Australia strikes gold in men's 4x100m free relay
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No Harley spells big problems for struggling Eagles
West Coast will get a month-long look at what life would be like without Harley Reid, and it's not going to be pretty. Reid's future remains a huge talking point, with the 20-year-old's manager in deep talks with West Coast about a possible contract extension. There are reports Reid could command in the vicinity of $24m over 11 years - numbers that have never been seen before in the AFL. West Coast are being urged against committing such a large sum to a single player. But such is the on-and-off field worth of Reid, the Eagles may end up doing a deal worth in the vicinity of $20m. Harley Reid is an absolute star 🤩#AFLFreoEagles — AFL (@AFL) July 26, 2025 Reid has been one of West Coast's best players this season, but he'll miss the final four matches of the campaign with a syndesmosis injury. Given West Coast are also without Elliot Yeo (ankle) and Jack Graham (suspension), the Eagles will roll out their weakest midfield of the season against Melbourne's star-studded on-ball brigade at Marvel Stadium on Saturday. Tim Kelly and Liam Baker are the remaining old heads that could be employed in West Coast's engine room this week, with youngsters such as Elijah Hewett, Clay Hall, Brady Hough and Tom Gross set to be handed a big responsibility over the back-end of the season. Reid is contracted for 2026, but there's no guarantee he will stay long term. Even when Reid was playing, West Coast were by far the worst clearance team in the league this season. It means there could be plenty of pain in store when the Eagles round out their season with games against Melbourne, Adelaide, Western Bulldogs and Sydney. "It's not easy, but it's been like that for most of the year," Eagles coach Andrew McQualter said. "So we've seen great growth. We've seen Elijah Hewett, We've seen Brady Hough grow. "We've seen Clay Hall come and play through the midfield. "So sometimes when you're put in a position where we have been, it's not been short-term benefit, but it will be long-term benefit." West Coast (1-18) are headed for their third wooden spoon in the space of three years. But all of the heat on Saturday will be on the 6-13 Demons, who coughed up a 46-point three-quarter time lead in last week's six-point loss to St Kilda. Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin is under all sorts of pressure, and former Demons assistant McQualter is expecting his old club to come out firing. West Coast welcome back key defender Harry Edwards (hamstring), while the Demons will unveil former Eagle Jai Culley.
Yahoo
an hour ago
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Wallabies coach Schmidt: Winning is the only focus, not sentiment
By James Toney in Sydney Joe Schmidt insisted there is no room for sentiment as his Wallabies look for revenge in Sydney. The Australia coach claims his team are fired up to avoid a straight-sets defeat in the three-match Test series. And he insists the only priority is to ensure the British & Irish Lions do not leave Down Under unbeaten. It is more than a century since the tourists last won a Test series 3–0, and pride is the motivating factor as the hosts prepare for Saturday's showdown at Accor Stadium. Nic White starts as scrum-half after announcing this match would be his final international appearance, the 35-year-old preferred to Jake Gordon and Tate McDermott. White has made 72 international appearances since making his debut against Argentina in 2013. He and Schmidt, still smarting over the narrow 26–29 loss in an MCG thriller last week, have always been close, but the coach insists this pick is solely about winning and not about giving a final hurrah to a fine servant to the cause. "I'm not a sentimentalist," insisted Schmidt. "Nic has such respect inside this squad that it seemed a fitting way for him to finish his career. "This is a Test match and you pick the people you think give you the best chance of winning, and we believe Nic does that. "We're blessed with a fine group of nines and those players are really tight amongst themselves. They had their own discussions and it was a decision we made, believing Nic can do the job. "The squad was certainly deflated after the gut-wrenching end to last week's Test in Melbourne, but they have started to gather momentum in the back half of the week and will be ready to go again. "The support in Brisbane and Melbourne helped to lift the squad, and I know the support this weekend will again help to lift the players in the high-pressure moments that we know are coming." However, White insists he was surprised to get the nod having last played when he came off the bench in the Wallabies' 21–18 Test win over Fiji in Newcastle. "I didn't see it coming but I really appreciate it and I won't let the boys down," he said. "Jake and Tate did an unbelievable job in the first two games. "Pulling on the gold jersey was a dream of mine when I was a young boy and to say I've done it 72 times, with one last crack on Saturday, is something I'm incredibly proud of and I've never taken for granted. "Rugby has given me so much to be grateful for. I've made some incredible memories, some lifelong friendships and had the opportunity to see the world. "There's been great competition for the nine jersey here in the Wallabies for a number of years, and it feels like the right time to pass on the baton with some more good young players coming through. "They will need time in the saddle leading into what's going to be an unbelievable experience of a home Rugby World Cup in 2027." Tighthead prop Taniela Tupou, who impressed for the First Nations–Pasifika XV in their Lions match last week, makes his debut in green and gold as he replaces the injured Allan Alaalatoa in the front row. Rob Valetini, who made such a first-half impact in Melbourne, is being managed as he continues to recover from a calf injury, with Tom Hooper replacing him at blindside flanker. Dylan Pietsch is recalled to cover the injured Harry Potter on the wing, playing in the special edition Wallabies jersey he designed for this year's Qatar Airways Lions Men's Series. The Wallabies will have a bench consisting of five forwards and three backs, a change to last week's gamble when Potter was injured early and there were just two backs to cover.
Yahoo
an hour ago
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Aussies pip big guns in stunning scenes as Mollie O'Callaghan equals swimming legend
Mollie O'Callaghan has equalled Australian swimming legend Ian Thorpe's record of 11 gold medals at the world championships after anchoring her nation to victory in the women's 4x200m freestyle relay. The Aussie quartet of Lani Pallister, Jamie Perkins, Brittany Castelluzzo and O'Callaghan stormed home to claim gold ahead of their fierce rivals from the USA, with China claiming bronze. While O'Callaghan finished off the relay superbly to see Australia clock a winning time of seven minutes, 39.35 seconds (7:39.35), it was an extraordinary third leg from Castelluzzo that set up victory. After trailing American Erin Gemmell by a full body length, Castelluzzo surged ahead in the final 50m to give O'Callaghan a slender advantage going into the decisive final leg. The Aussie champion still had her work cut out against American icon Katie Ledecky, and clearly looked tired after her swims in the 100m freestyle heat and semi-final earlier in the day. But O'Callaghan managed to hold off the greatest female swimmer of all time to seal a remarkable win for the Aussie team, who were missing two of their Paris Games gold medallists. Brianna Throssell called time on her career after Paris and four-time Olympic Games gold medallist Ariarne Titmus missed the meet after deciding to take a break from swimming. But the new-look team picked up where the Aussie golden girls had left off, with O'Callaghan cemented her status as one of the nation's greatest ever swimmers. "It's everything to me," O'Callaghan said after the relay win left her with three gold medals at these world titles. "I take any opportunity to come and do this event. "I knew I had to lift for this. I'm always here for the relays. "It's a great privilege because it shows the depth that we have. It just shows the depth coming through to LA [the 2028 Olympics], and to start off like this is just incredible." O'Callaghan's wins in the 200m freestyle, as well as the 4x100m and 4x200m freestyle relays, saw her equal Thorpe's national record of 11 golds at the worlds, and she could overtake the Aussie legend with a 100m freestyle final and more relays to come. "Actually, I haven't really thought about it too much," she said about Thorpe's record. "Coming off [the] Olympics last year and having the downs of the break and the post-Olympics blues and then injuring myself, it's just been a rollercoaster. And to come along here and to compete in the finals [and] to get golds is just something I wouldn't believe at the start of the year, or last year." Kyle Chalmers claims bronze in lightning 100m freestyle final Meanwhile, Kyle Chalmers' quest to break the 47-second barrier and claim his second 100m freestyle world title came up just short in one of the fastest finals of all time. The Aussie star claimed bronze in a time of 47.17 which was quicker than his 2016 Olympic gold medal swim and silver medal effort at the Paris Games. But Romanian sensation David Popovici - who had already won the 200m freestyle - made it a double by swimming the second-fastest 100m freestyle time of all time to claim gold. Popovici's blistering 46.51 was just short of Chinese star Pan Zhanle's world record, with American Jack Alexy taking out silver in 46.92. Chalmers said he'd been 'training hard' and 'desperately wanted' to swim sub-47 seconds but was still thrilled to claim bronze. 'To get on the podium is so special,' he said. 'It's incredible. "It was the fastest race in history to make it through that final, and I really believe that anyone could have won that race. We obviously didn't even have the world's record holder in that race, so it was amazing. 46.5 is insane. Crazy.' with AAP
