals and 10 clearances in another best-afield performance. The season cannot end quickly enough for the last-placed Eagles. Jamie Cripps' final-term goal meant they avoided their lowest score at Marvel Stadium, by just two points. But it was their lowest score and biggest losing margin this season. "We just couldn't quite stop any of their scoring and we clearly couldn't score - pretty big parts of footy," said Eagles coach Andrew McQualter. Eagles star Liam Baker worked his backside off in defence. Young key forward Jobe Shanahan looks likely, but his finishing let him down and he kicked three behinds. Depending on your outlook, it was either a glorious endorsement of the AFL's father-son rule, or the damning indictment of why the system needs changing. Western Bulldogs star Sam Darcy (dad Luke, 226 games) handballed to Tom Liberatore (dad Tony, 283 games), who passed to debutant Jordan Croft (dad Matthew, 186 games), who took a great mark and kicked his first goal on debut. With Rhylee West (dad Scott, 324 games) also busy in attack, the Bulldogs thrashed wooden spooners West Coast by 94 points on Sunday at Marvel Stadium. The 19.12 (126) to 4.8 (32) win left the Bulldogs eighth on the ladder and sets up a massive clash next Sunday against Fremantle at the same venue. If Gold Coast win at least one of their two games in round 24 as expected, the loser of the Bulldogs-Dockers clash will miss the finals. So the Bulldogs and Fremantle effectively start their finals series next Sunday, with coach Luke Beveridge noting they had to beat GWS this time last year to make the eight. "It (the West Coast win) is a promising day on a number of fronts ... for both clubs, (next Sunday) is a big day," Beveridge said. "It was a mixture tonight - our stoppage strength wasn't really on show, but our offence and defensive elements were pretty good." There is plenty of ongoing commentary about the father-son rule, which the AFL has decided against changing. St Kilda in particular have been vocal in saying it skews the draft too much. Under the rule, the Bulldogs had easy access to Liberatore, Darcy, West and now Croft because their fathers played at least 100 games for the club. "It's a beautiful thing. Family in footy, it's something special," Beveridge said. "It doesn't matter what I say, because people will say 'well, you're going to say that'. "I'm hoping they protect it." Much of the pre-game chat had been around how many goals Darcy would kick, and he looked ready for a day out with the first two of the game in the opening 11 minutes. But Croft then lit up the second term, first taking a great mark. His kick from 50m was marked on the goal line by teammate Aaron Naughton, who duly converted. Two minutes later the three father-sons combined for Croft's first AFL goal, with Matthew celebrating in the stands. Croft kicked another goal in the second term as the Bulldogs romped to a 56-point lead at the main break. Lachie McNeil was hurt in a third-term collision and subbed out with a hip injury. Darcy, West, Naughton and Sam Davidson all kicked three goals, while captain Marcus Bontempelli added two among his 31 disposals and 10 clearances in another best-afield performance. The season cannot end quickly enough for the last-placed Eagles. Jamie Cripps' final-term goal meant they avoided their lowest score at Marvel Stadium, by just two points. But it was their lowest score and biggest losing margin this season. "We just couldn't quite stop any of their scoring and we clearly couldn't score - pretty big parts of footy," said Eagles coach Andrew McQualter. Eagles star Liam Baker worked his backside off in defence. Young key forward Jobe Shanahan looks likely, but his finishing let him down and he kicked three behinds. Depending on your outlook, it was either a glorious endorsement of the AFL's father-son rule, or the damning indictment of why the system needs changing. Western Bulldogs star Sam Darcy (dad Luke, 226 games) handballed to Tom Liberatore (dad Tony, 283 games), who passed to debutant Jordan Croft (dad Matthew, 186 games), who took a great mark and kicked his first goal on debut. With Rhylee West (dad Scott, 324 games) also busy in attack, the Bulldogs thrashed wooden spooners West Coast by 94 points on Sunday at Marvel Stadium. The 19.12 (126) to 4.8 (32) win left the Bulldogs eighth on the ladder and sets up a massive clash next Sunday against Fremantle at the same venue. If Gold Coast win at least one of their two games in round 24 as expected, the loser of the Bulldogs-Dockers clash will miss the finals. So the Bulldogs and Fremantle effectively start their finals series next Sunday, with coach Luke Beveridge noting they had to beat GWS this time last year to make the eight. "It (the West Coast win) is a promising day on a number of fronts ... for both clubs, (next Sunday) is a big day," Beveridge said. "It was a mixture tonight - our stoppage strength wasn't really on show, but our offence and defensive elements were pretty good." There is plenty of ongoing commentary about the father-son rule, which the AFL has decided against changing. St Kilda in particular have been vocal in saying it skews the draft too much. Under the rule, the Bulldogs had easy access to Liberatore, Darcy, West and now Croft because their fathers played at least 100 games for the club. "It's a beautiful thing. Family in footy, it's something special," Beveridge said. "It doesn't matter what I say, because people will say 'well, you're going to say that'. "I'm hoping they protect it." Much of the pre-game chat had been around how many goals Darcy would kick, and he looked ready for a day out with the first two of the game in the opening 11 minutes. But Croft then lit up the second term, first taking a great mark. His kick from 50m was marked on the goal line by teammate Aaron Naughton, who duly converted. Two minutes later the three father-sons combined for Croft's first AFL goal, with Matthew celebrating in the stands. Croft kicked another goal in the second term as the Bulldogs romped to a 56-point lead at the main break. Lachie McNeil was hurt in a third-term collision and subbed out with a hip injury. Darcy, West, Naughton and Sam Davidson all kicked three goals, while captain Marcus Bontempelli added two among his 31 disposals and 10 clearances in another best-afield performance. The season cannot end quickly enough for the last-placed Eagles. Jamie Cripps' final-term goal meant they avoided their lowest score at Marvel Stadium, by just two points. But it was their lowest score and biggest losing margin this season. "We just couldn't quite stop any of their scoring and we clearly couldn't score - pretty big parts of footy," said Eagles coach Andrew McQualter. Eagles star Liam Baker worked his backside off in defence. Young key forward Jobe Shanahan looks likely, but his finishing let him down and he kicked three behinds.
News.com.au
7 hours ago
- News.com.au
Footy world goes postal on Ollie Wines' three-game AFL suspension
Port Adelaide star Ollie Wines has been handed a hefty three-match ban from the AFL Tribunal and it has led to a fierce response from footy fans. The 30-year-old veteran is set to miss Ken Hinkley's farewell game next week after the Match Review Officer judged Wines' bump on Carlton's Cooper Lord as careless conduct, severe impact and high contact. 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. With just over eight minutes remaining in the second quarter of the Blues' 54-point thrashing at Marvel Stadium on Saturday, a Travis Boak handball was intercepted by Lord. The 23-game midfielder wheeled around to the top of the defensive 50m arc and sent a kick down the middle of the ground. Wines arrived late and opted to bump, with the incident barely noted by commentators at the time. 'Dangerous (Boak) handball, a little too aggressive, Lord cut it off and he was bumped on the kick,' Dwayne Russell said on Fox Footy as the play unfolded. That was the first and only mention of the clash and Lord played out the first half, laying a tackle late in the second quarter. The 20-year-old, who is in his second season with the Blues, was then in the centre square for the opening bounce to start the third term, suggesting he got through the main break and was deemed fit to continue. He was ultimately subbed out late in the third quarter, however, replaced by Corey Durdin as the youngster was diagnosed with a delayed concussion. Lord also wasn't seen when the team sung the song in the rooms after the victory. Former Hawthorn defender Campbell Brown the discussed the incident on Channel 7 on Sunday. 'That's the bump, that's the contact,' he said. 'Now you could argue that it's back/shoulder, it didn't look or appear to be getting him in the head. 'But delayed onset of concussion was the result and (Wines has) been offered three weeks by the MRO.' The finding means Wines' season is over unless he manages to beat the charge at the AFL Tribunal. The 273-game Brownlow medallist would also be absent from Hinkley's 282nd and final match as coach of the Power, against the Suns at Adelaide Oval on Friday night. 'Ollie Wines, not such good news for him, he's been offered a three-match ban,' David Zita said on Fox Footy on Sunday evening. 'So if Ollie Wines accepts that ban, he misses Ken Hinkley's farewell game next week as well as the first two rounds of next season.' The announcement of the decision from the MRO quickly erupted on social media and it's fair to say a huge percentage of footy fans were less than happy. Among a huge number of comments along the lines of 'that is a joke', many fans seemed to question whether they were watching the right vision to warrant a three-match suspension. X account Biscotti Hodges wrote: 'Is this the incident or have they uploaded the wrong footage?' BigNoob210 tweeted: 'Nice bump, can you show us the footage of what he's actually getting suspended for?' Frank Rodringo offered: 'I still can't see where this happened, watched it 4 times.' Bowen Smith asked: 'Is this the correct footage?' Steven Taddei declared: 'This surely can't be the incident?' An X account called Cliffy also wrote: 'Um, where is the incident?' With Wines set to be sidelined for Port's final game of the season, plus the first two matches of 2026, many fans were calling for Port Adelaide to appeal the decision. A number of others seemed shock by the ban. A Port fan going by the handle Bigdog 2477 tweeted: 'Obviously I'm bias but is this not the most embarrassing 3 week suspension ever?' Christian Wise wrote: 'Wowie 3 weeks for that.' Xav said: 'Hahahaha this has to be a piss take.' Deb Sharman asked: '3 matches for what?? A bump on the side?' There were a rare few supporting the decision. 'Chose to bump and concussed him. Makes sense,' was one tweet. 'Lord ended up with a concussion and Wines chose to bump. No brainer really,' suggested another. But the vast majority appeared stunned by the ruling, with all eyes now on Port Adelaide's next move.
