
Lions performance gives Andy Farrell plenty to think about
Despite the win, the Lions delivered a clunky performance, with many players failing to impress in what was seen as a final audition for the second Test.
The scratch First Nations & Pasifika XV put up a spirited fight, making the match highly physical and competitive.
Key moments included Owen Farrell 's early influence, tries from Jamie Osborne, Darcy Graham, and Duhan van der Merwe, and errors from Lions players like Blair Kinghorn and Fin Smith.
The fixture's timing and the need for reinforcements raised questions about the feasibility of such midweek games on future Lions tours.
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Daily Mail
11 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Footy bad boy Jordan De Goey reveals baby joy with his TV star girlfriend Aisha Jade McKinnon
Collingwood star Jordan De Goey has revealed he and partner Aisha Jade McKinnon are expecting their first child, calling the joyful news 'the greatest surprise of them all'. The couple made the big reveal on Instagram, sharing a photo of De Goey's hands cradling McKinnon's baby bump, accompanied by an ultrasound video and a clip of the moment the overjoyed Magpies forward found out he is going to be a dad. 'In the midst of our changing lives we were blessed with the greatest surprise of them all, baby girl coming soon,' read the caption on the post. Their announcement drew congratulatory messages from De Goey's teammates Isaac Quaynor and Mason Cox, as well as Annalise Dalins, the fiancée of Pies star Josh Daicos. McKinnon - who starred on Big Brother and is forging a career in fashion design - made their romance official last October when they attended Collingwood's best and fairest night. The couple have bought a farm together and McKinnon has previously opened up about her man's reputation as a bad boy off the field. The footy glamour couple are due to have a daughter - with the announcement drawing messages of congratulations from other AFL stars De Goey briefly ended up in a New York jail in October 2021 after pleading not guilty to a charge of forcible touching in a New York night club, and he made headlines in 2022 when a video emerged of him touching and exposing a woman's breast at a nightclub in Bali. The 29-year-old was slammed by fans and footy experts when he said he had 'made mistakes' because he has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. 'Late last year, I was diagnosed with ADHD and I am trying to become more aware of why I make mistakes that I do. I have again made a mistake – this is an ongoing journey for me – and I remain absolutely committed to changing,' De Goey said in an official Collingwood statement. He joked that he would have to 'lock himself inside his house to stay out of trouble' before going on to star for Collingwood as they won the premiership in 2023. 'It's sad because I know a very different Jordy,' McKinnon said in December last year. 'He's really lovely. We definitely value our privacy, we connected on that, and we both have unique jobs and support each other.' De Goey has only played five games this year as premiership favourites Collingwood sit atop the ladder. Problems with his Achilles tendon and concussion have kept him out of the AFL since round nine, but he took a big step on Saturday as he played in the VFL.


The Guardian
11 minutes ago
- The Guardian
‘Get out of my way': how St Kilda's Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera entered AFL folklore
The hottest property in the AFL happens to have the coolest head in the game. St Kilda sensation Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera completed his sparkling rise from a damaging defender and one of the most exciting midfielders in the competition, to a proven match-winner after icing two goals in the final minute that sealed a historic comeback against Melbourne. The 22-year-old has already shown he can do it all at both ends. But it is rare for a player to have a game-changing impact in all areas of the field in one game, let alone in a single breathtaking quarter that helped turn Sunday's contest. Wanganeen-Milera started the game taking on the Demons' decorated on-ball brigade, but with the Saints trailing by 46 points at the final change he was soon taking the kick ins, connecting play through the midfield and drifting forward to be a target in attack. The defender-turned-allrounder gathered 10 disposals as the Saints came from the clouds to chase down the Demons in the final term. But it is Wanganeen-Milera's last minute of action at Marvel Stadium that will go down in folklore. It is a tale that even the humble Saints star struggled to explain. 'I don't know, I'm a bit speechless,' Wanganeen-Milera told Channel 7 immediately after the game. 'It just sort of happened, I flew for it. But my teammates did a great job in the last quarter, the pressure was unreal, we just kept fighting and fighting.' The Demons led by a goal with less than a minute left on the clock when Saints midfielder Mason Wood received a handball after a boundary throw-in on the wing and bombed the ball into the forward 50. Wanganeen-Milera first made his name as a rebounding half-back and has shown plenty of promise since moving into the midfield, but with the game on the line he soared over Bailey Fritsch to pull down a screamer in front of Demons defender Judd McVee within sight of goal. The exquisitely-skilled Wanganeen-Milera could hardly have split the middle better as he nailed the set shot to level the scores with only eight seconds remaining and leave the Saints looking like the only side thinking about victory. While the young St Kilda players were calm and composed amid the chaos that followed, even the most experienced Demons lost their heads as they turned the ball over with a 6-6-6 infringement for not having enough players set up in each area of the ground. The Saints trio of Rowan Marshall, Marcus Windhager and Wanganeen-Milera quickly concocted a plan at the centre bounce for the ruck to take the free kick and pick out the man of the moment charging forward. A pinpoint pass from Marshall was enough to find Wanganeen-Milera just inside the 50m arc as he bravely marked while falling backwards. He and sprung back to his feet before the siren sounded. 'I just told the forwards, 'get out of my way', and then I told Rowan, 'just hit me on the left side', and it was lucky I got on the end of it,' Wanganeen-Milera said. With the result resting on his young shoulders, Wanganeen-Milera only needed a point to clinch the greatest comeback from a three-quarter-time deficit in VFL/AFL history. It was no surprise to see his lethal right foot send the ball through the middle again for the icing on the cake of a stunning six-point triumph. Wanganeen-Milera finished with 34 disposals, nine score involvements, six clearances and a career-high four goals in just the latest display as his career keeps reaching for new heights. Sign up to From the Pocket: AFL Weekly Jonathan Horn brings expert analysis on the week's biggest AFL stories after newsletter promotion If only to add to the mythical performance, coach Ross Lyon revealed after the game that the Saints' hero of the day was on the brink of being a late withdrawal from the game due to a stye in his eye before getting the all-clear from the club doctor. '[The doctor] said 'Nas has come in, [we've] upped his antibiotics, given him an injection,' Lyon said. 'I mean, they can sound quite morbid at times, the doctors. I just said, 'how's Nas', he's pretty confident. Then I rang him, he goes, 'no, I'll be right'. But I just said, if you're not right, no pressure, we'll tap you out.' There will be a sense of relief as much as elation around the Saints' camp that Wanganeen-Milera was available to take on the Demons, but both will only grow if the speedster commits his long-term future to the club. The step son of former St Kilda player Terry Milera and nephew of former Port Adelaide and Essendon great Gavin Wanganeen owns the most sought-after signature in the game, as he comes out of contract while being courted by both clubs in his home state of South Australia. Wanganeen-Milera has already ensured that St Kilda is etched in the record books for their fightback, but the club that drafted him at No 11 in 2021 AFL draft live in hope that his incredible performance against Melbourne was just one of many memorable moments to come in red, white and black.


Reuters
37 minutes ago
- Reuters
After weeks of struggling, Tigers hope D-backs can cure ills
July 28 - A sense of relief enveloped the Detroit Tigers after their 10-4 victory over visiting Toronto on Sunday afternoon. That snapped a six-game losing streak and was just their second win in 14 games. Detroit will now open a three-game home series against Arizona, beginning on Monday night. "It's a sense of accomplishment," manager AJ Hinch said. "Obviously, we need a good feeling at the end of the day, we needed it all week. It's a fun win; it's a good win." The American League Central Division leaders hope it wasn't just a one-game reprieve. "It's not like the end of things," first baseman Spencer Torkelson said. "It's not like it's all good now. We needed to play a clean, good baseball game. But seeing a W in the win column is definitely refreshing. It's like when you haven't got a hit in a while and seeing one fall. Sometimes that's all it takes." Right-hander Troy Melton will make his second career start for the Tigers in the series opener. Melton's debut didn't go as planned -- he gave up six runs and seven hits in five innings at Pittsburgh on Wednesday. Melton's outing wasn't a complete washout. He struck out seven and tossed two scoreless innings to finish up his outing. Melton is being given a chance to earn the No. 5 spot in the rotation. Keider Montero, who had a tenuous hold on that spot, was demoted to Triple-A Toledo on Saturday. Melton, 24, was Toledo's top starter this season. He posted a 2.72 ERA in eight games with nine walks and 56 strikeouts across 36 1/3 innings. "He really needed the challenge up in the big leagues," Hinch said. "I think we saw, specifically in the back half of his outing, why we're excited about his present and his future." He'll be opposed by former Tiger Eduardo Rodriguez (3-6, 5.50). Rodriguez bounced back from two poor outings to toss 6 1/3 shutout innings against Houston on Tuesday. Rodriguez surrendered 12 earned runs in 8 1/3 innings in his previous two starts. Rodriguez believed he could have gone longer Tuesday but he was taken out after getting struck in the leg by a comebacker. "I feel like that was the best I felt with my fastball all this year," said Rodriguez, who is 5-1 with a 2.54 ERA in seven career starts against Detroit. With the Arizona front office in sell mode heading toward the trade deadline, the on-field product has suffered. The Diamondbacks have lost five of their last six games, including back-to-back shutouts against Pittsburgh heading into this series. The offense has produced just eight runs during the six-game span. "Those things are natural," outfielder Corbin Carroll said of the distractions caused by the trade deadline. "Our coaches did a good job of trying to prevent something like that from happening, but I think stuff like that can creep in. I think it's also a little bit the nature of where some of the hitters, including myself, are at. Just a product of a couple of things." Third baseman Eugenio Suarez could have an eventful week. He's one of the biggest names on the trade market and the Tigers could be one of his suitors. --Field Level Media