AFL round seven LIVE: History favours Demons in crucial Anzac Day eve clash with Richmond
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6.31pm
The match in a nutshell
What to expect: No person will be more relieved than Richmond coach Adem Yze when the first bounce kicks off tonight's Anzac Day Eve clash at the MCG between the Demons and the Tigers. He will finally be able to concentrate on footy after a week dominated by Noah Balta's court case coverage. The Tigers will miss Balta, who was strong in their win against the Gold Coast, and as a result the playing group might be distracted. Expect Melbourne to go hard to establish an early lead in a match that will largely be determined in the midfield.
What history says: Melbourne have owned Richmond since 2020. They have won their past five clashes, four of them on Anzac Day Eve. The last time the Tigers beat the Demons was July 5, 2020, during the COVID-interrupted season.
What the stats say: This year, Melbourne have averaged almost 23 more disposals a game than Richmond (326.7 to 340), been inside 50 almost 10 more times a game (51.5 to 41.8) and have racked up six more contested possession a game (130.8 to 124.8).
Both sides have similar numbers in clearances (Melbourne 34.2 to Richmond 35.8), marks (Melbourne 91.3 to Richmond 89.5) and turnovers (Melbourne 63.8 to Richmond 63.2). The Demons have averaged 68.6 points a game this season, but averaged 81 points a game at the MCG. They have only passed 100 points once. The Tigers have not kicked more than 100 points in nay game this year, while averaging 70 points a game across their six matches and 86 points a game at the MCG.
What the coaches say:
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Simon Goodwin: 'Our defence hasn't been at the level we're capable of. Our focus is really on getting back to that. The players' buy-in (to defence) was high last week, but Fremantle still kicked 97 points—so we know there's still plenty of work to do.'
Adem Yze: 'I'm not sure who we are going to play on Kozzy Pickett because he played like a star (against Fremantle). He is a talented kid, and we might have to put two or three players on him.'
What the experts say: All 14 members of The Age's expert tipping panel are predicting a Melbourne victory. Their average winning margin is 15 points.
6.29pm
Saints resigned to King's long-term AFL absence
By Roger Vaughan
Ross Lyon is resigned to St Kilda star Max King being sidelined until late this season, again stressing that it's short-term pain for a long-term career.
Pointing to GWS' Coleman medallist Jesse Hogan and retired Brisbane Lions premiership star Joe Daniher, Lyon said King is another key forward who will need time to overcome injury before he hits his peak.
Similarly, Lyon said before training earlier today that they will be careful with young gun Mattaes Phillipou, who is on the verge of playing again for the first time this year after recovering from a stress reaction in his leg. Asked when Phillipou might be ready an AFL return, Lyon replied it was a 'really good question'.
Phillipou, King and Dougal Howard (shoulder) are all yet to play this season, with Howard set to return on Saturday against the Lions at Marvel Stadium.
King needed more surgery last week after a setback in his recovery from a pre-season knee injury. He was at the club this morning, with a bandage on his right knee. The Saints said last week that King's likely time out would be six weeks and Lyon expects an AFL return will not happen quickly after that.
'It's going to be a fair period of time – you're not going to see Max until the late end of the season,' Lyon said. 'And that's OK. Is it disappointing for Max and us? Yes. But we have a power forward and he had a great summer. The knee is structurally sound, so it gives him a clear runway, whenever that is.'
As he did last week, Lyon said St Kilda would be patient in managing King.
'You look at Daniher, you look at Hogan – Max is 24,' Lyon said. 'When you think of Daniher and Hogan, they hit their peak around 29 to 31, because of all their challenges.
'Gee whiz, if Max could have a good run at it, I think he's going to hit his straps well before 29.'
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- The Advertiser
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"It's just pure disappointment, we didn't make a good team earn anything," he said. "When you crack so easily on your tryline, and then just give them leg up after leg up with tackle four or five penalties, play one, two errors, so it probably should have been more, to be fair. "It's frustrating and burning inside ... I hate when we beat ourselves, and I felt like tonight we did exactly that." Melbourne's Jahrome Hughes has stolen the spotlight from his North Queensland opposite Tom Dearden with the Storm halfback orchestrating a commanding 38-14 victory at AAMI Park. All eyes were on Dearden, who is favoured to usurp Daly Cherry-Evans as Queensland's State of Origin No.7 when teams for game two in Perth are announced. But reigning Dally M Medallist Hughes was the stand-out from both teams, scoring two tries and setting up two more as well as nine tackle-busts in one of his best performances of the season. Hughes embraced his running game to keep the Cowboys defence guessing, with Cameron Munster also up to the challenge as the superstar pair marked their 100th NRL game in the Storm halves. Hughes also pulled off a critical strip on Jeremiah Nanai close to the tryline to help his team win consecutive matches for the first time since round six. Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy, who this week signed to stay on in 2027, said Hughes had been battling a number of injuries including a broken hand and neck issues. "He has been playing pretty well, but that was a pretty special effort tonight, it was definitely his best performance this year," Bellamy said. "He's done remarkably well to have played as many games as he's played, with some of the injuries, they're just sort of worn him down a little bit mentally too, not being able to do the things that he's used to doing or is capable of doing. "So he's been really brave for us ... but it looked like he shook off a few of those injuries tonight." Melbourne started with a bang with tries to Eli Katoa and Hughes setting up a 12-0 after 18 minutes. A pin-point cut-out pass from Dearden to winger Jaxson Paulo put the visitors on the scoreboard two minutes later. Melbourne went off the boil and only desperate defence goal-line kept them ahead, with North Queensland dominating territory 68 per cent to 32. Despite that statistic, the Storm made them pay when they got a chance in the 39th minute when a Hughes bomb was dropped cold by fullback Scott Drinkwater. Hughes then collected the spoils in the next set, linking with the rest of the star Melbourne spine for an 18-4 halftime lead. Despite a massive spray by Cowboys coach Todd Payten, Nick Meaney crossed two minutes into the second half after the Melbourne centre ran onto a Hughes grubber. The talented Cowboys attack finally kicked into gear and after Drinkwater saved a third Hughes try he scored one of his own after a Reece Robson dart from dummy-half. Robert Derby was in two minutes later to close the margin to 10 points but Storm prop Nelson Asofa-Solomona stalled the Cowboys' momentum when he dragged four defenders over the line. Payten said his team beat themselves. "It's just pure disappointment, we didn't make a good team earn anything," he said. "When you crack so easily on your tryline, and then just give them leg up after leg up with tackle four or five penalties, play one, two errors, so it probably should have been more, to be fair. "It's frustrating and burning inside ... I hate when we beat ourselves, and I felt like tonight we did exactly that." Melbourne's Jahrome Hughes has stolen the spotlight from his North Queensland opposite Tom Dearden with the Storm halfback orchestrating a commanding 38-14 victory at AAMI Park. All eyes were on Dearden, who is favoured to usurp Daly Cherry-Evans as Queensland's State of Origin No.7 when teams for game two in Perth are announced. But reigning Dally M Medallist Hughes was the stand-out from both teams, scoring two tries and setting up two more as well as nine tackle-busts in one of his best performances of the season. Hughes embraced his running game to keep the Cowboys defence guessing, with Cameron Munster also up to the challenge as the superstar pair marked their 100th NRL game in the Storm halves. Hughes also pulled off a critical strip on Jeremiah Nanai close to the tryline to help his team win consecutive matches for the first time since round six. Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy, who this week signed to stay on in 2027, said Hughes had been battling a number of injuries including a broken hand and neck issues. "He has been playing pretty well, but that was a pretty special effort tonight, it was definitely his best performance this year," Bellamy said. "He's done remarkably well to have played as many games as he's played, with some of the injuries, they're just sort of worn him down a little bit mentally too, not being able to do the things that he's used to doing or is capable of doing. "So he's been really brave for us ... but it looked like he shook off a few of those injuries tonight." Melbourne started with a bang with tries to Eli Katoa and Hughes setting up a 12-0 after 18 minutes. A pin-point cut-out pass from Dearden to winger Jaxson Paulo put the visitors on the scoreboard two minutes later. Melbourne went off the boil and only desperate defence goal-line kept them ahead, with North Queensland dominating territory 68 per cent to 32. Despite that statistic, the Storm made them pay when they got a chance in the 39th minute when a Hughes bomb was dropped cold by fullback Scott Drinkwater. Hughes then collected the spoils in the next set, linking with the rest of the star Melbourne spine for an 18-4 halftime lead. Despite a massive spray by Cowboys coach Todd Payten, Nick Meaney crossed two minutes into the second half after the Melbourne centre ran onto a Hughes grubber. The talented Cowboys attack finally kicked into gear and after Drinkwater saved a third Hughes try he scored one of his own after a Reece Robson dart from dummy-half. Robert Derby was in two minutes later to close the margin to 10 points but Storm prop Nelson Asofa-Solomona stalled the Cowboys' momentum when he dragged four defenders over the line. Payten said his team beat themselves. "It's just pure disappointment, we didn't make a good team earn anything," he said. "When you crack so easily on your tryline, and then just give them leg up after leg up with tackle four or five penalties, play one, two errors, so it probably should have been more, to be fair. "It's frustrating and burning inside ... I hate when we beat ourselves, and I felt like tonight we did exactly that."
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7 hours ago
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Todd Payten unleashes mammoth half-time spray only for it to backfire badly
Cowboys coach Todd Payten unleashed an all-time spray on his troops after a dismal first half against the Storm on Thursday night. The coach reportedly named and shamed several of his stars, pointing out issues in their game and lapses of judgement as they went into the break down 18-4 against the storm. But it was the stats that told the story, North Queensland made 7 errors and missed a whopping 27 tackles despite having most of the possession. FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. And so Payten decided to try and light a fire under his side going into the second half. But his hopes of a different outcome in the second period went up in smoke within 2 minutes. Inside 50 seconds, Cowboys fullback Scott Drinkwater dropped the ball in their first set of the half. And the very next set Melbourne crossed for their fourth try. After extending the lead to 20-points Fox Sports' Eloise Sohier revealed Payten gave reportedly the worst spray the Cowboys' bench had ever seen. 'The bench told me that they have never seen a spray as bad as he (Payten) delivered at half time,' Sohier told Fox Sports. 'He picked out players, he tore apart their game. He won't be happy with that start.' You can watch footage of the NRL coach's spray in the player above. In the end, the Cowboys were thoroughly beaten 38-14 by the Storm, who were far from their best themselves. And the NRL world empathised with the 46-year-old coach after a difficult evening. 'Todd Payten has every right to feed it to those Cowboys. A couple of those tries were very soft,' one fan wrote on X. 'Fox: 'Todd Payten gave them the Biggest spray they've ever seen', Cowboy Players: 'I didn't hear anything,' another joked. 'Obviously the spray Payten gave them at half time didn't work. Once again they were their own worst enemy,' a third added. After the game, Payten was still seething at what transpired, as he spoke freely about his disappointment in his players' performance. 'Pure disappointment,' Payten said in response to a question about what he made of the game. 'Didn't make a good team (Storm) earn anything and in the end when you crack so easily on your try line and give leg up after leg up … it probably should have been more.' Jahrome Hughes shines in Storm win Star halfback Jahrome Hughes was back to his Dally M winning form as the Storm proved too good for the Cowboys. Hughes and five-eighth Cameron Munster were playing for a 100th time together as a halves combination and they got the better of rising North Queensland duo Tom Dearden and Jaxon Purdue in an intriguing battle. It was the 77th time the Storm has won with a Hughes-Munster halves combo, an impressive 77 per cent. The Storm made it back-to-back wins for the first time since early April. Hughes had his fingerprints all over the victory. The 30-year-old scored two tries to go with two try assists and produced a tidy kicking game with 386 kick metres. Munster was a handful too, making 17 runs for a punishing 181 run metres. 'They are mesmerised by Hughes. Just dancing and weaving his way with ease,' Michael Ennis said.
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Soccer legend David Beckham to receive a knighthood
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At the time, he said: "I'm excited to be working with The King's Foundation and to have the opportunity to help raise awareness of the charity's work. "I've always been keen to help young people to expand their horizons and I'm particularly looking forward to supporting the Foundation's education programmes and its efforts to ensure young people have greater access to nature. In 2024, David was made an ambassador for The King's Foundation- which aims to teach and demonstrate in practice those principles of traditional urban design and architecture - and at the time he admitted that it was an "inspiring" experience for him. He said: "Having developed a love for the countryside I'm also on a personal mission to learn more about rural skills which is so central to the Foundation's work. "It was inspiring to hear from The King about the work of His Majesty's Foundation during my recent visit to Highgrove Gardens — and compare beekeeping tips." Prior to that, he worked with the Chelsea Pensioners amid the COVID-19 lockdowns and was appointed a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador more than two decades ago. David Beckham is to receive a knighthood. The former England player celebrated his 50th birthday on May 2, and on Thursday it was revealed that he will be confirmed as Sir in The King's Birthday Honours list next week. David has been married to former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham - with whom he has Brooklyn, 26, Romeo, 22, Cruz, 20, and 13-year-old Harper Seven - since 1999 and The Sun also reported she will become known as Lady Victoria Beckham once her husband is knighted. According to the outlet, David "narrowly missed out" on receiving a knighthood in 2024, and the honour instead went to former England manager Gareth Southgate. In 2003, he was given an OBE by Queen Elizabeth for services to football. The former Premier League star has a long history of charitable work, which Honours Committee officials will have considered before deciding to bestow him with the honour. At the time, he said: "I'm excited to be working with The King's Foundation and to have the opportunity to help raise awareness of the charity's work. "I've always been keen to help young people to expand their horizons and I'm particularly looking forward to supporting the Foundation's education programmes and its efforts to ensure young people have greater access to nature. In 2024, David was made an ambassador for The King's Foundation- which aims to teach and demonstrate in practice those principles of traditional urban design and architecture - and at the time he admitted that it was an "inspiring" experience for him. He said: "Having developed a love for the countryside I'm also on a personal mission to learn more about rural skills which is so central to the Foundation's work. "It was inspiring to hear from The King about the work of His Majesty's Foundation during my recent visit to Highgrove Gardens — and compare beekeeping tips." Prior to that, he worked with the Chelsea Pensioners amid the COVID-19 lockdowns and was appointed a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador more than two decades ago. David Beckham is to receive a knighthood. The former England player celebrated his 50th birthday on May 2, and on Thursday it was revealed that he will be confirmed as Sir in The King's Birthday Honours list next week. David has been married to former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham - with whom he has Brooklyn, 26, Romeo, 22, Cruz, 20, and 13-year-old Harper Seven - since 1999 and The Sun also reported she will become known as Lady Victoria Beckham once her husband is knighted. According to the outlet, David "narrowly missed out" on receiving a knighthood in 2024, and the honour instead went to former England manager Gareth Southgate. In 2003, he was given an OBE by Queen Elizabeth for services to football. The former Premier League star has a long history of charitable work, which Honours Committee officials will have considered before deciding to bestow him with the honour. At the time, he said: "I'm excited to be working with The King's Foundation and to have the opportunity to help raise awareness of the charity's work. "I've always been keen to help young people to expand their horizons and I'm particularly looking forward to supporting the Foundation's education programmes and its efforts to ensure young people have greater access to nature. In 2024, David was made an ambassador for The King's Foundation- which aims to teach and demonstrate in practice those principles of traditional urban design and architecture - and at the time he admitted that it was an "inspiring" experience for him. He said: "Having developed a love for the countryside I'm also on a personal mission to learn more about rural skills which is so central to the Foundation's work. "It was inspiring to hear from The King about the work of His Majesty's Foundation during my recent visit to Highgrove Gardens — and compare beekeeping tips." Prior to that, he worked with the Chelsea Pensioners amid the COVID-19 lockdowns and was appointed a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador more than two decades ago. David Beckham is to receive a knighthood. The former England player celebrated his 50th birthday on May 2, and on Thursday it was revealed that he will be confirmed as Sir in The King's Birthday Honours list next week. David has been married to former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham - with whom he has Brooklyn, 26, Romeo, 22, Cruz, 20, and 13-year-old Harper Seven - since 1999 and The Sun also reported she will become known as Lady Victoria Beckham once her husband is knighted. According to the outlet, David "narrowly missed out" on receiving a knighthood in 2024, and the honour instead went to former England manager Gareth Southgate. In 2003, he was given an OBE by Queen Elizabeth for services to football. The former Premier League star has a long history of charitable work, which Honours Committee officials will have considered before deciding to bestow him with the honour. At the time, he said: "I'm excited to be working with The King's Foundation and to have the opportunity to help raise awareness of the charity's work. "I've always been keen to help young people to expand their horizons and I'm particularly looking forward to supporting the Foundation's education programmes and its efforts to ensure young people have greater access to nature. In 2024, David was made an ambassador for The King's Foundation- which aims to teach and demonstrate in practice those principles of traditional urban design and architecture - and at the time he admitted that it was an "inspiring" experience for him. He said: "Having developed a love for the countryside I'm also on a personal mission to learn more about rural skills which is so central to the Foundation's work. "It was inspiring to hear from The King about the work of His Majesty's Foundation during my recent visit to Highgrove Gardens — and compare beekeeping tips." Prior to that, he worked with the Chelsea Pensioners amid the COVID-19 lockdowns and was appointed a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador more than two decades ago.
