Opals shine to beat NZ in Trans-Tasman Throwdown
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7NEWS
18 hours ago
- 7NEWS
Unfiltered: Erin Phillips opens up on 2016 Olympics heartbreak
Dual sports legend Erin Phillips has opened up on her Olympics heartbreak in a powerful interview with Hamish McLachlan on Unfiltered. Phillips, who was a superstar basketballer before joining the AFLW, felt like she let the entire country down at the Rio Olympics in 2016. Unfiltered, featuring Erin Phillips 9.30pm Wednesday straight after The Front Bar on Seven and 7plus. After starting her basketball career for the Adelaide Lightning in the WNBL, Phillips was drafted to the Connecticut Sun in the WNBA in 2005. She enjoyed a decorated career in America, winning two championships with the Indiana Fever (2012) and Phoenix Mercury (2014) and playing for five teams across nine years. Phillips also solidified her spot in the national team and was a member of the Opals team that won silver at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. After being controversially overlooked for the 2012 Games in London, Phillips was back in favour four years later and was co-captain of the team in Rio. But after sweeping their round robin group, the Opals suffered a shock loss to Serbia in the quarter-finals that ended their streak of five consecutive Olympics with a medal. 'Any time someone mentions Rio (it still affects me),' she says. 'I couldn't talk about Rio for a year because you're playing in the Olympics, you have a whole country behind you, you're playing for the Opals who are so successful, you're one of the leaders of the team. 'And yes every team can have a bad day, you don't always get your fairytale but consequences of losing that was just for me was just so severe. 'I felt like I had let so many people down, an entire country down, that had hoped the Opals would at least medal, that was the standard and we should have. 'That was a failure for Australia and you were a part of that. 'They were really hard times after that, I couldn't even stay after the Olympics, I left. I couldn't do the closing ceremony, I just felt so much shame on myself personally.' Phillips said she used the disappointment of Rio to fuel her stunning AFLW career, but added that she'll never get over it. 'I'm in a place where I've accepted it, but I won't get over it,' she said. Phillips joined Adelaide for the inaugural season of the AFLW and went on to win three premierships, two league best and fairests and two AFLW grand final best on ground medals, among a host of other individual accolades. She was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame this year.
ABC News
2 days ago
- ABC News
Queensland Reds and ACT Brumbies play Anzac Day matches in Super Round at new Christchurch stadium
New Zealand will host Super Rugby Pacific's reborn Super Round for the first time in what will serve as a house-warming party for Christchurch's new stadium. The five-game event from April 24-26 will feature traditional Anzac Day rivalries as the Crusaders christen the roofed 25,000-seat Te Kaha Stadium. Melbourne hosted three Super Rounds, to mixed reviews, before the Rebels were axed from the competition and the concept was binned last year. Rugby powerhouse Christchurch has been without a major stadium since the deadly 2011 earthquake rendered Lancaster Park unusable. The defending champion Crusaders will open proceedings on the Friday night, before annual Queensland Reds vs Blues and Hurricanes vs ACT Brumbies Anzac Day rivalry games on the Saturday. Two games will be played on the Sunday, with the full fixture, including which of the 11 Super Rugby Pacific teams won't play, still to be finalised. "The opening event at One New Zealand Stadium at Te Kaha will be a major milestone in the remarkable comeback story of our city," Christchurch mayor Phil Mauger said. "And it is great to share that with our friends and neighbours from all across the country, Australia and the Pacific." AAP
The Australian
3 days ago
- The Australian
Charlotte Caslick ruled out of Women's Rugby World Cup squad
Sevens queen Charlotte Caslick's Women's Rugby World Cup dream is over after she was replaced in the Wallaroos squad by Manu'a Moleka. Caslick had been named in Australia's 32-player squad despite undergoing surgery after suffering an ankle injury in the Wallaroos' loss to New Zealand in Wellington last month. It was only last week that the Olympic gold medallist said she hoped to be available for Australia's second World Cup game against the USA on August 31. 'When (the injury) happened, I knew it would be touch and go, and the timeframe is probably a little bit tighter than I would have hoped it would be, but I'm doing what I can to get it (her ankle) as best as I can for some stage of the tournament,' she said. However, Caslick won't fly with the squad to England on Monday afternoon after the decision was made for her to remain in Australia to continue an 'accelerated rehabilitation program', with the uncapped Moleka – the younger sister of squad member Faitala Moleka – to take her place. Charlotte Caslick is out of Australia's Women's Rugby World Cup squad. Picture:Caslick's only chance of joining the Wallaroos squad later in tournament would be as an injury replacement player should it be required. Wallaroos coach Jo Yapp said the squad was 'really disappointed to lose Charlotte so close to the World Cup'. 'She has shown great commitment to the XVs program and Wallaroos this year,' Yapp said. 'Charlotte's timeline to get back for our pool matches has changed and following medical advice, the decision was made to allow her to continue on an accelerated recovery program, where she could be available as an injury replacement should we require a player later in the tournament. 'We're really fortunate and excited that Manu'a can join us for the World Cup. Manu'a has been part of the touring squad since the start of the international Test season and thoroughly deserves her opportunity to join us.' The Wallaroos' opening World Cup match is on August 23 against Samoa in Salford. Marco Monteverde Sports reporter Marco Monteverde is a Brisbane-based sports reporter for NCA Newswire. He worked in a similar role for The Courier-Mail from 2007 to 2020. During a journalism career of more than 25 years, he has also worked for The Queensland Times, The Sunshine Coast Daily, The Fraser Coast Chronicle and The North West Star. He has covered three FIFA World Cups and the 2000 Sydney Olympics, as well as a host of other major sporting events in Australia and around the world. @marcothejourno Marco Monteverde
