Brumbies win Super derby in Perth but Lolesio stretchered off with spinal injury
A spinal injury to Wallabies flyhalf Noah Lolesio has overshadowed the ACT Brumbies' surge to an all-important Super Rugby Pacific home play-off.
Lolesio was stretchered off wearing a neck brace, and in apparent extreme pain, midway through the first half of his Brumbies' 33-14 derby win over the Western Force in Perth.
The Brumbies' and incumbent Australian No.10 was twisted in an accidental off-the-ball play while trying to repel a Force attack on his goal line in the 20th minute of Saturday night's derby.
It was initially unclear if Lolesio had suffered a back, hip or leg injury in the incident.
But Stan Sport's sideline commentator and former Wallabies star Cameron Shepherd said Lolesio had sustained a spinal injury.
'We don't want to speculate too much at the moment because there's a lot of scans and a lot of checks that need to be done,' Shepherd said.
'But the one small bit of good news is that he is moving his arms and legs.
'They have confirmed it is a spinal injury. At the moment, we just don't understand the severity.
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Foot fault: 'inconvenient' setback a blow for Blues
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"It's more in the early stages which is why the timeline isn't as long as what it could've been," Carlton coach Michael Voss said of Walsh's injury on Saturday. "We're fortunate enough we caught it early, but all these things always come with inconvenient timing. "It's inconvenient for everyone, for him and for us. "He's a real pro. Once he knows what he's dealing with, he turns his mind into his rehab, how he can get better and how to get the most out of the situation. "He'll take his five or six weeks and hopefully we get him back better and stronger." Carlton have already lost Nic Newman (knee), No.3 draft pick Jagga Smith (knee) and Brodie Kemp (achilles) for the rest of the season, while star forward Harry McKay will miss his second consecutive match due to knee soreness. West Coast have made three changes from the team that lost to North Melbourne by 10 points last week. Tom McCarthy, the No.1 pick from the mid-season rookie draft, has been named for his AFL debut, while Clay Hall and Bailey Williams return to the side. Premiership defender Tom Cole will spend a stint on the sidelines with a hamstring injury, while Brady Hough (illness) and Archer Reid (omitted) are the other outs. Meanwhile, All-Australian West Coast backman Jeremy McGovern faces an anxious wait after fronting the AFL's concussion panel on Thursday night. McGovern hasn't played since being concussed in the round eight loss to Melbourne on May 3, and the concussion panel will decide whether he can continue his decorated 197-game career. A decision on McGovern's future is expected within the next week. Carlton's finals hopes have received a huge blow after star midfielder Sam Walsh was ruled out for between five to six weeks with an "inconvenient" foot injury. Walsh reported soreness in his foot at training on Friday and was sent off for scans, which revealed a hot spot. Carlton say there is no fracture in the foot and surgery isn't required, but a period of recovery is needed to allow the injury to settle. The Blues hope Walsh will return in either round 19 or 20. That means he will not only miss Sunday's clash with West Coast in Perth, but also games against North Melbourne, Port Adelaide, Collingwood and Brisbane, before a possible return against Melbourne in round 19. Carlton's season is already hanging in the balance at 5-7, and the loss of Walsh is a big blow to their hopes of clawing back into the top eight. Jaxon Binns has been called up into Carlton's 23 to take on West Coast. "It's more in the early stages which is why the timeline isn't as long as what it could've been," Carlton coach Michael Voss said of Walsh's injury on Saturday. "We're fortunate enough we caught it early, but all these things always come with inconvenient timing. "It's inconvenient for everyone, for him and for us. "He's a real pro. Once he knows what he's dealing with, he turns his mind into his rehab, how he can get better and how to get the most out of the situation. "He'll take his five or six weeks and hopefully we get him back better and stronger." Carlton have already lost Nic Newman (knee), No.3 draft pick Jagga Smith (knee) and Brodie Kemp (achilles) for the rest of the season, while star forward Harry McKay will miss his second consecutive match due to knee soreness. West Coast have made three changes from the team that lost to North Melbourne by 10 points last week. Tom McCarthy, the No.1 pick from the mid-season rookie draft, has been named for his AFL debut, while Clay Hall and Bailey Williams return to the side. Premiership defender Tom Cole will spend a stint on the sidelines with a hamstring injury, while Brady Hough (illness) and Archer Reid (omitted) are the other outs. 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That means he will not only miss Sunday's clash with West Coast in Perth, but also games against North Melbourne, Port Adelaide, Collingwood and Brisbane, before a possible return against Melbourne in round 19. Carlton's season is already hanging in the balance at 5-7, and the loss of Walsh is a big blow to their hopes of clawing back into the top eight. Jaxon Binns has been called up into Carlton's 23 to take on West Coast. "It's more in the early stages which is why the timeline isn't as long as what it could've been," Carlton coach Michael Voss said of Walsh's injury on Saturday. "We're fortunate enough we caught it early, but all these things always come with inconvenient timing. "It's inconvenient for everyone, for him and for us. "He's a real pro. Once he knows what he's dealing with, he turns his mind into his rehab, how he can get better and how to get the most out of the situation. "He'll take his five or six weeks and hopefully we get him back better and stronger." 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The Advertiser
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'Outstanding' Chiefs continue Aussie Super hoodoo in NZ
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No Australian team have ever won a final across the Tasman, with the Brumbies following Queensland out of the competition after the Reds were beaten by the Crusaders in the qualifying final. Skipper Allan Alaalatoa lamented another finals four exit for his team. "What we spoke about all week is that we had to play close to a perfect game to come out here and get the result, and, yeah, we probably saw there in the second half that accuracy let us down, and off the back of that probably our discipline as well," the Wallabies prop said. While it was three tries a piece, penalties proved a killer for the visitors, who tallied 11 to the Chiefs' seven. All Blacks sharp-shooter Damian McKenzie booted six penalty goals as well as two conversions and set up the Chiefs' third try in a starring performance. The flyhalf also pulled off a miracle tackle in the 65th minute, getting his hand under the ball to deny a Brumbies fullback Tom Wright a certain try to stall any chance of a fightback. The Brumbies' quest to end a 0-20 record suffered a major setback with Wallabies No.10 Lolesio departing just 10 minutes in after an accidental head-knock while making a tackle. His replacement, Jack Debreczeni, who has hardly played this Super season, did an admirable job but the Brumbies still missed their chief playmaker, who is shifting his career to Japan. The Canberra outfit were well in the hunt at halftime, only trailing 19-12, with hooker Billy Pollard rumbling across and winger Corey Toole scoring the first of his two tries off a Debreczeni cross-field kick. The home side's points came from Emoni Narawa with the winger catching the defence offside with a quick pick and go. But the Brumbies' penalty count was already double the Chiefs, including one after the halftime hooter which McKenzie slotted. While the Brumbies scored first in the second half, with Toole bumping off McKenzie en route to a brilliant individual try to get within two, Narawa hit straight back for his second. The ACT side were unable to add to their tally while two McKenzie penalties and the No.10 offloading to Josh Jacomb sealed a dominant win. Because they lost their qualifying final to the Blues, the table-topping Chiefs must play the grand final in Christchurch, with the Crusaders beating the Blues 21-14 in the other semi-final. The Chiefs last faced the Crusaders in the 2023 grand final, losing 25-20, after also beating the Brumbies in the semis. McKenzie praised his team's composure to again put the leading Australian side to the sword. "Outstanding performance from the lads," he said. "Brumbies come out of the box fast, like we knew they would, and just loved the way we were really composed to stick to our game. "It's never easy playing the Brumbies boys, they've been outstanding all year so to come away with that one and obviously get ourselves into a final, I'm stoked." Australia's wait for a Super Rugby Pacific finals winner in New Zealand continues after the ACT Brumbies crashed 37-17 to the Chiefs in Hamilton, with playmaker Noah Lolesio an early casualty. Playing in their fourth successive semi-final, the gallant Brumbies again missed a grand final berth while the Chiefs will play in their third straight title decider, taking on the Crusaders next Saturday. No Australian team have ever won a final across the Tasman, with the Brumbies following Queensland out of the competition after the Reds were beaten by the Crusaders in the qualifying final. Skipper Allan Alaalatoa lamented another finals four exit for his team. "What we spoke about all week is that we had to play close to a perfect game to come out here and get the result, and, yeah, we probably saw there in the second half that accuracy let us down, and off the back of that probably our discipline as well," the Wallabies prop said. While it was three tries a piece, penalties proved a killer for the visitors, who tallied 11 to the Chiefs' seven. All Blacks sharp-shooter Damian McKenzie booted six penalty goals as well as two conversions and set up the Chiefs' third try in a starring performance. The flyhalf also pulled off a miracle tackle in the 65th minute, getting his hand under the ball to deny a Brumbies fullback Tom Wright a certain try to stall any chance of a fightback. The Brumbies' quest to end a 0-20 record suffered a major setback with Wallabies No.10 Lolesio departing just 10 minutes in after an accidental head-knock while making a tackle. His replacement, Jack Debreczeni, who has hardly played this Super season, did an admirable job but the Brumbies still missed their chief playmaker, who is shifting his career to Japan. The Canberra outfit were well in the hunt at halftime, only trailing 19-12, with hooker Billy Pollard rumbling across and winger Corey Toole scoring the first of his two tries off a Debreczeni cross-field kick. The home side's points came from Emoni Narawa with the winger catching the defence offside with a quick pick and go. But the Brumbies' penalty count was already double the Chiefs, including one after the halftime hooter which McKenzie slotted. While the Brumbies scored first in the second half, with Toole bumping off McKenzie en route to a brilliant individual try to get within two, Narawa hit straight back for his second. The ACT side were unable to add to their tally while two McKenzie penalties and the No.10 offloading to Josh Jacomb sealed a dominant win. Because they lost their qualifying final to the Blues, the table-topping Chiefs must play the grand final in Christchurch, with the Crusaders beating the Blues 21-14 in the other semi-final. The Chiefs last faced the Crusaders in the 2023 grand final, losing 25-20, after also beating the Brumbies in the semis. McKenzie praised his team's composure to again put the leading Australian side to the sword. "Outstanding performance from the lads," he said. "Brumbies come out of the box fast, like we knew they would, and just loved the way we were really composed to stick to our game. "It's never easy playing the Brumbies boys, they've been outstanding all year so to come away with that one and obviously get ourselves into a final, I'm stoked."
The Advertiser
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Dolphins rookies urged to mine golden generation
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Toohey is among the Dolphins' debutants being told by Swimming Australia's head coach Rohan Taylor to pick the brains - and study the methods - of their battle-hardened teammates. Taylor was reluctant to compare the strength of the fresh Dolphins pod to previous teams. "All I can compare is the type of athlete we have on the team - they're just competitive," Taylor told AAP. "They hate losing more than they they like winning, I think. "There's just a certain character; we have got an abundance of them. "What you have with Kaylee (McKeown), Mollie (O'Callaghan), Kyle (Chalmers) is super-competitive and they're infectious to the team. "So while we have them, we want to grow the others to learn how to be like that." Taylor was impressed with how the emerging swimmers thrived under the stress of selection trials. "You can't create that kind of pressure and expectation on someone before it actually happens," he said. "There's one thing to see them progressing ... what is pleasing is the ability to actually deliver. That is really a skill and that's the skill we look for. "Now it's going to an international meet, can you repeat your performances? That is the next step for these guys." Other swimmers securing selection on Saturday night included Paris Olympic 50m freestyle silver medallist Meg Harris. The 23-year-old won the one-lap dash in 24.17 seconds after dropping out of the 100m free following a heat swim. "I did so well last year in the 50, I want to see if I have any more potential in that," Harris said. And Kyle Chalmers' stunning form continued by equalling his personal best in the 50m butterfly, winning in 22.89. Chalmers is unlikely to swim the event at the worlds given it's scheduled on the same day as the 4x100m freestyle relay. "I'm always going to put the team first before my individual races," Chalmers said. "I haven't done any butterfly training just yet so I'm excited to be able to go to that leading into the next Olympics." The 10 rookies on Australia's swim team for the world titles are being urged to mine a golden generation's expertise while they can. Dolphins hierarchy have selected a 40-strong team for the world championships in Singapore starting July 27. The team was settled on Saturday night moments after Lani Pallister broke a 10-year-old Commonwealth record in the last race of the selection trials in Adelaide. Pallister won the women's 1500m freestyle in 15 minutes 39.14 seconds, one second inside the previous Commonwealth benchmark set by New Zealander Lauren Boyle in 2015. Pallister was the standout swimmer of the meet, also breaking Ariarne Titmus' Australian record in the 800m freestyle and dipping under four minutes for the first time to win the 400m free. "It has been a good week ... it has shown what I can do," Pallister said. Australia's team is book-ended in age by 16-year-old Sienna Toohey and 31-year-old Cam McEvoy, who will race at an astonishing seventh world championships. Toohey is among the Dolphins' debutants being told by Swimming Australia's head coach Rohan Taylor to pick the brains - and study the methods - of their battle-hardened teammates. Taylor was reluctant to compare the strength of the fresh Dolphins pod to previous teams. "All I can compare is the type of athlete we have on the team - they're just competitive," Taylor told AAP. "They hate losing more than they they like winning, I think. "There's just a certain character; we have got an abundance of them. "What you have with Kaylee (McKeown), Mollie (O'Callaghan), Kyle (Chalmers) is super-competitive and they're infectious to the team. "So while we have them, we want to grow the others to learn how to be like that." Taylor was impressed with how the emerging swimmers thrived under the stress of selection trials. "You can't create that kind of pressure and expectation on someone before it actually happens," he said. "There's one thing to see them progressing ... what is pleasing is the ability to actually deliver. That is really a skill and that's the skill we look for. "Now it's going to an international meet, can you repeat your performances? That is the next step for these guys." Other swimmers securing selection on Saturday night included Paris Olympic 50m freestyle silver medallist Meg Harris. The 23-year-old won the one-lap dash in 24.17 seconds after dropping out of the 100m free following a heat swim. "I did so well last year in the 50, I want to see if I have any more potential in that," Harris said. And Kyle Chalmers' stunning form continued by equalling his personal best in the 50m butterfly, winning in 22.89. Chalmers is unlikely to swim the event at the worlds given it's scheduled on the same day as the 4x100m freestyle relay. "I'm always going to put the team first before my individual races," Chalmers said. "I haven't done any butterfly training just yet so I'm excited to be able to go to that leading into the next Olympics." The 10 rookies on Australia's swim team for the world titles are being urged to mine a golden generation's expertise while they can. Dolphins hierarchy have selected a 40-strong team for the world championships in Singapore starting July 27. The team was settled on Saturday night moments after Lani Pallister broke a 10-year-old Commonwealth record in the last race of the selection trials in Adelaide. Pallister won the women's 1500m freestyle in 15 minutes 39.14 seconds, one second inside the previous Commonwealth benchmark set by New Zealander Lauren Boyle in 2015. Pallister was the standout swimmer of the meet, also breaking Ariarne Titmus' Australian record in the 800m freestyle and dipping under four minutes for the first time to win the 400m free. "It has been a good week ... it has shown what I can do," Pallister said. Australia's team is book-ended in age by 16-year-old Sienna Toohey and 31-year-old Cam McEvoy, who will race at an astonishing seventh world championships. Toohey is among the Dolphins' debutants being told by Swimming Australia's head coach Rohan Taylor to pick the brains - and study the methods - of their battle-hardened teammates. Taylor was reluctant to compare the strength of the fresh Dolphins pod to previous teams. "All I can compare is the type of athlete we have on the team - they're just competitive," Taylor told AAP. "They hate losing more than they they like winning, I think. "There's just a certain character; we have got an abundance of them. "What you have with Kaylee (McKeown), Mollie (O'Callaghan), Kyle (Chalmers) is super-competitive and they're infectious to the team. "So while we have them, we want to grow the others to learn how to be like that." Taylor was impressed with how the emerging swimmers thrived under the stress of selection trials. "You can't create that kind of pressure and expectation on someone before it actually happens," he said. "There's one thing to see them progressing ... what is pleasing is the ability to actually deliver. That is really a skill and that's the skill we look for. "Now it's going to an international meet, can you repeat your performances? That is the next step for these guys." Other swimmers securing selection on Saturday night included Paris Olympic 50m freestyle silver medallist Meg Harris. The 23-year-old won the one-lap dash in 24.17 seconds after dropping out of the 100m free following a heat swim. "I did so well last year in the 50, I want to see if I have any more potential in that," Harris said. And Kyle Chalmers' stunning form continued by equalling his personal best in the 50m butterfly, winning in 22.89. Chalmers is unlikely to swim the event at the worlds given it's scheduled on the same day as the 4x100m freestyle relay. "I'm always going to put the team first before my individual races," Chalmers said. "I haven't done any butterfly training just yet so I'm excited to be able to go to that leading into the next Olympics."
